Thank you so so so very much for all the outpouring of concern and well-wishes after I went into labor and delivered our daughter 9 weeks early.
Madeline "Quinn" Murphy was born at 5:16am on the 23rd of January (no kidding, she made the delivery just that easy -- 1-2-3 as I had no residual pain; so I think it is the most appropriate date she could have picked being as impatient as she was). She weighed 3lbs 14oz, and was 16 inches long. They immediately passed her through a window to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before I could really see her, where she has been every since.
As many of you know, I was in Utah for my last pre-parenthood hurrah with friends who were downhill skiing (I was only doing some light cross-country skiing and going to Sundance flicks). Everything changed the night before I was to return to California when my water broke. I was in such denial (was more sure I was just becoming incontinent in my old age), that had I not been with two nurses (one a former labor and delivery nurse), I would have waited until little Quinn actually came out.
It has been a real adjustment, and I am finally getting over the shock and disappointment that Quinn is a premie and the discomfort of having to live in Salt Lake City for another two months (until her due date). Thankfully, the Ronald McDonald House is a phenomenal organization which has adopted me and allowed me to stay at a house near the hospital.
The other guests here are parents of premies or children with serious medical conditions who are also in the NICU or the Children's ICU. Apparently, most premie parents share my feeling that hearing "congratulations" seems awkward because it has been rather such a traumatic departure from what we had anticipated... but in truth it is something to celebrate as the baby is doing so well and we are officially parents -- just sooner than later!
From what the doctors have told me, Quinn will have some additional challenges until she catches up in size, particularly in lung and stomach development. Fortunately, her brain and other neurological functions seem to be on target, and she has incredible physical strength even for a full-term kid. So, there is no reason to expect her to be any different from other kids other than we will have to protect her from getting sick all the more because of her under-developed lungs and low weight...
According to her pediatrician this will extend beyond the usual few months of birth to her first two winters, until she is 1.5 years old. For that reason, I am so appreciative yet regretful that I can't take people's offer up to have them come visit and stay with me; it is just too risky to expose her (and me) to more than the requisite number of people... which is really a shame because Salt Lake and Park City just got dumped on with snow!
In the meantime, I am staying very busy trying to produce food for her (and thus developed a supreme appreciation for the schedule and discomfort dairy cattle endure!), being by her bedside so that I can help every three hours with changing her diaper, checking her IV, etc. Thankfully, this is an incredibly high caliber NICU where kids from seven different states are flown for care. Had I delivered Quinn in Monterey, I would have been shipped up to Stanford, which is a three hour drive... so I might as well be in Utah!
Jack is working his tail off in Afghanistan. And although he could come back on an emergency leave, it counts for his 2-weeks for the year. So, we have decided to sit tight as long as Madeline Quinn is stable and keep his date for a visit as the end of March, when I hope to be back in CA with her. That way, he won't be visiting his daughter in (what he calls) an "aquarium," with limited time to touch or hold her. So, keep your fingers crossed that we will be reunited in CA by then with our healthy baby girl!
Many folks have asked that I send out a frequent emails with Quinn's progress... I have created this blog as a way to keep everyone posted without having to fill inboxs or get returned emails.
Overall, I'll summarize her status by saying she is doing very well. Quinn is on a nasal cannula and every day they have been able to decrease the level of supplemental oxygen they give her. She had a high bilirubin level, which has tapered off enough that they could discontinue the 24hr lights she was under (and receiving from a pad beneath her), which also limited the time I could hold her to 15-30min a day.
She is increasing her digestion of breast milk quite rapidly, which is a major success. Never thought someone pooping would bring me such joy!!!
As long as her digestive system continues to pick up the pace and break down the bilirubin (stuff that causes juandice), I can hold her for one hour twice a day! Very cool. It is such an awesome experience to have this tiny person look me in the eye... truly amazing and worth all the stress this has been.
So, that is the news from Utah... where everyone is nice, the nurses are extremely sharp, and the snow is pretty even from the NICU.
All the best, and many thanks for all your support!
Mama Murphy
Posts
