Nora's Birth Part 2

Part 2 is so hard to write...

Although Nora was born on May 22nd, we did not bring her home until May 31st. We enjoyed two blissful days with our baby in the post partum unit. I am so grateful that I had those two days to feel like a normal new mom with Nora. As I nestled Nora into her car seat on departure day, she started to scream. I decided to feed her a bit before heading home. Nora had been eating for about 10 minutes when I looked down and noticed she had turned purple. I ran out into the hall to get the nurse and show her Nora. The nurse's first response was that I couldn't be out in the hallway with the baby unless she was in the bassinet. Whatever, lady. She came in and Nora's color started to return. She decided to take Nora to the nursery for observation. I tagged along. For some reason, I really do not recall I headed back to my room for a minute. I was sitting on the bed when a doctor from the NICU entered and told me that my sweet baby was going to be admitted to their unit. As you can imagine, I totally freaked out. My mind automatically went "there." I thought she was going to die. The next thing I thought was that I would be leaving the hospital without a baby, again...

DH and I walked over to the NICU. Nora was all hooked up and in a bed already. Several people were crowded around her and monitoring her. As they were watching her, they noticed she was having some desats. I don't remember much of this day. It's kind of a blur. All I remember is we left the hospital with an empty car seat in hand and checked into a hotel across the street from the hospital so that we could be closer to Nora.


DH and I set up a schedule. The NICU was open from 8-6 during the day and 8-6 at night. I spent the days there and DH stayed with her at night. Some of the nurses thought we were crazy. But, we had waited so long for her arrival, we just wanted to be near our baby. It helped me to sleep better at night too to know that someone was with Nora. I'd pump milk all day and all night, every 3 hours so that Nora could eat. A couple days before we got to bring her home, I started nursing again. Thanks to the encouragement of a wonderful nurse. Prior to that, I was set on solely pumping as I feared she might turn purple on me again.

Nora was on a nasal cannula for two days. She started out in a crib, but was later moved to an isolette because she also had jaundice. She was given the full work up. They did an ultrasound on her brain, a chest xray, and ran tests for infection. Everything came back clear. She just needed to grow a bit and learn the whole suck, swallow, breathe thing. Once I realized that she was going to live, I was okay (well as okay as one can be in that situation). In order to come home, Nora had to have 5 days without any desats.

Nine days after her birth, on Memorial Day, my dream came true. I placed Nora back into her car seat and carried her our of the hospital. Not before stopping in the hospital's area that DH and I call, "Ella's Garden." A small garden with memorial butterfly statues just outside of the labor and delivery floor. We took Nora out there, for her first breath of fresh air, and to tell her the story of her sister.