Day 1 (June 25)
I was induced two and a half weeks early due to toxemia and preeclampsia. Ian’s due date was July 10, 2007. Sco
tt, my mom and I went to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center June 25 at 5:00 am. Ian was born at 3:36 pm at eight pounds 1.5 ounces and 20 ½ inches tall. What a big boy!
Wow, was that a day! My mom and Scott were my support. Both of them were amazing!! After my water was surgically broken at about 7:30 am, the nurses indicated there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. As they were concerned about meconium aspiration (MAS), the NICU was notified to be present at the birth. MAS is the inhalation by an infant of a mixture of meconium and amniotic fluid, and can happen before, during, or after labor and delivery. Meconium is the baby's first stool, and is sticky, thick, and dark green. It is typically passed in the womb during early pregnancy and again in the first fe
w days after birth. The inhaled meconium can partially or completely block the baby's airway. Although air can flow past the meconium in the baby's airway as the baby breathes in, it becomes trapped in the airway when the baby breathes out. Thus, the inhaled meconium irritates the baby's airway and makes it difficult to breathe. MAS is very common. In the worst case scenario the baby stays in the NICU for maybe two to three weeks while the meconium clears from the lungs.
I had an epidural and everything was smooth sailing. Before we knew it, Ian was born completely healthy. Auntie Missy was the first visitor in the delivery room. Ian was weighed, washed up, wrapped and given to Scott and me. I was then transferred to my room and Ian went with the nurses. When we got to our room I could immediately tell the nurses were concerned about Ian. They were in the room simply to give him a bath and to take his vitals, but soon they were saying he had a fever and would need to be taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for an assessment. Oh no! As a mom, I didn’t want my baby anywhere but with Scott and me. I was worried sick, but Scott was there to comfort me. Several hours later a NICU MD came to our room. He indicated that Ian did in fact have MAS and that additionally he was a bit tachypnic (rapid breathing) and had a fever. Again, this is very common. We were told not to worry and that I should get some rest and that we could visit him first thing and in the morning.
Day 2 (June 26)
Scott and I awoke and immediately headed down to the NICU. I was not happy upon our arrival to find Ian in an incubator. It is a worst nightmare to see your child in one of those things. We also watched as the nurses gavage fed him, meaning a tube was inserted through his mouth and down his throat into his stomach, through which they would send formula. I thought that was the worst thing Ian could ever go through. Boy was I wrong. Scott and I stayed there with Ian the entire day. The doctor on rotation said he was confident Ian would be discharged that day. Sure enough, as Scott and I waited in my room, Ian was rolled in. We were so excited!
We had lots of visitors that day. Mommy instinct told me something was still not right with Ian, however. After everyone left, Scott and I called the nurse. Ian seemed to be wincing as though in pain. To our dismay, the nurse said he needed to be taken back to the NICU. Scott and I spent the evening there in the NICU. We couldn’t sleep, so we waited in anticipation late through the night into early morning.