Charles Blair Romero

I had a planned induction on March 29th.  I slept decently the night before, and Andy and I headed to the hospital at 7:30 in the morning.  My doctor broke my water and we started the induction.  After a few hours I was ready for an epidural.  This was my fourth epidural, but I had a reaction this time, which was so random and horrible.  Started feeling tingly throughout my whole body and my head started swimming and I felt like I could not catch my breath.  Andy said I was so pale my lips were white.  Turns out my blood pressure bottomed.  Thankfully they got it back up right away and I was fine the rest of the time but it was scary.

In labor, but with a epidural so I can smile

Afterwards it was smooth sailing.  I was starting to feel the need to push with the nurse in the room.  They had called my doctor 5 minutes before because I had been at an 8, but he wasn't there yet.  I told the nurse and she started getting ready for baby when all of a sudden I shouted "he is coming out right now!" His head was mostly out and the nurse quickly grabbed him as he came out the rest of the way.  I seriously didn't push him out.  He came out on his own, which sounds great but created a bunch of problems.  Because he didn't get pushed, he had fluid in his lungs and he was having a very difficult time breathing. I was only able to hold him for about a minute before he was taken to the nursery to be examined.

It was horrible waiting for my epidural to wear off so I could go to the nursery.  Andy was sending me pictures and texts with updates, but my mind was spinning thinking of what could be wrong.  They wheeled me over and the doctor explained that he had pulmonary hypertension and suspected pneumonia and he would need to be transferred to a hospital with a NICU. Listening to him struggle to breath was so hard, and watching the nurses start iv's on his tiny body.

  Someone from our ward came and helped Andy give Charlie a blessing and then the life flight crew came and put him and took him away, with Andy.  I had to stay until the next morning.  It was a really long night alone, and brought up a lot of emotions and memories about Thomas. My doctor came early the next morning so I could be discharged.  And poor Andy wasn't allowed in the NICU because he had a soar throat, and actually wouldn't be allowed in for 6 days.

Walking into his room was surreal and overwhelming. He had so many wires, and machines and I was given a lot of information all at once.

Thankfully my mom and Dad came and between them and Andy's parents, I was able to spend a lot of time with Charlie.  When he was 2 days old I was able to hold Charlie again, and I held him for 2 blissful hours.

Penny wasn't allowed in, but Ellie was, and even though she a little nervous and scared, she came in a few times and met her brother.

Charlie was struggling to regulate his breathing by himself, even after few days of antibiotics, and they even got the equipment to intubate him but he rapidly got better as the day went on and was put onto a nose cannula by the end of the day.  It was such a miracle.

His face was swollen this day after getting his CPAP off

 I was so nervous how he would do with nursing, since he had been tube fed, but when he was finally off the CPAP and could nurse, he latched right away and didn't have any problems.  Such a blessing!

On day 9 during rounds the doctor decided that he could go home that day on supplemental oxygen, which he would need for a month.  It was so unexpected! We were so excited!  We watched the CPR videos while Charlie did his 2 hour carseat.  He slept the whole time, the nurse said she had never seen a baby do so good with this test.

It was so amazing to leave the hospital with Charlie and be home all together as a family.  Penny was excited to meet Charlie and has really done so amazing him.  He is such a sweet, calm baby and we could not be more grateful to have him.