Our daughter, Baby K arrived three weeks early on Saturday, December 15th. She weighed in at 4 pounds, 7 ounces. A very little bundle indeed. My labor was not long compared to others, but plenty long for me. I can post non-graphic details in another post for other moms who like to compare experiences. :)
I was discharged from the hospital on Monday evening, December 17th, while Baby K was transported to a local children's hospital where she is currently receiving milk by a feeding tube and bottle as she works to gain strength in her sucking.
She is still at that hospital and we are anxious to have her home, but more importantly, we want her to have the energy and wakefulness to eat. My milk supply is good and she receives all her milk from my pumping which is wonderful. I have breastfed her several times now, but she falls asleep quite quickly and it is hard to rouse her to continue nursing. Who can blame her?!
She was born with Down's Syndrome also called Trisomy 21, but by the grace of God appears to be healthy and strong in all key areas. We had been advised early on in the pregnancy that this was a possibility, but chose to forego the offered genetic counseling and invasive amniocentesis. We were also given a timetable of abortion options even though we had made it clear that we had no desire to end the pregnancy. My husband and I thought it seemed prudent not to share all the known details with family and friends. We hoped not to give cause for concern until she was delivered knowing the high false-positive rate that many other expecting couples have experienced. We praise God for a safe and healthy delivery as we look forward to bringing her home with us to care for and enjoy as part of our family.
Thank you to all who have prayed for her and us throughout the pregnancy and birth. We are so thankful for both of our children given to us by a sovereign and gracious God.
Congratulations on the birth of your daughter...
ReplyDeleteMy son was born nearly 4 months ago and we were surprised by the Down syndrome diagnosis. I started writing about those experiences starting in September, when he was born. I just wanted to introduce myself, and to let you know about others out here who are going through similar experiences.
Also, my dad is one of the pastors at Bethlehem Baptist church. (Noel Piper visited my son when he was in the NICU for two weeks.) Drop over if you ever want to chat, or your husband does.
And Merry Christmas...
Congratulations! She is so beautiful! My youngest son.Danny, was born 9 years ago. We were also told during the pregnancy that there was a high likelihood that he had Ds, but we hoped it wasn't true;-)As soon as he opened his eyes after the delivery, I knew, though. I was depressed at first, and Danny had some medical issues, so the first few months were hard..but even in view of all that, I look back now and wonder what I was so worried about. He is a great kid, and I am amazed/embarrassed that I was ever depressed about having him. I was so worried that my life was going to change, and it did..but honestly, it has changed for the better. His brothers and sisters have made sure that he developed a sense of humor, and he is a funny, funny kid. He is no angel...gets into mischief like any kid, gets mad, stubborn,,etc..but he is also the most loving kid I know. I have 6 other kids, and they are all very proud of him.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. Congratulations! All children are blessings, each in their own way. Danny has brought a richness to my life that i never would have believed possible.
Kathy
ps..a couple of friends and I have a listserv for families who have a child with Ds..you are very welcome to join it
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DownSyndromeInfoExchange
My son Danny is the kid in the middle in the Human Torch costume;-)
He had a feeding tube at first, too..hang in there and if you want to nurse your daughter, don't give up...it is possible..lots of moms on our listserv have been able to do it.
http://mypage.iusb.edu/~jratkiew
Danny's webpage
Listen to the Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be. (Shel Silverstein)
Heather,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see the photos of *Baby K*!! She is gorgeous!
You know we have been praying for all of you during the pregnancy, delivery and now the ongoing special care. We will continue to hold you and your family up in prayer, before the Throne of Grace...we know God will bless you through the life of this wee girl..and that she will be a unique blessing to you.
Love you all!