HERE SHE IS!
She's Here! Sara Ann was born March 14th at 9:10 am. She weighed 5 lb 1 oz.
She was 6 weeks early though. Monday Wendy went in with contractions and they stopped those because she was only 1 cm. Well, Wednesday afternoon her water broke. We've come to find out that it was because she had Strep B. Anyhow, I rushed to the hospital from the office as my dad drove her there. We rode out contractions through the night. Getting worse, getting stronger. They gave her patosin to speed up the contractions. I stayed by her side. In the morning she was still only 3 cm dilated so they decided on the epidural. Mostly to help with the pain but also to calm her down so she could dilate more. She went from 3 to 10 in about 1 & 1/2 hours. It was time for the hard labor. I was at her side coaching her all the way (not knowing what I was doing). Sara came into the world weighing 5lb 1 oz at 9:10 Thursday morning March 14th, 2002. We both saw & held her then she was whisked off to NICU because she was premature. They cleaned whatever fluid was in the lungs out then put her under an oxygen hood. Slowly they dropped the percentage of oxygen. By the time we saw her she was already breathing 25% oxygen (humans breath only 21%). By Friday, the hood was gone. She was wrapped tightly & under the heat lamps. After Friday they determined she was already holding her own body heat. They kept her in the rest of that week & this week for feeding. She has been feeding well and only lost 3 oz. She had to be under the billy lights because she had some Jaundice. Every baby gets that. But after only 2 days she was doing fine & those lights are gone. She is so silly. Makes faces, coos, grunts & smiles.Wendy was in labor for a total of 17 hours and 40 minutes I helped Wendy, coaching her all the way (didn’t know what I was doing though…) and in about 40 minutes our daughter was born. We all talked and played through the night. Her mother came down along with her sister in law & one of the closest non family members, Donna. I’ll tell you what….I consider Donna family. She is like another sister to me. She has brought me into her world as part of Wendy’s family. My sister in law was there as well. Cindy was supposed to be there to help me coach Wendy but the nurses didnt want a million people in the room. She stayed with us for most of the night and came back in the morning for the birth. She is a wonderful girl. Cindy & my brother are great and I dont know what we'd do without them. She already has 2 girls, so we are constantly asking her for advice.
UPDATES
Our sweetheart is home. We brought her home one week after birth. She weighed 4 lb. 14 oz. She had to stay in the hospital for a week to run a series of antibiotics through her. Since Wendy had the Strep B, they had to give Sara antibiotics as well as Penicillin to Wendy during the birth. So anyhow, Sara came home a week later. After a week, we took her to her first Pediatrician appointment. He said she was already up to 5 lb. 9 oz. and had even grown a 1/4". So she was now up to 18 1/2". We had her back in a week later because she was a bit congested and they told us that in a week she was already up to 6 lb. 10 oz. She was taking about 2 1/2 to 3 ounces of formula as well. Doing good! As of today, April 15th, she is doing 4 ounces and sometimes still hungry. I betcha she is over 7 lbs...maybe 8 lbs. Wendy and I are doing good as well.......still getting used to our sleep patterns being disrupted. Sara is such a joy. I wouldnt change things for the world. It is so nice to come home to my girls! I have a beautiful loving wife and now WE have a gorgeous little girl. You ought to see the faces she makes!
EVEN MORE UPDATES
OK! More Updates! We took Sara to the doctors today. This was actually her due date. The doctor says Sara is progressing wonderfully. Her rash cleared up and she is now up to 8 lbs. 3 oz. She is over 20 inches long now as well. She is finally able to get off the NeoSure formula that had so much iron in it. She is now on a formula with low iron. I'm sure this will help her out as far as her discomfort with gas and pooping. She is such an angel. She loves car rides, stays quiet or sleeps the whole way. What she is getting is an attitude. When she's hungry, you BETTER have her bottle ready fast. She is drinking over 4 oz at a time & has been hungry afterwards! We have been upping her formula steadily and we are now giving her a bit of baby cereal in between. OK, so there is whats up so far. You can always get in touch with us at jmh360@aol.com......or just wait for more news & pictures!
NOW, ON TO THE PHOTOS....
There is already a page 2, so at the bottom of these, follow the link in red....
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| This is a pic that night as the contractions started. |
Wendy & Her Parents…New Grandparents… |
The girls that helped her along thru the night. They were MAJOR support! |
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| Mom’s First Look at Her New Daughter! |
Dad’s First Look at His New Daughter! |
The Gorgeous Baby Sara!!! |
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| Sara did begin her life in NICU |
But she has gotten better every day! |
She is so wonderful….and GORGEOUS! |
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| Here's Grandma T's First Time With Sara. |
And This Is Grandpa H's First Time With Sara. |
Grandma H Had Her First Time Too! |
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| Great Grandma Mac Had Her First Peek At Sara. |
Wednesday Night's Foot Massage |
Sara's Looking at Daddy |
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| Mom & Dad H Visit Sara on Her First Day Home! |
Sara Tries Out Her Bouncy Chair From Lisa! |
Mom & Dad H With Sara |
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| Sara and Aunt Tracey |
Sara and Uncle RJ |
Sara and Aunt Donna |
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| Sara and Cousin Brittany |
Sara and Cousin Brandon |
Sara and Cousin Johnny |
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| Sara and Cousin Brittany S |
Sara Gets a Smoochie From Brandon |
Sara and the Girls! Part of the Crew Already! |
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| Sara and Mommy |
Sara Meets Opus...or the Other Way Around |
Sara and Daddy |
MORE TO COME!