Baby's Birthday

Today is Miana's first birthday. I was looking for a picture to post and had trouble finding some good ones from her first day. Yes, I realize that most baby's don't have any REALLY good pictures from the first day, but she had a really good reason. She was in NICU for about 12 hours. So most of the pictures I have of her from day one are of her hooked up to machines to monitor all kinds of things. It's strange to see the picture now and realize that it was ONLY a year ago, it seems like so long ago because I have hardly thought about it since then. Yet, it seems like just yesterday that she joined our family. How is it that one event can seem like it was yesterday and like it was forever ago, all at the same time?









April 10, 2007 ________________________April 10, 2008

I was going to leave the post where it was but I have been really overwhelmed today remembering how it was that first day. For those that don't know and those that have forgotten, I will share the story with you... I went into the hospital that morning ready for my scheduled C-section. My doctor was running late but they were able to get started and in there very quickly. Everything went well, I was even able to have a successful Epidural for the first time (the last 2 didn't work for me). They got the baby out and she was a whopping 9lbs. 2 oz, my biggest baby yet! This was mostly due to the fact that she had a ton of fluid in her lungs (normally would have been squeezed out during delivery). They cleaned her out as best they could but needed to finish drying out her lungs by putting her in an oxygen hood. She was the biggest and loudest baby in the NICU. She had really strong lungs, as evidenced by the volume of her cries, but her oxygen levels would drop everytime they took her out of the hood, so she needed to stay in NICU. As for me, the end of my surgery took forever, I was in there for a really long time. Then into recovery, where my husband was able to join me for the first time ever (he may have come in for a few minutes after Carter, but I'm not sure), both because the surgery had taken so long, but also because they wouldn't let him stay with the baby while they got her set up in the NICU... When I was done in recovery, they wheeled me up to the NICU and wheeled my bed right next to the bassinet holding my baby. It was the first time I had to be brought to my baby instead of my baby coming to me. I layed there next to her, while she wrapped her tiny hand around my finger. She looked exactly how I felt, helpless. I was able to stay for only a few minutes (about 3 maybe 4) and then I needed to go back to my room. All day I sent Dave in to check on her, bring me pictures, report back to me. I was stuck there in the room and unable to see my new baby. I remember the nurse saying to me, just after my husband left for the day, "I'm sure she will be out of the NICU in the morning and you will get to hold her. " The MORNING?? No, I don't want to wait to hold my baby for the first time until she is an entire day old! I wanted her right then. The nurse said goodnight to me and told me that it was time for the shift change and that the next nurse would give me an update. I waited for about an hour and half before the new nurse came in. She said, "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, but I was checking in on the baby, they are getting ready to release her, they just have to run some tests and I will be back with her." I was so excited! They brought her in and I was able to hold my baby for the first time, nearly 12 hours after she was born...
It does seem like forever ago... but something I will never forget...