After nearly a week of constant blood pressure monitoring in the hospital following the delivery, the doctor finally decided that I could go home. It was definitely a bittersweet day. I was so sick of being in the hospital and ready to be done with it all, but I hated the thought of leaving my baby and not being able to just go down the hall to see him anytime.
When I finally did get home around 9:00pm--(home to my parents' house with whom we've been living since Thanksgiving while our house was being built)-- I realized I had left one of the pieces of the pump at the hospital so Mike turned around and went back to the hospital to get that tiny little piece for me, what a guy! I went home on Labetalol for my blood pressure (600 mg 3 x day) and Lovenox self-injections for APS--the blood-clotting disorder which I may or may not have. I was finally able to get a better night's sleep, except for waking up in the middle of the night to pump, but it was extremely difficult coming home without my baby.
Today marked Landon's one week birthday, and what a great surprise it was when we got to the NICU and Landon had been taken off of the ventilator and had nasal cannulas! His little lungs looked like they were working so hard, but the doctors say it's important to get him off the ventilator as soon as possible because it causes damage to his lungs as it forces them in and out. Taking him off will give his lungs a chance to grow and work on their own.
Mike finally put his hand in Landon's isolette tonight and let him hold his finger with his little hand for the first time today. It was really precious seeing my two guys like that.
We received another great surprise tonight when Dr. Christensen showed us Landon's head ultrasound from this morning. We have been so worried all week waiting for these results, especially because the doctor told us it is normal to find at least a little bleeding and bruising in the brain of a 25 week baby. In fact, he said he expected to see at least a little. So I couldn't believe it when the nurse told us his ultrasound looked good, and the doctor showed us the images of his brain and explained that there was no bleeding or bruising in Landon's little brain at all. Nothing looked abnormal or misshapen either. The doctor told us he didn't know how we were so lucky and that this is the kind of ultrasound you could put in a textbook for what you want to see in a 25 week baby.
We are so incredibly blessed--I have been asking Heavenly Father for a miracle and I feel my prayers were answered. This is the first time that I cried tears of joy instead of sorrow, pain, and despair. For the first time I felt hope. I felt some reassurance that he is a strong little fighter.
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| Landon holding my finger, working hard to breathe with the nasal cannulas, and blowing bubbles from all the air |
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