Our Baby Boy is Here!

Our little Joshua is here! Unfortunately, there were some severe complications with the birth, and it is theorized that Crystal had a placental abruption, which means the placenta separated (or began to separate) from the uterus (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/placental-abruption/DS00623), cutting off our baby's life source. Joshua was without oxygen for a period of time, and his heart rate decreased significantly. In the end, the doctor had to pull Joshua out with a vacuum, after failed attempts of getting him out with forceps. A seemingly smooth birth suddenly turned into a nightmare with a good 12 or more medical personnel in the room. Joshua was transported to Children's Hospital and is currently in the NICU.

This all sounds like terrible news, but here is the good news. Yesterday, I saw Joshua for the first time since Friday. He is actually doing very well. He is breathing on his own, likes to suck on a pacifier, and cries like any healthy baby. He has a gag reflex and his digestive/waste system seems to be working. His pupils respond normally to light, and he has strong little hands (he was pinching my finger pretty tightly). He is being monitored closely, and they currently have him hooked up to an EEG machine to watch his brain activity (which appears to be normal so far). He will be kept at Children's for at least a week, and will probably have an MRI of the brain within the first week. It was very encouraging to see him. He was very weak and pale on Friday, but yesterday his color looked much better and he was very responsive. For the first 72 hours, he is being kept on a cooling blanket which should hopefully help to slow the processes of his body to help his system recover from the loss of oxygen and overall shock. He also was given a blood transfusion on Friday to help his blood get back to where it needs to be. Both he and Crystal lost a lot of blood during the birth.

Crystal is doing well. She is in moderate pain (thanks to pain meds) after the intense delivery. Her hemoglobin has been low, but is currently stable, and hopefully, her levels should be back to normal in the next several days.

We are being discharged from St. Ann's this morning. Crystal has not seen Joshua at Children's Hospital, but we hope to visit him together shortly.

Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement. We have really felt God's strength through this time, and we are so thankful that He spared our son's precious life. Above are a few photos from Children's Hospital.

Marc & Crystal