the NICU

I didn't include any pictures of what happened AFTER my delivery in the birth slideshow...I guess I didn't really see it relevant plus it would have made the slideshow forever long! After Eric brought Graham and Evie around to see me they were whisked away to the nursery. Apparently Graham was turning blue and not breathing very well on his own so he was taken to the NICU pretty much immediately. Dr. Collins left her assistant to sew me up and left the operating room. She came back a little while later to tell me that Graham had been taken to the NICU for respiratory issues (later on we found out it was because his right lung didn't inflate when he was born). While I was in recovery Eric told me they were working on Evie Claire and that they might have to take her into the NICU for respiratory issues as well. She ended up going in a little while after her brother. I had only seen them for a brief second in the operating room at this point and still hadn't gotten to hold either one of them. I was in recovery for 4 hours because my blood pressure was so high. After about 2 hours of not knowing what was going on and Eric getting snippy with the staff I was taken to the NICU to see my babies! 

Graham was put onto a C-pap machine to help him breathe. This is what he looked like the first time I saw him after delivery...

                              

 This is about 2 hours after delivery... seeing Graham for the first time. 

On Thursday, 2 days after delivery I was able to hold Graham for the first time. At this point he had been put on a ventilator. The C-pap machine was making him agitated and it was  becoming harder and harder for him to breathe. The ventilator was breathing for him so he didn't have to work as hard. Here I am holding him for the first time. 

 At this point Evie Claire had been moved to the "back line" in the NICU, which means she was breathing on her own and doing well. The nurses brought her over to me so I could hold them both....the first time I had held them at the same time. As soon as Graham realized Evie Claire was there he snuggled up next to her. 

 Our second picture as a family of 4!

By Friday Graham had come off the ventilator and was just on the oxygen nasal canula and breathing a little bit on his own. He had a feeding tube at this point. This is me rocking him while he was eating through his feeding tube. I think this is the first day I finally saw him open his eyes. 

On Monday Graham had been moved to the "back line" and was doing really well. This was the day we were able to bring Evie Claire home. We sent her to the nursery so we could spend some time alone with Graham before we brought her home and left him at the hospital. These next few pictures are of Eric holding Graham for the first time since delivery. Each time we were in the NICU and able to hold Graham Eric was adamant that I hold him since I hadn't gotten too. 

Spending a little time with mom before we had to leave him at the hospital....

On Tuesday Eric and I went back to the NICU to visit Graham and we were thrilled to see him tube and wire free!!! This was the first time we had seen his sweet little face in 7 days!! He was 1 week old! We also found out that we would be able to take him home the next day, on Wednesday.

Evie Claire was a bit of a different story....To be so little she broke out of the NICU a lot quicker than her brother. Here she is in the NICU on Wednesday, the morning after delivery.

On Wednesday I was able to change her diaper, take her temperature, and nurse her for the first time. 

Here I am holding her for the first time. 

Evie Claire finally came to our room on Thursday afternoon. She was a little jaundice so here she is hanging out under her bilirubin light! 

Finally getting some snuggle time with mom and dad!

and FINALLY....8 days later.......going home as a family of 4!!!

So I guess that is the rest of Graham and Evie Claire's birth story....when I look back at these pictures from over 8 weeks ago I don't know how I kept it together in the hospital because now they make me cry. It had to have been the grace of God knowing that soon we would all be home together!!!