verno
02-09-2010, 06:14 PM
Well as with the other two boys, my wife was overdue with our third son. Saturday morning she went far enough into labour that we were off to the hospital at 730 with great hopes. After we got settled, she had a contraction and the babies heart rate dropped by half, that was the start of things going south for us. After a flurry of activity we were told that if it happened again, she was going in for an emergency section. It happened as soon as the doc walked out of the room, then again before she made it to the OR. The section seemed to go OK, but it sounded very muffled when the baby cried, and there was nervous voices from the other side of the room. They just kept telling us "the baby is struggling". Then the baby went one way, mom went the other, and I had to sit in a room, unable to see either of them, and the only info I got was, "they are doing the best they can". Three hours later I got to see my wife, but still no update on the kid. Then they asked me to come speak to the Sick Kids transport team. My heart sank. He wasnt breathing on his own. He aspirated feces on his way out and filled his lungs, to compound matters he was over 10lbs and had big lungs (the positive side of that is he is bigger and more developed so his systems are better able to cope). 7 hours into it, and my as yet, unnamed, unseen and untouched baby was brought up for a brief visit and taken to sick kids. I was there shortly after 7 on Saturday evening, and made it home for the first time this morning. Though he's still listed as being in Critical condition and is still on life support, he's improving. I sounds and looks much worse than it really is. He is still being kept paralyzed so he doesn't fight the resiprator, so while I haven't been able to hold him or hear him cry, I get to be by his side 22 hrs a day, and I can touch his left leg and hand, I'll take what I can get. Having said all of that, the reality is that while it sounds all doom and gloom, aspirating meconium is fairly common and treatment is very often effective with no lasting effects. The doc says while he is not out of the woods yet, so far there seems to be no brain damage, his heart looks good, and if he gets through the next two or three days with no setbacks, then it looks like he will be a normal, healthy (and BIG) boy. I will post a link to Jake's photo, it's graphic which is why I posted only the link and not the photo. http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/verno/img_0436.jpg?t=1265754903