U P D A T E:
My first child, Eleanor, was born on February 14th at 8:09am. She was 35+3 gestation. The scheduled c-section went off without a hitch. My wife was awake and mostly comfortable through the entire procedure, which lasted about 45 minutes.
She scored 8 on both APGAR tests, weighed 6lbs 5oz, and was measured at 19.5" When we got back to the recovery room, the nurses noticed that baby was grunting and retracting, likely having fluid in her lungs due to not going through the birth canal. Respiratory and NICU were called to assess, and she was given some time to work the fluid out, as well as skin-to-skin time with mom to help regulate breathing. She was put back on some monitors, and was desating, so baby was taken to the NICU for additional support.
Once there, she was given a nasal cannula and placed on oxygen to help clear the fluids. She never had issues breathing room air, just needed help to clear the fluids. An x-ray was done to confirm, and she was diagnosed with a mild case of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS), which we were told would be taken care of when the fluid was out. While being examined, a small heart murmur was detected, and an echo cardiogram discovered two VSDs and one PFO in her heart, essentially small holes. We have a follow-up appointment in a month with the cardiologist, but everyone is confident that the holes will close on their own and are a result of being early.
After 24 hours in NICU, baby was taken off the oxygen to breathe room air and check her O2 levels, which never de-sated again. After 36 hours total, she was discharged from the NICU and brought to my wife and I. We're officially parents!
On the other side of the c-section, there was monitoring for my wife to see if she developed complications of preeclampsia. The most critical window is 2 days after delivery, and all of her vital signs were perfect, showing that the preeclampsia had been resolved. Her doctors had told us multiple times that the only cure was delivery, and in our case that was exactly what happened. Pre-delivery, her blood pressure was consistently 130s/80s; post delivery (except for one stressful moment), her blood pressure never got above 120/70. All of the other labs that were indicating the onset of HELLP syndrome also cleared up. We're now all home and adjusting to life as parents.
L I N K for pictures!!
