Harper is Here

Update for family and friends keeping tabs on our little family here in California. I haven't updated the blog in quite some time, but wanted to get this post up for the out of staters in our lives.

I went in on April 28th for my scheduled c-section. Everything was fine with me, and in theory, the baby. I got one last belly pic before I went in.

 My surgery went well, but Harper was unresponsive when she was born. I remember waiting for her cries, and never hearing them. I got to see her for a brief second before she was whisked away to the NICU, and I could tell something was very wrong. Thankfully, my surgery went well this time (I had complications last time when I was on the table--never a dull moment in the OR for the Jacobs family) and I sent Lance away to be with Harper. The doctor came back after a few hours, and told us some potentially bad news--her blood gas levels were showing high levels of co2, and low levels of oxygen. This can cause brain damage, and serious long term complications. I remember hearing the words, but not processing them. It began a scary game of wait and see, and I couldn't get into the NICU to see Harper myself. Lance would bring pictures back to show my our little girl.

First picture I saw of her in the NICU. She was fully intubated, and given morphine. We opted for a therapy that puts them on a cooling blanket for 72 hours, lowering their body temp by 10 degrees. This is to slow down/reverse any damage that has, or would, occur. Kind of like when kids fall in cold water for extended periods of time but emerge okay after the fact. The morphine stopped her shivering, and made her as comfortable as possible. It's simply horrifying to see your baby like this, and not be able to hold them. She was a substantial weight, which definitely helped. She clocked in at nearly 9 lbs, which was amazing since I only gained 14 lbs this pregnancy.

Chunky baby--rolls for days!

The next morning, I was able to be wheeled in to see Harper in the NICU. It was so comforting to be able to hold her little hand. Again, it's hard to see your baby like this and not be able to do anything. However, I knew she was in good hands in the NICU, and they were doing all they could. Each baby has a nurse assigned to their pod, and they keep a watchful eye on them 24/7. The nurses were all amazing and kind. Harper was in with all the preemie babies--she looked 2-3 times their size!

Meanwhile, Beezie was living it up across town with Colin, enjoying a little one on one time with her bestie.

My friends came to visit and be supportive. They may have also smuggled in some ill gotten gain, but there's no photographic evidence of this.

As the 72 hours progressed, Harper was making great strides. All of her gas levels were back to normal, and her coloring was improving. All of her major organs were functioning, and she was finally taken off the respirator, so we could see her cute little mug.

 Pretty soon, more cords were removed, and we caught her a few times with her eyes open. She was dazed, but aware we were there.

After 72 hours, they removed her from the cooling blanket, and started the gradual warm up process. She was so happy to be warm and snuggly--she looked 100% better as her temp improved. We were hopeful that she would have a solid outcome.

At the end of the day, she was feisty enough to require the mitts of shame. She had tried to pull the electrodes off her head, and pull the tube out of her mouth. She was also moved from the preemie pod for being too loud, and disturbing the other babies. She gets it from her Mama--what can I say?

The next morning was her MRI, and the outcome was the best possible news: excellent long term prognosis, no signs of damage or issues. She's 100% fine, and will have no longstanding effects from the incident. This is us right after we received the good news--and the first time we were able to hold her, nearly 6 days after she was born.

We spent hours visiting her in the NICU, snuggling her, holding her, and feeding her. She was on the barfy side, which could have been a result of the mucus in her tummy from the lines into her stomach. In any case, she couldn't be released until she got the feeding down solid, and was gaining back some of the weight she initially lost in the NICU.

Hell hath no fury like a hungry kid being interrupted during her feeding. We call this face Hulky Harpie.

She was still working on eating issues, and wouldn't be released on Sunday. We were dismayed, but hoped that we would have some good news by Monday.

Little Lady is a champion snoozer like Beezie before her. This kid can sleep like nobodies business!

We went in on Monday morning to check on things, and they surprised us by releasing her! We had no clothes or blankets, so we had to borrow this heinous little onesie someone had left behind that said "My Mom doesn't want your advice." A little aggressive for a baby, but that's just me.

We came home and surprised everyone with Harper. It was SO NICE to finally be home with her. Blakely was over the moon, and still is.

I changed her into an appropriate outfit ASAP!

My two girls! It's so crazy to have two kids--it was just Beezie for so long!

Everything since coming home has been smooth sailing, and totally uneventful. She's healthy, a strong eater, and a fabulous sleeper. So far, she seems to be much more mellow than Beezie--even at this age, B seemed to be a silly little charmer. This one is content hanging back and watching things unfold. She LOVES Blakely, and definitely lights up and seems interested when she's in the mix. It will be interesting to see if her personality changes over time, or if I do indeed have a mellow kid on my hands.

We're eternally grateful for all of the love, prayers, and help that we received while Harper was in the NICU. I've said it a million times, but we felt the love, and it really helped us stay strong. Happy one month anniversary, Harper! We're so excited to have you here as a part of our family.