A Baby Story

A BABY STORY

So two weeks ago on a Thursday morning my wife, Lynnette, and I went into the hospital to make sure her water hadn’t broke. At the time Lynnette was 35 weeks pregnant so we were pretty sure it hadn’t, but after calling TeleCare we decided we’d go in just to be sure. Once we go to the hospitals the doctors took us into Labor & Delivery and agreed, Lynnette likely wasn’t going into labor but they would run a couple test just to be sure. We sat in the room waiting for the results talking about all we had to do that day, what we should do for dinner, etc.

Then, much to our surprise, the doctors came in and told us that, in fact, Lynnette’s water had broken and we’d be having a baby soon.

Wait.

That can’ be right, can it?  We’re not due till February 17^th. We had plans. We had our son, Landon’s, 2^nd Birthday on Saturday we couldn’t be having this baby NOW! Landon wasn’t in his new room yet. We’d didn’t have the nursery set for the new baby. We hadn’t taken the Lamaze classes we were supposed to take. We didn’t even pack a bag to bring to the hospital.

AND there was this storm that was coming.

So the doctor tells us that due to the impending weather he’d like us to spend the day at the hospital so that Lynnette would not go into labor and we’d be stuck out in the storm with no way to get back to the hospital. But, with a little negotiation we were able to get the doctor to let us go home and come back at noon. So we drove home, got out of our pajamas (cause that’s what you wear to the hospital when you go in at 6AM), packed a bag and went back to the hospital to wait. And, of course, God had allowed our niece, who had come to live with us, to have moved in the previous Monday. The thought being that she would come stay with us, get settled in for a month or so, and then be around to help us when the new baby was born. On February 17^th (5 weeks away at this point).

But there we are. Thrown into this 2^nd child thing early. We postponed Landon’s Birthday Party till February some time (maybe he can have the new baby’s due date, ha). So we wait in the hospital and the next morning they take us down to L&D once again, this time to induce this baby. They tell us that there is a risk in the baby coming this early, but there is another (different) risk if we decide to wait another week.

They after two days at the hospital and all sorts of details that I’m not sure want to blog about here. Our daughter was born.

A Girl!!!

Lyla Kay Mason.

Immediately the Neonatal team rush our daughter off to the ICU so that can make sure she’s breathing. This, in itself, is a pretty scary experience. To see a group of doctors taking this tiny little baby away so quickly, and not knowing exactly what’s going on. When the doctors are calling for things like oxygen and drugs to be administered it all gets a little too much. I now know that these were all normal things for a premature baby to go through. But at the time it was a little overwhelming.

It took about 2 hours, as the shifts were turning over in the Neonatal unit, but they let us in to see here. She was in an incubator like you’ve seen on TV, with the holes you stick your hands through to touch her. We had to put on gowns and wash our hands and pass through a video security system just to see her. But there she was.

Tiny.

Beautiful.

Perfect.

She came in at 5 pounds 10 ounces. Which is a pretty good size for a premature baby. They told us that they didn’t even have to have her on oxygen very long. Which told me that she’d a fighter.

Oh and she was born on  Friday the 13^th. Which is unique not just for it’s superstitious undertones, but it’s all the day before her brother’s birthday. We were 6 hours away from her sharing a birthday with her own brother (which I’m sure they would have both loved, lol).

It’s been two weeks now and she’s still in the NICU. Out of the incubator but still with a tube that runs up her nose (for feeding). She’s starting to feed a little on her own now. So we wake up each day. I take my wife to the hospital so she can spend the day with our baby. I leave and try to keep my mind on things that I need to get done (it’s kind of hard to concentrate when all my thoughts are in that hospital room with my baby girl).

We don’t know when she will be getting out. But we know the nurses and doctors have her in good hands. So we just wait, and hope, for the day when she will get to come home. When big brother will get to meet her (he’s got a cold and can’t go into the unity with her).

Over the past couple weeks our Kings Valley family has been amazing. Meals have been dropped pretty much every day. People have offered to watch Landon for us when weren’t able to. And we know that Lyla has been covered with prayers from KV and from across the world.

Thank you to everyone that has done anything to help us. We greatly appreciate all the support that the church has been to us through this time. I don’t know how we would have made it through without our church family in our corner.

And don’t worry it will be all over Facebook and Twitter when she finally comes home. So stay tuned.

God is Love,

_dave