Baby Stat Guesses

The Name Game

From the moment our doctor gave us the 'go ahead' to start trying to have a baby I had been making lists of names and by the time we found out we were pregnant I had hundreds.  We picked out and agreed on boy names but could not agree on any girl names- but I was sure we were having a boy- ha.  Throughout the entire pregnancy that was the big question, "What are you going to name her?" Uhhh- we had no idea.  Ben denied my entire list and kept coming up with names like Gertrude, Shanikwa and Evon.  It frustrated me because I wanted a name, I didn't feel like Ben cared and because I was sick of people asking me and us now knowing.  

So we finally just started saying that we were going to decide when we saw her (which still did not stop people from adding their two cents every time we entered a room).  We had a short list (of about 4 names) that we were going to decide once we saw her.  

A couple hours after she was born I turned to Ben and asked, "So, what does she look like? What is her name?" and he proclaimed, "Elizabeth!"  WHAT? You must understand that Elizabeth was not on our short list.  (It turns out that my Mom thought of the name Elizabeth when she first saw her also- but she did not tell us until later.)

Being the stubborn person that I was I rejected Ben's instinct and began calling her the other names on our list, to see if any of them 'felt right.'  It was a small blessing that she was in the NICU because it extended the time we had to pick the name (we had to have it by the time we left the hospital), although that bothered the nurses who wanted a name (and family who continued to give us ideas).  On Wednesday when they said we could take her home a day early I started to panic because we still had not decided. That entire day I thought about it and called her all different names (the poor child must have had an identity crisis her first week of life).

That night when Ben came to pick us up I handed him the form and said, "Look, she's named."  Yes, I filled out the form and named her without him even there.  He chuckled, smiled and just like that, she was named.  So at 5 days old we took home our own little baby girl, Elizabeth Marie Newson!

Our lists: ("Short List" is Bold)

Margaret- Maggie

Grace

Annie- Annabel

Isabelle

Nancy

Lucy

Rosalie- Rose- Rosie

Emilie/ Emily

Lillian- Lilly

Jane

Abigail

Claire

Mackenzie

Elizabeth

Laura

Jessica

Megan

Makayla

Sydney

Eleanore/Nora

Katherine- Kate

Marie

Julie/ Julia/ Juliana

Beth

Molly

Megan- Meg

Jill

Sophie Marie

Violet

Ainsley

 

Move to the NICU

That first night the nursery kept the wee-one so that we could sleep.  Ben got almost 3 hours and I got almost 2 (I had nurses still coming in and checking on me) but we both felt rejuvenated. They brought in the baby and the nurse sat with me and helped me nurse her.  She was still ADORABLE and we were both still in awe that we had a perfect little baby girl.  After nursing her the nurse (Katie) was going to take her back to the nursery so we could get a little more sleep.  Less than five minutes later Katie returned with some troubling news.  She said that the baby wasn't looking right after leaving our room (she was blue) so they did an extra check in the nursery and found that she was having respiratory problems.  Her oxygen levels were down between 60-70% (which is really low) so they decided to do some tests.  

We took this picture right after that first feeding- can you see she is blue? We didn't notice.

This experience made me really grateful for our nurse and her training and instinct.  Ben and I did not notice that the nursing had caused the baby to turn blue (she stopped breathing while sucking), we thought she just looked like a new baby.  Our nurse said she was worried but did not want to shock us so she didn't say anything but decided to check the baby just in case.  We are so glad that she did and that the baby was able to get such great care so quickly.  

Ben went with the nurse to go be with the baby during the tests (I stayed and slept- which was probably good because Ben said it was rough watching them poke the baby).  They did an x-ray to see if she had any cloudiness in her lungs; this could tell us if she had aspirated any merconium in the womb.  The x-rays came back a little foggy but clear of merconium.  They did a white blood cell count and found that her count was elevated, showing that her body was fighting off an infection.  They also did two different blood draws and sent them to the lab; they would then grow her blood in a culture to see if anything bad grew.  (It turned out that nothing did grow; which means that whatever infection that was causing her to be sick did not reach her blood.  This is fantastic!  The doctor said she probably got pneumonia right after birth and it went straight to her lungs- how that happens, I don't know but I am glad we caught it so early.)

They immediately started her on two different IV antibiotics, oxygen, artificial heat lamps and hooked her up to all sorts of monitors to keep track of her stats. So at less than 6 hours old our little wee one was officially a patient of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 

Our sad little girl after all her tests.

The NICU is a secure wing with buzz in doors, sinks and sanitation as you walk in and limited visitors.  Most of the babies in the wing were premature babies and were very sick- we felt lucky that our little girl was so healthy in comparison.   We, as her parents, were aloud in to see her all the time however we were not able to have visitors unless they got a special pass (we got one for both grandma's).  This meant that family and friends that came and visited us in the hospital were not able to see the baby.  This was kind of sad but it was nice that people would still come to see us.   

You are not allowed in the NICU if you are sick (or you have to wear a face mask).  I was feeling sick after the long night of labor and no sleep, so I had to wear a mask the first day and Ben started feeling sick that first night so he wore a mask most of the time we were in the hospital.  

It is also kind of hard in the NICU because she is hooked up to so many monitors so we were not really able to hold her if there was not a nurse there to help us.  I was able to hold her a lot, because I was still coming in every two hours to nurse her, but Ben felt bad having to get the nurses help so he spent hours just gazing in at our sweet baby girl. 

Because the baby was in the NICU it meant that we would have an extended stay in the hospital (5 days). Usually you only stay in the hospital for 48 hours after giving birth; She was born Saturday morning and so I was discharged Monday morning.  However we were able to 'board' at the hospital for the rest of the time she was in the NICU.  This basically means that we were using our room as a hotel. It was so nice that we were able to stay at the hospital.  Our room was just down a long hall from the NICU and it was nice to be able to go back to my room in the middle of the night between feedings and to be so close, if we were needed.  The only down side to boarding at the hospital is the risk of over crowding and being kicked out. 

To follow our luck this is EXACTLY what happened.  We were going to be able to take our baby girl home on Thursday February 14 (Valentine's Day) and they were still unsure whether we would be taking oxygen home with us or not.  However Wednesday morning they came to us to let us know that the maternity ward was filling up and they needed our room (in an hour); so we had to pack up and get all our stuff out.  Ben took everything home and I set up a 'permanent' station in the NICU (that is not usually allowed but I didn't have anywhere else to go). 

Knowing that we were 'homeless' the pediatrician and NICU nurses took a look at the baby and decided that she could be released that night; they usually like to keep them overnight after the last dose of antibiotics to make sure their body is handling it but they said we could take her.  They also took her off her oxygen so they could monitor and make sure she would be okay when we took her home (she was- yay- no oxygen needed). So it was kind of good that we got kicked out because we got to bring our baby girl home one day early- healthy and oxygen free.  

GOING HOME!!

This experience makes me grateful for the reassuring power of the spirit and priesthood blessings.  When we were trying to get pregnant I was very nervous about the health of the baby; because of my medications there were huge risks and I did not think I would be able to handle having a sick child.  I fasted and prayed about this for months before and during the pregnancy and my fears and worries were put at ease that everything would work out how it was supposed to.  I was reassured that Heavenly Father had a plan for me and my family and that if I had faith and trusted in him everything would be okay.  This reassurance helped me to be calm during these scary and unsure times in the NICU.  

*Special Shout Out to the amazing nurses and doctors in the NICU who helped keep our baby alive and healthy and helped support Ben and I during this confusing and hard time. 

The Blind Men and the Elephant

I was listening to a CES Devotional given by Elder Uchtdorf about truth.  He quoted/spoke about a poem called 'The Blind Men and the Elephant' 

"Well over one hundred years ago, an American poet put to rhyme an ancient parable. The first verse of the poem speaks about:

Six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

In the poem each of the six travelers takes hold of a different part of the elephant and then describes to the others what he has discovered.

One of the men finds the elephant’s leg and describes it as being round and rough like a tree. Another feels the tusk and describes the elephant as a spear. A third grabs the tail and insists that an elephant is like a rope. A fourth discovers the trunk and insists that the elephant is like a large snake.

Each is describing truth.

And because his truth comes from personal experience, each insists that he knows what he knows.

The poem concludes:

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!¹

We look at this story from a distance and smile. After all, we know what an elephant looks like. We have read about them and watched them on film, and many of us have even seen one with our own eyes. We believe we know the truth of what an elephant is. That someone could make a judgment based on one aspect of truth and apply it to the whole seems absurd or even unbelievable. On the other hand, can’t we recognize ourselves in these six blind men?"

I originally read this fireside as a suggestion from a friend to help reassure me that no matter how/what Ben and I decide to do as parents it will work out and it has really gotten me thinking a lot about truth lately.  Especially the truth and knowledge I have of the restored gospel on the earth. 

As we study the D&C in Sunday School and the youth have been studying the Godhead and the Plan of Salvation I have had a chance to look at the basics of my beliefs in the Godhead (and God in general), the restored gospel and my purpose in life. I believe it is important for us to occasionally strip down and study the fundamentals- get back to the basic truths!

This last week it was announced that the Pope (Benedict XVI) is resigning and stepping down (something that has not happened in over 600 years).  He is stepping down due to 'exhaustion in his old age' and his resignation has brought out scandals and discussion of 'changing policy' with the new Pope (Discussion has been brought up that the new pope must act as more of a 'CEO' and less as a spiritual leader in order to assure the church runs well).  It makes me sad that such a great standard of truth (papacy/core Christian values)in the world can be maimed and belittled so quickly and that this 'truth' for so many is being ripped apart. Is it an elephant or a tree?

It then makes me compare this to the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the truth and strength of our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.  I am so grateful that I know there is a modern day prophet, called of God, on this earth.  I am grateful that I know that by following him (as he follows the Lord) that the gospel and the church will remain true and pure.  I know this and I know that this is TRUTH. 

There have been other things in the news about changes in politics (changing standards in lue of popular votes) that make you reconsider the 'truth' that once was.  At Stake Conference this last weekend (I did not go but Ben gave me an update) Elder Carlson from the Quorum of the 70 spoke about the line between what is right and wrong (truth and false).  He spoke about how the lines are becoming clearer (less gray- more black and white) and that people are now being forced to choose a side between what is right and what is wrong (instead of wading in the middle ground).  

I am grateful to know that I have the gospel of Jesus Christ as a compass of truth in my life.  I am grateful that I live my life in full companionship with the spirit and can more clearly see the truth.  I am grateful for the scriptures, prophets/leaders and the spirit for helping me see the 'picture' of truth more clearly- that I know what an elephant really looks like and can recognize it for what it truly is.

I am grateful for the truth of the gospel!