“…but only for a moment, and then I have to take him to the NICU.”
Oof.
Aragorn Picard Tildrum,* our first, entered the world on September 25, weighing eight pounds and looking perfect. His breathing was gravelly, however, to the point where the OB was worried. Seemingly immediately he was whisked away to the NICU for an array of tests. It seems that he aspirated fluid on the way out, to the point where he was essentially born with pneumonia. And the next time I saw him, he was on a ventilator, with IVs in both arms, EKG leads all over, and an umbilical line. Ampicillin, dopamine, and fentanyl to start, with sugars and lipids added later. Welcome to the world.
Happily, he is improving. He came off the breathing machine a few hours ago, and now he is using a nasal cannula. He’ll be in the NICU for at least a week, because that’s how long the course of IV antibiotics is going to take. Apart from the fluid in his lungs, he seems entirely healthy and robust. And the supremely dedicated NICU staff inspires complete confidence.
Nothing ever goes according to plan in life, does it? We did everything we were supposed to – took the birthing classes, got the nursery all tricked out, had the car seats deemed street-legal – and we never thought we’d be coming home from the maternity ward today without our baby. And in the end, life strips away everything except what’s really important: The little guy is alive and getting better.
This of course is not the name his mother permitted me to give to the Commonwealth of Virginia or the public at large. But when the time comes to enter Starfleet Academy or re-forge the shards of Narsil, little Strider will be ready.
Congrats!! Today is quite literally the first day of the rest of your life. Sounds like your little dude is getting the help he needs but all will be well in the end.
Congratulations! Best wishes for a speedy recovery to little Aragorn, but with such an inspired name (albeit only in Dad’s head), I’m sure he’ll be quite the little fighter and on the road to recovery in no time.
Sounds a lot like my little guy. Baby in the NICU, mom in the ICU, and me going back and forth with breast milk and cell phone pictures. It is a little comforting, though, when your baby is the healthiest one on the floor. A word of advice: don’t authorize a spinal tap unless it will provide unique, vital diagnostic data. I let them talk me into it, and that is a horrible thing to watch, especially for ultimately no reason.
The newest members of my extended family are twins born about three months before Aragorn. One of them had the same condition and stayed in the hospital the same length of time you’re describing. I only mention it to say that since he’s been home he’s flourishing. He’s caught up to his twin in weight and according to his parents his lung power shows no residual effects.
Congratulations! While I know every case is different, it sounds like he’s doing well - hopefully that will continue and he’ll be home as soon as he can.
Related note: an acquaintance had a son in a similar (though yours sounds much less serious) situation and one of the things that they’ve said stood out was just how big their full-term newborn was compared to some of the preemies. (Their kid is now a very healthy almost 5 year old fwiw).
You know, I’m just about fed up with you people posting baby threads with NO BABY PICTURES! Tom Tildrum, you’re a brand-new dad, for Pete’s sake! You, of all people, should know better.
Hooray for the new baby/fictional hero, and best wishes for his speedy recovery, and get crackin’ on those pictures!
Seriously. I’m within driving distance. If I have to come and have a discussion with you about this in person, I will.
Congrats! I love to see new babies, so please post pics post-haste. And I bet the week flies by, and in a couple of weeks, you’ll be sleep-deprived zombies just like the rest of 'em. My youngest spent the first week in the NICU because of a high white blood-cell count, on antibiotics. His line went in through his head, and that spot was all bandaged up and he had almost no hair, so he looked like Zippy the Pinhead. Does your baby look like Zippy the Pinhead?
Congratulations!!! And as a family with a similar story, best wishes, and I hope your wife relaxes/rests up from delivery as much as she can before baby comes home. Also on the bright side: you get to skip the meconium diapers!
Prepare for your life to be changed forever.