One of my best friends had her first baby yesterday morning. It's a boy, named Anthony, and both mom and dad are excited. But a September baby definitely wasn't what they were expecting. Anthony came 13 weeks early, and measured in at 2 pounds 3 ounces, less than half the size of Anne Marie. There were some tiny babies in the nicu when we were there- I remember a set of twins that didn't seem any bigger than their parents hands- but they were 3-pounders.
Mom and dad say the baby is fine. I had to smile when I told him I'm sure he had a rough day, and he said, "Yes, but it was wonderful in retrospect." They both have a great attitude. They have a small baby, but he is alive and doing well, and she is absolutely fine now. That's what they see.
If everyone could say a few prayers for them, it would be great. They are in for a long haul, and they don't even know it yet. Anne Marie was only in the nicu for 18 days, and it felt like an eternity. This little guy is going to have to grow a bit longer.
There's all sorts of things you aren't ready for when you have a baby early. You aren't prepared to cry when you leave the hospital with balloons, flowers and no baby. You definitely aren't prepared for the coma-like constant trips to the hospital every three hours, or the guilt you feel when you skip one because the nurses tell you to stay home and sleep through one. There's the pumping at 2 a.m. because there isn't a baby home to take milk straight from the tap.
There's also all this stuff you don't know. I remember visiting Anne Marie in the morning after she was born, looking at all the blanket-covered isolettes with unseen babies inside and thinking, "at least she wasn't bad off enough to go into one of those." I had no idea that those isolettes are a sign that your baby can breathe completely on it's own and no longer needs the constant eye of a nurse. Anne Marie got to go to one after four days.
Listening to Tanna yesterday brought back a lot of memories. She seemed really happy, and I'm impressed by how much stronger she is than I was. I'm hoping all goes well for her, and I'm really hoping her little boy gets to come home soon. They are already outstanding parents.
i will definitely be praying for them. it's so scary when things don't go as planned- i remember a woman who had a baby at 5 months along in germany and i was thinking "the baby INSIDE me is bigger than she is!" i'm glad she has a friend like you, who can relate to what she's going through. and don't fool yourself- you are one tough cookie. you may not feel like it, but you were super brave and handled it all in an awesome way.
ReplyDeleteJen always says what I want to say...you were very brave and strong while Anne Marie was in the NICU. I will definitely keep Tanna and her family in my prayers. Even though it hasn't gone according to "plan" - congrats to them! I know that even having their baby in their lives is such a blessing from what you have told me.
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