Finley is here!

On February 18th, I was admitted to the hospital after a routine prenatal dr's appt. Dr. Plaisance determined that my amniotic fluid levels were low and wanted me to go straight to the hospital to be hooked up to IV fluids. I was so upset because this was on a Thursday and my baby shower was set for Saturday. I was scared I would not be out of the hospital in time for the shower --little did I know I would have the baby 24 hours later! The dr thought for sure I would be discharged the next day but God had different plans. After receiving IV fluids for 12 hours, my levels were checked again via ultrasound and they actually dropped !! He made the call to do an emergency c-section and he was leaving for Belize for vacation in 2 hours soooo Dr. Steen (whowas on call that weekend) would take my case. I was shocked and upset that my dr who had followed me for the entire pregnancy was not going to be there for the delivery. It was actually a blessing in disguise as Dr. Steen performs a state of the art c-section- she does not cut through any abdominal muscle-she just kind of shifts it around which makes recovery so much easier. It all happened so quickly- I didn't have time to process what was going on.
Garland had worked the night before so he was running on pure adrenaline. At 1:24 pm on Feb 19, 2009 Finley entered the world and our hearts. She weighed 4lbs 1 oz and was 16 1/2 inches long. When I heard her little cry, I knew I was in love! I got a quick peak at her before they rushed her to the nursery. She ended up in the NICU shortly after birth due to her low birth weight and difficulty breathing. She remained in the NICU for 25 days (discharged on March 13 -Friday the 13th!) to gain weight and stabilize her breathing. She has been diagnosed with apnea and is on medication to minimize apenic events and also on a monitor that alerts us of low respiratory rate and heart rate. It is extremely loud and goes off quite frequently just due to the leads slipping off or moving around. However it gives us peace of mind. She is expected to outgrow it in a few months and won't require the medication or monitor any longer.