So we’ve been counting down the days until we move home to Arizona. Getting our house packed up, renting moving trucks, buying flights, and notifying doctors in AZ that we’ll be having a baby soon after we get home. Well, things have changed.
Sunday afternoon we were lounging around for “quiet time” and Jill says, “Noah, can you come here?” So I head back into the bedroom and Jill was in the bathroom and said, “I think my water broke.” Say what! Pump the breaks! How can that be, right? I said, “Are you sure, you didn’t just pee your pants.” I secretly wanted to laugh but this was a time to be “serious”, which is usually tough for me anyways. “If I did then this sure is a lot of pee.” We were pretty sure it was the real thing.
We grabbed a few things and left the kids with some friends. I told the kids that we were headed to the hospital so the doctors could tell us if mom needed to stay and have the baby or if she could come back home. I don’t think they quite got it, mostly because we had been saying all along that the baby would be born in Arizona.
After we checked in and a few preliminary questions from the doctor, she said, “Yep, your water broke.” Then the ultrasound and some more questions. She said that since Jill was close to 33 weeks, any serious efforts to prevent labor would do more harm than good to the baby. However, she said that hopefully Jill could “hold her off” for 9 more days which would put her at 34 weeks and then induce labor. She said all of that as if it was no big deal. In fact, she said, “Just relax here and I’ll be back on call on Wednesday so I’ll check on you then and see how you’re progressing.” I thought she was joking, so did Jill. After all, it seems that once that process starts it’s pretty hard to slow down. How was Jill going to last 9 more days? But, then again, I’m no doctor.
So with no dilation or real contractions, I went home and Jill was admitted. I told the kids and, again, they didn’t quite get it. “Why can’t she come home if she didn’t have the baby?” Sadie asked. So the next day around 11:00 I asked Jill how it was going…
Doctor’s first check, dilated 5 cm, second check, 7 cm with strong contractions. Next, epidural (ahhh). 20 minutes later, 3 quick pushes and a new little baby. Tessa Gwen Tyler born at 1:45 pm, 11/21/2011. The doctor was surprised how quickly Jill progressed but that’s what we’d been saying all along, it’ll be quick.
She’s pretty small, birth weight was 4 lbs. 10 ozs. And 17.5 inches long. Decent amount of hair that is already getting lighter, much lighter. Her lungs were in pretty good shape and she even cried a bit when she was getting cleaned up. They took her to the NICU to get on oxygen and feeding tubes and a bunch other tubes and wires.
I’m so proud of Jill. She has done a fantastic job during the entire pregnancy but especially over these past several days. I know she was surprised, nervous, shocked, and, understandably not prepared to have the baby so soon. She was planning on flying home at 36 weeks, December 10th, so she could stay as long as possible here in Virginia and still be OK to travel. Most, actually, all of our baby stuff is in the attic in AZ. One of the nurses even asked if we had a car seat. We sat and thought, “No we don’t.” Why would we? So we are adjusting and making some new plans.
The prognosis is good. We are encouraged by many mini-milestones she reaches each day. We keep saying that it’s like a best case scenario to a bad situation. She was “upgraded” to the incubator on Wednesday and started light therapy for jaundice. Not sure how the boxed-in set up is an improvement as the doctors say, but then again, I’m no doctor.
Today, she is completely off of oxygen and her feeding tube got moved from her mouth to her nose. She likes her pacifier even though it blocks her vision. She is now eating .5 oz per feeding and has been opening her eyes more and more. She doesn’t seem too small until you hold her or touch her hands and feet. And if you can’t tell then, just put something next to her for a reference point and you’ll certainly see that she’s a preemie. Today’s weight, 4.4 oz.
We’re not quite sure when she’ll be able to come home, hopefully soon. We are obviously more concerned with her progress and continue to pray she gets well enough soon. It seems as if each day she does a bit better and is keeping us all very positive. Not quite sure who she looks like most, maybe Sadie, but that’s probably just because she’s gorgeous.
We are very grateful to all who have been so helpful to our family. Just as we weren’t expecting our baby so soon, neither was anyone else and so many have been willing to pitch in and help out. Grandma Arnett flew out Monday night and will stay for a while. Then Grandma Tyler comes out in December to help with the move home, whenever that is. We truly are blessed with such awesome family and friends. Thank you all.
Virginia has been a blast. We’ve have loved so much of this place. I guess Tessa just wanted to experience a little piece of it too. Welcome to our family!
