easy L&D w/ NICU stay

I planned on working until my due date of Dec. 12.  I'm a teacher and that was during the last week before the winter break started.  On Sunday, November 27, I was having contractions throughout the evening and night.  They were sometimes painful, but not consistent and I was able to sleep most of the night.  The next day at work, the contractions continued and I just felt really bad. I wasn't paying much attention to the timing of them though....

I got home around 4:30 from work and did a few things around the house.  Around 5:30, I attempted to get comfy on the couch and watch some TV and I felt a warm trickle.  Went to the bathroom and was pretty sure it was my water so I gave the doctor a call and she told me to head to L&D.  I brought along a waterproof pad to sit on in the car because I figured there was more fluid coming and boy was I right!  As soon as I sat down, there was a HUGE gush.  I actually went back in the house to change my pants.  We got to the hospital around 6 and I was 5cm and 70%.  I got an epidural after about 2 hours at the hospital.  I started pushing around 12:15 AM and my DS was born at 12:57AM.  Labor was quite easy thanks to the epidural, but I did tear.  He latched right away, all was well and he stayed in the room with us for a couple of hours.  When they took him to the nursery for his bath, etc, I was moved to a PP room.  Around 5AM, they were supposed to bring him to us and we were instead visited by a neonatologist.  He was having issues with his oxygen saturation and actually stopped breathing and required oxygen.  He was taken to level 2 NICU instead.  I was absolutely devastated as this was totally unexpected. 

Over the next few days, he had a spinal tap to check for infections such as menengitis, a chest x-ray to check for fluid on lungs, a brain u/s to look for bleeding, and a 6 hour sleep study to monitor his breathing.  He was started on IV antibiotics and nutrients.  I was dicharged on Thursday and it was the absolute worst feeling to leave the hospital without him.  Thankfully we live about 15 minutes from the hospital and could visit around the clock.

By Friday, all the test results were back and all they found was a tiny bleed on the surface of his brain and a little fluid on his lungs, both which were not a major cause for concern but could have caused his apnea.  His sleep study came back OK so he was sent home on Sunday with a sleep apnea monitor that he wears for a month.  We hopefully only have one more week for him to wear it.  We had a few (what we believe to be) false alarms and won't know for sure if they were apnea or not until the doctor looks at the data sometime next week.

He is doing well though.  Breastfeeding like a champ and we are settling into a routine.  My huge labrador is in love with him and comes running every time he cries.  I am taking 12 weeks off work and can't believe it's already been 4.  I miss being pregnant more than I thought I would.  I miss feeling him move and having him all to myself.  Enjoy those times ladies!