Updated at the end of the post.Hailey Emma Dawn Staples arrived December 19th at approximately 6:45 pm. And boy did she make an entrance! She is my newest first cousin once removed, and she is gorgeous!
So I hear on Tuesday that my cousin's water broke Monday night, she went to the hospital and was monitored for a little while. There were only two weak contractions so she was sent home to come back Wednesday morning for an induction. We got a call from my grandmother around 6 pm saying that it would probably be another couple of hours, but Hailey was expected to arrive around 8 pm.
Then we went out for supper... When we got home there was another message saying that my cousin had an emergency c-section due to the baby being distressed and her heart rate not recovering after contractions. The next part of the message tells us mom and baby are being med-evac'd to the IWK from Kentville and the baby was intibated (sp?), and receiving blood via IV.
We didn't know what was going on, or where the rest of the family was but I felt pretty strongly that we should go over to the hosital and see what we could do... mostly for the other family members since I'm not really up to par on my emergency medicine. We got there around ten, heard they were going to send the baby via LifeFlight, but there was no ETA. We waited... and waited some more... and finally left at 12:30 am when they said they thought they were still at the Kentville hospital (they ended up arriving by ambulance, when the weather turned).
Once we got home I called Kentville and found out that the mom and baby had left a long time ago. I called the IWK and they had just arrived after we had left. I was able to get a message to my uncle and he let me know that my cousin was doing ok, considering she had major surgery, and they were waiting to hear about the baby. It was 2 am at this point, and though I really wanted to be there, it didn't make much sense, so I went to bed.
When it was finally morning, mom and I went over around 10:00 am. Thankfully both mom and baby were doing much, much better. During the labour Hailey was getting a little squished and the cord was being cut off, stemming the flow of blood and oxygen. When she was delivered she wasn't breathing, etc. And this led to a few stressful hours (compounded by a tactless doctor who kept saying that the baby probably wasn't going to make it... not what a new mom wants to hear I'm sure).
I got to visit both mom and baby today. I was a little surprised that they let me into the NICU, since first cousin once removed isn't that close a relation, but I'm really glad they did. Hailey was pink, and healthy looking with a nice head of hair. She looks like a good eater, cuz she was going to town on that soother thing (probably because she hadn't eaten yet at that point). I got to rub her head and she held my finger (no cuddling yet, she was still in the incubator, her mom was the fist cuddler around 1pm).
She was awake and had her eyes open for a little while, and if you've never made eye contact with someone who is less than 24 hours old, I highly recommend it! It's definitely a unique experience... I finally had to tear myself away, because I could have stood there for a very, very long time. She is one pretty baby! And I'm not just saying that because she's my newest first cousin once removed :)
If you're of the praying variety, please say some for Hailey and her family. They went through an extremely trying experience and you could see it on their faces today (Hailey is my Aunt and Uncle's first grandbaby). Hailey has some tiny holes in her right lung that they think was a result of the asphixiation (I can't spell that either), or from trying to get her to breathe. They're hopeful that these will heal on their own, but if not there is treatment available. Also please pray for Angela (mom) who has some healing to do from the surgery, and who desperately wanted to bond with Hailey but due to circumstances wasn't able to do so right away.
And if I'm this mushy now, I have no idea how I'm going to be in three months when my nephew finally arrives!
So I hear on Tuesday that my cousin's water broke Monday night, she went to the hospital and was monitored for a little while. There were only two weak contractions so she was sent home to come back Wednesday morning for an induction. We got a call from my grandmother around 6 pm saying that it would probably be another couple of hours, but Hailey was expected to arrive around 8 pm.
Then we went out for supper... When we got home there was another message saying that my cousin had an emergency c-section due to the baby being distressed and her heart rate not recovering after contractions. The next part of the message tells us mom and baby are being med-evac'd to the IWK from Kentville and the baby was intibated (sp?), and receiving blood via IV.
We didn't know what was going on, or where the rest of the family was but I felt pretty strongly that we should go over to the hosital and see what we could do... mostly for the other family members since I'm not really up to par on my emergency medicine. We got there around ten, heard they were going to send the baby via LifeFlight, but there was no ETA. We waited... and waited some more... and finally left at 12:30 am when they said they thought they were still at the Kentville hospital (they ended up arriving by ambulance, when the weather turned).
Once we got home I called Kentville and found out that the mom and baby had left a long time ago. I called the IWK and they had just arrived after we had left. I was able to get a message to my uncle and he let me know that my cousin was doing ok, considering she had major surgery, and they were waiting to hear about the baby. It was 2 am at this point, and though I really wanted to be there, it didn't make much sense, so I went to bed.
When it was finally morning, mom and I went over around 10:00 am. Thankfully both mom and baby were doing much, much better. During the labour Hailey was getting a little squished and the cord was being cut off, stemming the flow of blood and oxygen. When she was delivered she wasn't breathing, etc. And this led to a few stressful hours (compounded by a tactless doctor who kept saying that the baby probably wasn't going to make it... not what a new mom wants to hear I'm sure).
I got to visit both mom and baby today. I was a little surprised that they let me into the NICU, since first cousin once removed isn't that close a relation, but I'm really glad they did. Hailey was pink, and healthy looking with a nice head of hair. She looks like a good eater, cuz she was going to town on that soother thing (probably because she hadn't eaten yet at that point). I got to rub her head and she held my finger (no cuddling yet, she was still in the incubator, her mom was the fist cuddler around 1pm).
She was awake and had her eyes open for a little while, and if you've never made eye contact with someone who is less than 24 hours old, I highly recommend it! It's definitely a unique experience... I finally had to tear myself away, because I could have stood there for a very, very long time. She is one pretty baby! And I'm not just saying that because she's my newest first cousin once removed :)
If you're of the praying variety, please say some for Hailey and her family. They went through an extremely trying experience and you could see it on their faces today (Hailey is my Aunt and Uncle's first grandbaby). Hailey has some tiny holes in her right lung that they think was a result of the asphixiation (I can't spell that either), or from trying to get her to breathe. They're hopeful that these will heal on their own, but if not there is treatment available. Also please pray for Angela (mom) who has some healing to do from the surgery, and who desperately wanted to bond with Hailey but due to circumstances wasn't able to do so right away.
And if I'm this mushy now, I have no idea how I'm going to be in three months when my nephew finally arrives!
Added December 22: I just heard from my mom who was visiting Angela at the hospital. Hailey has been having seizures the past day or two, as a result of being deprived of oxygen... Needless to say everyone is very worried. Apparently this is normal considering the birth trauma. Angela is able to pump milk, so she is getting some much needed nutrition. The doctors are expecting some long-term effects, but that will likely involve poor math skills or something of the like.
Mom and baby will probably be there for Christmas, and I plan to visit them tomorrow.
1 comment:
Congrats to you, and your cousin's family, and warmest holiday wishes to you.
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