She was 4lb 8oz, with lungs full of fluid, and we were told she never would have made it until Friday when Dr. Lewis was going to do the c-section due to no changes in her growth. (That was a scary moment of realization, and I thank God for Dr. Trammell going with her gut on this. Also, because she said my uterus was so incredibly thin, going into labor on my own would have ruptured it for sure, killing both of us. She said it was so thin, it was like a window - you could see right through it, and she said she'll never forget that the rest of her life.) She was in an oxygen tent & on an IV for most of the first 24 hours of her life, and I didn't get to hold her until the next day.The hospital stay was pretty rough, and exhausting in a way I'd never known. Then we finally got to come home with a UV blanket for her jaundice.
Since then, she's experienced a lot. We knew about the hole in her heart since the 20 wk ultrasound during pregnancy, which they told us would close by birth, but then but found at her 6 month old cardiology appt that not only had it still not closed, there were actually two holes. Then, less than 2 weeks later, she was admitted to the hospital for a few days because we couldn't keep her awake. It was a terrifying time. Several tests, xrays, cathether, colonoscopy, bloodwork and other pokes and prods later, they determined it was intussusception - where part of her intestines gets sucked up inside the other part. But, being the trooper she is, she made it through that too and was back to her happy little self in no time. She's still pretty tiny for her age...she's exactly 17 lbs, no ounces. She just held her own bottle and fed herself for the first time four days ago, and still can't eat 'big people' foods, and she definitely doesn't sleep through the night. But to me, she's absolutely perfect and she hasn't let any of that bother her. She's probably the happiest-natured baby I've ever had.
Happy birthday Fattles. I'm gonna go sob in a corner now.
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