We're home...

We just got home from the hospital after a very extended stay. As you know, my water broke Sunday night. We were admitted late Monday morning without any obvious signs of labor. After three days of trying to get things going we finally made some progress and labor progressed throughout the day Wednesday. There was no turning back by the afternoon and labor was pretty intense from that point on thanks to the heavy doses of pitocin they had been pushing into me! It was all worth it though!

Vincent Charles D'Angelo was born at 9:52 Wednesday night with a full head of dark hair. We are calling him Charlie  in order to avoid the 2 Vince confusion - that way they know who I am yelling at! :-)  There was no crying, but he was breathing on his own before the NICU team wisked him to their work station. A breathing tube was put right in, as we expected. Deacon Nick was able to baptize him before they left our room. 

They then rushed him out to the NICU where he made quite the impression, needing 5 adults to hold him down in order to prevent him from pulling out his breathing tube and other equipment. They got him settled and he had a decent first night and was able to go from 100% oxygen down to 60% by the time I was able to see him around 3 am. 

Thursday was a rough day. He is having some problems with pulmonary hypertension - which we knew was a  possibility. His oxygen had to be turned back up and other medications added. A chest tube had to be put in because he perforated his left lung and the chest cavity was filling with air and fluid. It took a few tries to get the tube in properly because of the bowels being in the way, but it is working very efficiently now.

He has been doing really well yesterday and today. His oxygen is down to about 45% - although they sometimes have to tweak it up and down. He is on medicine to keep him sedated and paralyzed, but they have been letting him "wake up" a little today and he is breathing over the vent pretty regularly and his little tongue wiggles around. His nurses have been amazing and explain everything to us whenever we are there.

It was really hard to leave him today and I am tearing up again sitting here typing. But we know our little man is in the best hands possible and with everyone's prayer and positive thoughts he will be home before we know it! We have faith and we know you do too. Thank you for continuing to send him your love and strength - he needs all he can get in the coming days, weeks, and months.