Oregon Vaughns

I went outside today!

After having a morning full of guests (friends and family), which was great, Andy and I decided to venture out into the world.  We left Lily in the care of the nursery nurses, after she was fed, and she napped with them.  The nursing staff here is fantastic!

Andy and I took a lot of things home to lighten our load for tomorrow.  We cleaned up a little bit – although not much cleaning was needed because Lorna has been taking care of our house and our kitty this whole time!  She has been so helpful.

We were able to shower, start some laundry, get the heat on so the house will be warm enough, and make sure everything will be in order for Lily’s first day home.  Tomorrow (Monday) will be the day, provided that everything checks out.

Her jaundice levels were down today!  She is now in the “low intermediate risk” category – and at the very bottom end of that to note.  The doctors are very please with that progress!

Barium Swallow Test Results:  Everything looked good!  There were no “missed connections” and food that she swallowed was going down all of the right pipes and into the correct places.  She will get one more x-ray tomorrow morning of her throat/neck to make sure there is nothing going on in there.  And, if that looks clear: home we go!

Andy and I are now at the point where we actually feel comfortable taking her home.  Although we have wanted to go home (who wouldn’t???) we have not had a day where we actually felt like it would have been the right decision.  Things are looking bright for tomorrow.  I am sure we will not be home until tomorrow evening if all is clear.

Thanks to everyone for all of the love and support!

It looks as though we will be at the hospital until at least Monday.

Lily’s jaundice levels were up today.  However, this was to be “expected.”  Most jaundice levels peak between days 3-5 (she is now 3 days old).  They have a jaundice chart that they follow and when they compare her curve to the chart, she is actually doing better.  Yesterday she was in a “high risk” category… So, although her levels went up, they charted her now in the “high-intermediate risk” category.  So, not necessarily bad news that things went up.

She is also scheduled to do a barium swallow test later this evening.  The doctors can track the barium as it goes down her throat and into her belly.  THey can check to make sure there is no “disconnect” occuring in her passages.

We are avoiding any drastic tests because this might also just be a matter of time.  As she gets older and stronger, each day, we may find that the problems disappear naturally.  But, until we are certain, it is safest to keep her in the hospital where we have any type of help just seconds away.

As Andy said, we are not leaving the hospital today (Friday).  Provided that all goes well, we will leave tomorrow.

Today was a very stressful day for both Lily and me.  It all started with the lactation consultant who came to visit.

As I mentioned before, Lily is a great eater.  Breastfeeding her has been very easy for me and seamless for her.

I just happened to be feeding when the lactation consultant came in to see if I had questions.  I did not have any questions and told her such.  She then proceeded, without any warning, to reach down, grab my breast and my baby and reposition both of us to show us a better technique.  Everything was going fine until she intruded both our personal space and private time we were sharing together.  Lily was feeding just fine and there was no need for “better technique.”  If the baby is feeding, comfortable and happy, what could be better?!?!

Well, in our new position, Lily threw a fit.  She was screaming, crying kicking and just plain wouldn’t eat.  The lactation consultant continued to tell me how to hold her (and interfere with her hands again without warning or asking).  She kept trying to tell me what position MY BABY liked best.  I was distressed.  Lily was distressed.  She began to turn purple and her oxygen saturation dropped.  Andy and I were able to calm her down by putting her in her crib and shunning the interfering strangers.  She was fine in no time.

However, since she has had breathing problems from the start, they wanted to monitor her for one more day.  Although we wanted to go home, Andy and I both agree: safety first.

Also, she is jaundiced.  She is under a “light” blanket and is laying on a “light” mattress.  This means that I do not get to hold her much   She needs to be on the lights every second she can be.  I basically get to hold her to feed her and then have to put her back.  She is in our room with us though!  We did change rooms as well because I got discharged (I am no longer a patient, I am a visiting parent).  We can stay here as long as Lily has to be here.  Hopefully just one more day!

They took an x-ray of Lily’s neck as well to make sure there were no obstructions.  Everything looked good.

They will do another test tonight:  She will sit in her car seat for one hour and they will monitor her oxygen saturation to make sure she can handle that position.  I am happy that they are doing this test.  It will be reassuring.  We will find out results later tonight!

As it turns out, it may have been best to stay one more day.  We found out that our house was all “tented” today while they were painting it!  We were told they would be painting our particular unit about a month ago.  Well, turns out they painted today!

More pics coming soon!

Latest update: we are not coming home today as we had hoped. Lily had a little bit of a crying episode earlier and was having a hard time keeping her oxygen saturation levels high. So, in order to do what’s best for Lily, we are going to stay nearby the nurses here in case she needs some extra help.

We slept 3-4 hours last night (to be expected).  Lily is a great sleeper – only when being held by Mom!  She is a good eater too!  We got most of our sleep last night during the 3 different hours that the nurse had to take her out to do tests.  No thanks to the machine she is hooked up to!  Hmph… One sensor tracks her breaths per minute.  Well, this sensor is not accurate and hardly picks up a signal.  Therefore, every 2 minutes last night, the machine would start beeping wildly to tell us that she is not breathing – obviously we could look at her (and check her oxygen saturation) to see that that is absolutely not the case.  The nurse changed the machinery and unplugged a sensor around 4am – which was fabulous!

Of course, as I get up to take a shower at 7:30am and leave her with Andy for 10 minutes, she decides to fall asleep in the crib.  Sound asleep.  The nurse comes in to check her vital signs… Still asleep.  The pediatrician comes in to check on her and talk to us… Still asleep.  Even after pulling and pushing her legs to make sure they are in place… Still asleep (it is 9am now).

The doctor gave us the clear to take her home today!  Yay!  Also, since I have been recovering so quickly, I will have no problem being discharged either.

The only thing… Lily is still a little bit jaundiced.  We will take her home with a special phototherapy light that she will have to sleep on.  Tomorrow, a home nurse will come and take a blood sample to test.  If her levels stay the same or decrease (which the doctor is fairly certain they will), then no problem.  If they do happen to raise (unlikely), then we will need to come back to the hospital for more intense phototherapy.  She is looking great though!

Lily also got to meet Grandma Wanda for the first time last night.  Grandma Wanda informed Lily that “Stacey could speak by the time she was your age, even though no one believed me.”  And, she is certain that Lily smiled at her.  Lily has lots of love surrounding her.

Thanks, first and foremost to Andy for being the best husband and support.  He is changing diapers, getting the baby to me when she is crying, and going down to the cafeteria at 3:30am to get me cookies.

Also thank you to everyone who has visited, brought/sent gifts, called, texted, etc… We are so happy to have all of the love and support – and so is Lily!  What a spoiled baby already.

I can already distinguish her cry from other babies.

And, as promised, here come some photos.  We will save some of the more drastic/traumatic photos for later (cone-head, displaced nose baby photos).  Here are some of the cuter ones – her nose is still smushed and swollen.  Please send your check or money order (in order to view this highly anticipated photos) to our address:

This is what labor does to you:

Coming Soon:

Precious Girl:

Lily Lin:

It is 12:15am on Friday morning.  It is our first night with Lily.  She is a beautiful baby (photos coming soon, we promise!!!)

She is out getting her examine, getting weighed, etc..

Final birth stats:  9 pounds, 5 ounces.  21.75 inches long!

She cannot stand to be in the crib when I am next to her.  She desires to be held by me at all times, which is wonderful…. except, of course, I cannot sleep.

Baby is back in the room.  Time to put the computer away and hold her!

The hardest part about being a new dad is not being able to comfort your crying baby. I am able to hold her, sooth her, talk with her, rub her, kiss her, swaddle her, and talk to her. But, I am not able to provide the type of comfort that a newborn needs: food and the scent of Mom’s skin.

It started during labor that I quickly realized the futility of me always offering help. Don’t get me wrong, a husband can provide wonderful help during labor – by being supportive, quiet, and available. It seems that one of the most important things a laboring mother needs is a pair of willing hands, able to retrieve food, ice, drink, temperature, and whatever else she may need done immediately.

I love our baby, I truly do. And, seeing her cry breaks my heart as she shakes her little hands, cursing this painful and hungry world for making her feel so uncomfortable. Boy do I sympathze! Keep me away from my mid-morning snack with an extra long meeting, and I’m basically doing the same thing come noon. She takes after Dad, after all.

Anyway, she’s great. But, I wish I could do more. It’s tough being a tool. But, I figure, if I have to be a tool, I better be the most willing, able, and supportive tool I can be.

A nurse came in to wake me up this morning (Thursday) at 3:30am.  She said that the nursery nurse and our pediatrician decided that it was time for Lily to start feeding!  She fed for about 10 minutes around 4am and did very well!  Her oxygen saturation was great (which is what they are monitoring).

I got back to the room and managed to get some good sleep.  Both Andy and I slept 7-8 hours last night.  We feel great.

Dr. Wong (pediatrician) came and spoke with us this morning.  He is very optimistic.  Next step (he said) was to go and feed her again and monitor her numbers.  If feeding goes well this morning and then in the afternoon, she can leave the nursery and join us permanently in our room!!!  Then, after she proves to be stable in our room, it will be time to take her home.  Great news!

I just got back from feeding her this morning.  She ate for over 30 minutes and was amazing.  The lactation nurse said that she is a pro.  If feeding goes this well around noon, she will be removed from her IV and detached from her monitors – she will journey to our room to live with us.

Her swelling has also gone down.  Her nose is still a little smushed.  Most important is that her nose is working internally.  We can deal with the cosmetic aspect once she is stable… Although, chances are that once the swelling goes down, the cosmetics will fix themselves.

She will also get her FIRST BATH this afternoon before she comes to live with us.  Since her breathing problems are directly affected by her stress levels, they have avoided the bath thusfar.  Today will be the day to clean her up!

10pm, Wednesday October 8 (still Lily’s birthday)

Lily is doing well.  She is still under 24 hour watch, but her progress has been amazing.  She is a champ!  Andy and I hope sleep through the night!

Thanks to all of the visitors who have come!  We have enjoyed sharing Lily and her journey with everyone.

It looks as though we will be in the hospital for a few days.  Lily will not be released until they are absolutely sure that she is ready.  We are glad because we would much rather proceed with caution.  As long as Lily is in the hospital, we will be here too.

Her pediatrician, Dr. Michael Wong, stopped by about an hour and a half ago.  He, too, is very impressed with Lily’s progress.  Not even 24 hours and things are infinitely better!

Andy is feel well – he has had a few naps today and so have I.  Showering also made me feel 100% better.  I am up and moving around, although I am a little stiff through the middle/waist.  I sit on an ice pad all day mostly and have taken some pain killers to help with it all.  I am progressing as well!

Andy has been amazing through this all, helping me every step of the way: feeding me ice between contractions, rubbing my numb legs and feet, helping me shower / dress, etc… He has also supplied never-ending emotional support and understanding.  He will be a great father!