Henry is Home!

Henry and I came home yesterday from our week-long visit to the NICU. The picture in the previous post is from his second day of life. This is how he looked hours after he was born.

His umbilical was tightly wrapped twice around his neck and during delivery the cord tore and he lost a lot of blood.  He also had a hole in his lung. I held him for 10 seconds before they whisked him away to NICU. He required a blood transfusion and the doctors extracted air collecting outside his lung by inserting a needle into his side. He was a very weak and sick little baby and though no one put it into these words, he could have died.

We were relieved to see him like this Sunday morning.

This is our first time holding him for reals.

This is Sarah's first time seeing her baby brother.  "She's so cute" she kept saying.  We are still telling her "He Sarah.  Say he."

The majority of our week was spent getting him strong enough to nurse to sustain himself.  I lived in a motel-like room on the NICU floor so I could nurse him day and night all week.  They wouldn't let him go home until he could eat 45 ml every 3 hours for 24 hours.  We started off at 9 ml on Tuesday and the poor guy didn't have enough in him to nurse again until 6 or 8 hours later. After a lot of tears, prayer, water, and nursing, he was averaging 62 ml when we left Friday morning.

 

"I have to go back. I have to bring Henry home," I told Sarah one night before returning to the hospital after a short visit home. I can't even begin to describe the weight of the mantel put on my shoulders to get Henry better. He and I did it. Not without a lot of prayers and support from others but it was definitely our fight. He is my teeny little super guy.

When the attending physician told me we could go home yesterday morning, I really wanted to give him a high-five. "We did it." I said, through held-back tears. He is nearly a pound heavier than when he was born, has no lasting effects, is on no medication, and the hole in his lung healed on its own.  All follow-up will be through is pediatrician. I can't take credit for any of that.  I can't really take credit for anything.

Here's where I'd like to think Henry's life really begins.