My last blog post was on August 26th. In the early hours of August 29th (3:30 am to be exact), we got "the call!" By 6:00, we had purchased plane tickets and were out the door. I vacillated between wanting to scream excitably in public, to crying, to hand wringing. And the layover in Atlanta almost caused a necessity for institutionalization on my part. But...we made it, and we made it in time! We actual followed my daughter and son-in-law to Prentice Women's Hospital from their Oak Park residence. Other than my husband coming within inches of rear-ending my son-in-law's car on the way, the trip was uneventful. We could see Jaime clutching the upper door handle when she was having contractions, so we felt like we were a part of everything. We were even allowed to visit her in the labor/delivery room, and during one such visit at about 10:00 pm, the doctor said, "You can push." Oops! We were still in there, so guess what? We got to see the birth of our beautiful grandson! Wesley Levon Juravic was born at 10:43 pm on August 29th. He weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was just under 20" long. I suppose I don't need to say that he was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen, but he was! Absolutely gorgeous! I know because everyone said so. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life and one that I will relive over and over and over.
Mom, Dad, and Wes were discharged on Monday afternoon. He seemed very, very sleepy but lots of newborns are sleepy. And he wasn't crazy about feeding, but lots of newborns aren't crazy about eating at first. So we weren't too worried...until Wednesday and Thursday. He was a little jaundiced (common with newborns) and still not very interested in eating. At his Thursday morning checkup with the pediatrician, his heart rate was very erratic, so she decided to consult with a neonatal cardiologist. And then it got scary.
Without going into all the details, our adorable little Wes had to be taken to the NICU at Luri Children's Hospital in Chicago. Now, let me just say--Luri Children's Hospital is a wonderful place...so long as my grandson doesn't have to be there. I know he's in great hands, but this is so scary for us! His heart rate was fluctuating, platelets were very low, blood sugar and oxygen low, and he was dehydrated. We were pretty devastated. Watching all the things that hurt being done to a baby to make them better is just terrifying and upsetting and generally awful! The nurses and doctors quickly got the dehydration taken care of through an IV, the blood sugar and oxygen levels stabilized and began careful monitoring of both platelets and heart rate. And that is where we are now...waiting and waiting...worrying and fretting. He's had a platelet transfusion (the first night) and a normal echo-cardiogram. They have ruled out infection (by doing a spinal tap) and are thinking that maybe the fluctuating heart rate is just Wes's "normal." The platelets are still dipping low, but that's because Jaime has the anti-bodies from ITP in her blood, and there was cross-over blood during delivery. So really, the big issue is eating and getting nourishment. They are putting in a feeding tube this morning. It sounds scary, but after thoroughly researching it online (of course!), I feel a little better.
Nobody told me it would be like this. Nobody said, "When your grandchild is sick or hurting, you have to watch your own child hurt, too." That is the hardest part for me--watching how difficult this is for Jaime and Ryan. They are amazing, but it still takes a toll on them.
Welcome to grandparenting!
Mom, Dad, and Wes were discharged on Monday afternoon. He seemed very, very sleepy but lots of newborns are sleepy. And he wasn't crazy about feeding, but lots of newborns aren't crazy about eating at first. So we weren't too worried...until Wednesday and Thursday. He was a little jaundiced (common with newborns) and still not very interested in eating. At his Thursday morning checkup with the pediatrician, his heart rate was very erratic, so she decided to consult with a neonatal cardiologist. And then it got scary.
Without going into all the details, our adorable little Wes had to be taken to the NICU at Luri Children's Hospital in Chicago. Now, let me just say--Luri Children's Hospital is a wonderful place...so long as my grandson doesn't have to be there. I know he's in great hands, but this is so scary for us! His heart rate was fluctuating, platelets were very low, blood sugar and oxygen low, and he was dehydrated. We were pretty devastated. Watching all the things that hurt being done to a baby to make them better is just terrifying and upsetting and generally awful! The nurses and doctors quickly got the dehydration taken care of through an IV, the blood sugar and oxygen levels stabilized and began careful monitoring of both platelets and heart rate. And that is where we are now...waiting and waiting...worrying and fretting. He's had a platelet transfusion (the first night) and a normal echo-cardiogram. They have ruled out infection (by doing a spinal tap) and are thinking that maybe the fluctuating heart rate is just Wes's "normal." The platelets are still dipping low, but that's because Jaime has the anti-bodies from ITP in her blood, and there was cross-over blood during delivery. So really, the big issue is eating and getting nourishment. They are putting in a feeding tube this morning. It sounds scary, but after thoroughly researching it online (of course!), I feel a little better.
Nobody told me it would be like this. Nobody said, "When your grandchild is sick or hurting, you have to watch your own child hurt, too." That is the hardest part for me--watching how difficult this is for Jaime and Ryan. They are amazing, but it still takes a toll on them.
Welcome to grandparenting!
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