Devon's Birth Story

March 11, 2009 - Wednesday
3 days after due date

1:00pm: We had an ultrasound which showed Devon was approximately 9-9½ lbs and was “practice breathing.” It also showed his amniotic fluid level was low - it was at a 2. Anything under 5 is low. His heartbeat was strong and he showed no signs of distress, but the ultrasound doctor recommended we induce labor. We went to meet with my OB immediately following the ultrasound, who sent us across the street to the hospital to get the induction started.

4:00pm: My OB broke my water & Pitocin was started. I was already 4cm dilated prior to induction, so we hoped labor would progress quickly.

9:00pm: I had dilated to 8cm, but Devon was showing intermittent signs of distress. I also had a fever, most likely indicating an infection. I was given Tylenol to try to bring the fever down. Dr. Garza wanted the fever to come down and for me to progress past 8cm within two hours, or they would need to perform a C-Section in order to ensure Devon was okay.

11:00pm: The fever did not come down, and I didn’t progress any further than 8cm, so the decision was made to perform a C-Section. Dr. Garza did a wonderful job explaining everything to us, and letting us know what to expect.

11:51pm: Devon entered the world weighing 9lbs 15oz and measuring 20 in. long. He was stuck face-up in the birth canal, and Dr. Garza said his shoulders were so wide, there was no way he could have been delivered naturally. Devon took one breath, and then was quiet. The nurses immediately took him to the isolette and began measures to help him breathe on his own. Matt tried to watch what they were doing, but they asked him to leave the area, so he came over and sat next to me again. It seemed like forever that they worked on him, and we did not hear him cry. The nurses wouldn’t tell us anything for a while, and then all they told us was that Devon was not breathing on his own. The nurses called NICU, and when the NICU nurses arrived, they let me see Devon very briefly before whisking him away to the NICU. Matt was allowed to go with him. I was taken to recovery after Dr. Garza finished closing me up.

The NICU doctor came to my recovery room to inform me that chest X-rays showed Devon’s right lung was completely dark, which indicated either a collapsed lung or pneumonia. He was given antibiotics in case it was pneumonia. He also had a small leak in his left lung and fluid in his lungs. The good news was that Devon was breathing on his own under an “oxygen hood.” We would have to wait to see if the issues would take care of themselves, or if more extensive medical intervention would be necessary.

March 12, 2009 - Thursday

I finally got to see Devon for the first time early in the morning. The NICU doctor told us his chest X-rays showed the leak in the left lung had repaired itself and the right lung showed improvement. It was a very good sign. By 2:00pm, Devon was able to take oxygen via a nose canella instead of the oxygen hood, and we got to hold him for the first time. It was the most wonderful feeling to have him snuggled into my chest. Matt had the honor of changing Devon’s first dirty diaper, and he also quickly mastered the art of swaddling. We spent as much time as we could in the NICU with our sweet little boy.

March 13, 2009 - Friday

Devon’s right lung continued to repair itself rapidly. We tried breastfeeding for the first time. Because Devon was still on IV fluids, this was a little tricky. Luckily, we had great help from the NICU nurses and a lactation consultant. By that evening, Devon was breathing completely on his own and no longer required oxygen from the nose canella. The next step was to wean him off the IV, then we would be able to have him stay with us in our hospital room instead of the NICU.

March 14, 2009 - Saturday

We finally got the hang of breastfeeding. We spent as much time as possible with Devon in the NICU, and early that evening he was discharged from the NICU and allowed to stay with us in our hospital room. It was wonderful to have him free of all the wires and tubes, and to have him all to ourselves. This was when it hit me for the first time that I was a mother - that we were a family. I hardly slept that night because I couldn’t stop staring at my son.

March 15, 2009 - Sunday

We finally got to take Devon home. When we went into the hospital on Wednesday, it was overcast. The rain started that evening, and continued every day we were in the hospital. But Sunday was bright and sunny to welcome our baby boy to the outside world!