Day 5-7

 Wednesday (Day 5) was a new day full of hopes of going home!  We also had another visitor...This time, it was from Auntie Red.

Day 2- Day 4

Day 2 included a visit from Auntie Scar Scar.  This was a pleasant surprise!  The plan was (originally) for her and her family to stay with us for the weekend...with the baby still in utero.  As you can see, this did not happen.  That is why the visit was only from Auntie Scar Scar, and not the whole gang.  Children were not allowed in the labor and delivery room under the age of 12.  Instead, we FaceTimed the little ones while they were at the park with Uncle Dar.

At this point, the new parents were typical new parents.  Just tired...but in the same breath, on cloud nine.  The nights were a bit of a struggle for all.  Mommie was still recovering from surgery and had a hard time getting up and out of bed alone to nurse when the time occurred.  Daddie did most of the changing and swaddling...not to mention helping with pillows and situating for feeding time.

The day was FULL of lots of visitors....hospital people that is.  Because UVA is a teaching hospital, we were very well monitored.  Both baby and mom.  It was reassuring to have all the extra knowledge on a regular basis, but still a pain to have so many interruptions.  Mommie lost ALL modestly.  Whether it was pumping or nursing with full exposure, people just came on into the room. . . . It was Day 2 that the swelling and uncomfortable-ness really set in the from the surgery too......

Daddie also became very tired out, very quickly.  Look how hard he was working to take care of everyone!!

The Belirubin blanket stayed on for days and days.....They would come and prick Rusty Bone's little heal and take a blood sample for testing...then they would come tell us it was still too high.  Not to mention his weight was now 5 lbs 2 ounces.  He was starting to struggle a little with working to latch and eat, even though at this point it was still just the colostrum.

We still worked hard though, to make it work and get our little man nice and strong and FAT.  The more he ate, the more he pooped..which was getting rid of the jaundice.  He looked like a little glow worm in his blue shining blanket!  He was so good about his mask and bundle though....we for sure knew we had a good baby (or he was just too sick to care...).  Day 3 (Monday) we got the same news.  Jaundice was still to high and the blanket needed to stay on.  We also got a visit from the lactation nurse.  She helped with giving some advice on getting him to latch and eat (the colostrum), timing (every 2 hours), and positioning.

Day 4 (Tuesday) we got a visit from Auntie Triple J.  This was a very pleasant surprise, as we know that she does not like hospitals (at all!!).  It meant a lot for her to visit.  Not to mention, hook us up at home with food and goodies to make it easier for the parents to be!

Wishful thinking....we were still stuck at the hospital.  Well, technically.....Mommie was released on Day 4.  However, with no nursery, they want you to stay.  You can keep the room and they still feed Mom breakfast, lunch and dinner....but no more doctors or check ups..Just for the newborn.

It really didn't matter though.....Mommie was not going any where without her babe.  Even with no sleep, anemia (and a refused blood transfusion), a recovering tummy, and severe swelling and constipation.....There was nothing that was going to get Mom to leave her newborn at the hospital without her.... 

First 24 hours

So, here we were....with our newborn, perfect little boy.  So, so tiny with all that hair!!  Both of us (meaning mom and dad) were exhausted, but happy to have you there.  At the hospital, there was no nursery.  The baby was kept in the room with the recovering mother.  

  

The recovering mother, just was lucky enough to have a recovering father to help!  We were left there to figure it all out...how to be new parents.  

One of the first things we tried to do, was put you in Cousin's outfit.  There was some crying involved, I'm not gonna lie....but the outfit proved to be WAY TOO BIG!






It wasn't too long into the morning, that the pediatrician team came in to give us an assessment and some information regarding Rusty Bones.  The first order of business, was that he was jaundice.  Enough jaundice that immediate light therapy was needed.  His Belirubin levels were high, very typical of the following:
1) gestational diabetes baby
2) babies born early (this is were the team explained he was actually 36 weeks, not 37)
3) low birth weight (5lbs11oz, now 5lbs3oz)
4) different blood type than mom (he has his daddy's blood type -- A+)

The treatment would be a blanket with UVB lights that he would have to wear 24/7 with a mask.  The more he was exposed, the better off he was.  He also needed to eat as much as possible!  The more he ate, the more he pooped out the belirubin.  The team also told us about his 3 skin rashes (4 if you include baby acne) he had from the hormones.  These would all clear up eventually:

1) Pustular Melanosis

2) Erythema Toxicum

3) Milia

Rusty Bones also had his first guests!  Grandma Pat and Grandpa Scott came to visit.....At this point, you had already started your light treatment.  We also got two more warm welcomes with flowers from Cousin Nicki and Auntie Aklet.

We found out very quickly that one of the mask styles we were using did not work.  Rusty Bones enjoyed having his hands in his face and would quickly more the mask off his face, making the lights unsafe to his eyes.  We opted for a new mask that worked MUCH better.

Rusty Bones got some skin contact with Mom, while he was nursing beautifully and getting the colostrum.  Skin time was also had with Dad, as he had a hard time keeping his own body temperature up to where it needed to be (that's a lot of work for an infant so tiny!!).  We also found out some more statistics:

Born: June 1st, 2013
Time: 0231
Length: 18.5 inches 
Head Circumference: 31.5 cm
Abgar Score: 1 min - 8, 5 min - 9 (pulse, reflexes, breathing, muscles, complexion)

Post 0231

After Rusty Bones was born, I had to finish getting put back together.  This was not a pretty site for anyone....I sent Dad out with the newborn instead of staying in the OR.  The anesthesiologist got the short end of the stick here...I began throwing up again.  The kind anesthesiologist tried stroking my cheek to calm me down, but I was ready to be done.  I kept asking if they were almost done. . . I could over hear the two working on me, talking about how many stitches and such...I think they finally rolled me out of there around 0330.  My last visual was the container of blood they had suctioned during the surgery (yuck!).
I remember coming down the hall and the nurses bumping the doors and walls as they wheeled me around.  When we entered the room, Dad became emotional and relieved that I had made it out of surgery.....The next thing I remember is looking over and seeing Dad passed out with his mouth wide open in the chair.  I also remember a nurse asking me if I wanted to nurse my baby (I remember her saying, "Your mom has great nipples!").  I believe this is the first time I had skin to skin contact with my newborn.  Last thing I remember in this room was the baby crying and Dad standing with the nurses to assist...I can't be sure that they happened in that order.
By the time we were brought to postpartum, we were all excited and exhausted...Well, and probably a little petrified.  We were left with this newborn we would nickname, Rusty Bones. Dad finally sent out some group text and a single picture of our little bundle.  All dad could tell me is that you were 5 pounds, 11 ounces.  I also new that you were born around 0230, but wasn't sure exactly.