February 25, 2006

  After a long drawn-out induction, and at 40 weeks+ gestation, my daughter Lily Jane came into the world.  She was 6 pounds, 6 ounces at birth and 20 inches in length.  She was very alert and looking at all her surroundings.  Lily is my first child, and her birth was nothing less than a circus in the delivery room.  One attending physician, two resident physicians, two nurses, one nursing student, the NICU team (one doctor and 3 nurses), and last but not least my very supportive and very scared husband. 

  As soon as Lily was born, the team took her from me and placed her in the newborn isolette.  They conducted their height and weight measurements, heel stick, and all additional tests.  They then handed me my beautiful baby girl.  I held her for a few minutes, handed her off to my husband, and then was informed by the team that they needed to take her to the NICU to connect her to the heart monitors and begin IV medication to prevent closure of the connection between the right and left sides of the heart.  In babies with these types of defects, this connection needs to remain open until open-heart surgery can be performed.  Within 20 minutes of her being born, she was gone from the room along with the 9 other staff members present during the delivery.  Just my husband and I remained.....I remember feeling an instant connection to Lily, and also feeling so sad and scared that she had been taken from me so quickly......

  I was moved over to the recovery area of the unit, had a chance to take a nap, eat some food, and shower.  About 4 hours later, I was finally able to make my way to the NICU with my husband to see our baby girl.  She was connected to 2 IVs......one with the heart medication, and one with fluids, she was also hooked up to the heart monitors.  But what I remember most was how alert she was......eyes wide open, staring up at me with a look of complete wonder on her face.  I wasn't able to hold her, but I did place my finger in her hand and sat in that clunky wheelchair and just stared at her.  She was amazing!!  After about 30-45 minutes I headed back to my room.  We had family visit to give their well-wishes and support.  I remember being in a daze from the epidural that was still wearing off, as well as some of the narcotic painkillers I received.  There was a knock at our door, and in wheeled a large isolette with our baby Lily inside.  It was then that we met the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Emergency Transport Team.  They were here to say their goodbyes, and take our Lily via ambulance to CHOP where she would receive her first echocardiogram and all her follow-up care.  My husband followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital so that he could be there with Lily and fill out all the necessary admission paperwork etc since I was not permitted to be discharged until the next day.  My family left, my husband left, the transport team left, and then it was just me alone in the room.  Our journey with a heart child had just begun...................