BABY JESSIE

Here is our story...

We got to the hospital and were admitted before 6 am last Friday. The nursery was already very busy because of 4 births during the night, two early in the morning, two presently on the way, and with my c-section our baby made baby number 9 for the nursery in a 24 hour period.

I went through all the normal pre-operative stuff and then when the nurses were done they let Darren into my room where we waiting to be brought down to surgery.

One of the nurses came by and said that the doctor who was doing the section was running 15 minutes late so they just took us down to surgery right away to wait for the doc down there so they could get started right away.

Our daughter, Jessie Ann, was born at 8:25 am. Weighing a very small 5 pounds and 7 ounces. Much less than we and the doctors had expected her to weight. Needless to say, she was born too early.

Darren went with Jessie back to the nursery while the doctor and nurses finished up with me in surgery. When I was taken back to my room, Darren was there looking for names in the baby book and he was the one who gave Jessie her name. I am very proud that he found a great name that we both liked.

However, soon we were informed how serious life was for her right away. During the first night her billyruben (sp) went up making her very jaundice and she still wasn't nursing so I had to pump while the nurses finger fed Jessie. Because of her jaundice the doctor gave an order in the middle of the night to have an IV put in to see if they could control it.

The second day didn't hold much changed other than the doctor took the IV out because Jessie was starting to get enough fluids by being finger fed.

On day three, the doctor had Jessie put under fluorescent lights to break up the billyruben in her system because the jaundice was getting worse.

On the fourth day, I was discharged but had to leave little Jessie behind because she wasn't nursing and she isn't allowed to come home until she proves to the nurses and doctors that she can do it all on her own without help. Also after 24 hours, Jessie was taken out of the fluorescent lights because her billyruben dropped to a safe level and she wasn't yellow anymore.

It was very hard for Darren and I to leave Jessie behind. No one should have to leave their newborn behind. It just torn us apart and has been very stressful for us.

We have had a lot of support from the staff at the hospital. They let us call 24 hours a day to check in and see how Jessie is doing. They have also been letting us come and go in the nursery to help feed, hold, rock, and change some of Jessie's diapers ourselves when we want to.

Yesterday I made it up to the hospital for two feedings. The first one I couldn't get Jessie nurse at all but the second one went every well and the lactation consultant, MaryAnne Fetterly, was there to see things over and was very proud of how Jessie was nursing.

Today I am going up to the hospital for Jessie's noon feeding and I am going to stay for her 3 o'clock feeding and see how they go. All Jessie has to do now is start to nurse on her own and she can come home. We are hoping that she will be able to come home by the weekend but they can't promise anything. It's all up to Jessie.

It's been very hard. I can't say how many times I have broken down and cried over everything but she is doing much better than the last days.

Thanks to my mom, my brother Mike, April, Kevin, Brandi, Mellisa, Deb & Dave, and Darren's friend Reed for coming to the hospital to visit. A very big Thank You for April from coming to the hospital one evening, sneaking me in McDonalds and talking for a while, after I called her up one evening all depressed. I really need someone there...thank you.

I have posted all the pics that I have of Jessie. When I take more, I will post them. With Jessie being so sick, we haven't gotten a lot of picture opportunities.

I will keep you all informed on Jessie's condition and how she is doing.