So here's how this happened

It was supposed to be another boring day at the hospital.  It was supposed to be the same routine-- monitor, measure, medicate, repeat.  It has been the routine for quite some time, and we were expecting it to continue for quite some time to come.  Like days or weeks.

Instead we had a baby.

I am glad that after 2 days of necessary work at Drake demanding driving back and forth, the day ended up being today.  Last night was not a great deal of fun for Emily with a goodly amount of discomfort in and around the torso.  With this in mind, I was going to stay here in the city working on my system via a remote connection.  When I arrived in the morning, our now routine was well underway.  Blood draw. Doctor's rounds. Pills. Non-descript breakfast. We were just settling into our respective quiet activities when our OB resident walked in and said:

"So, the plan has been to keep you pregnant.  I am here to change that."

Right.  This was 9:10 or so this morning.  We were getting on the slide and going down from there.

The numbers, while improved had been moving and in a downward trajectory which, left to their own devices, did not represent a good trend.  This was not unexpected.  The initial steroid treatment can produce a response that can mask the underlying syndrome.  As that treatment wore down, the numbers began their backward slide.  The morning blood draw confirmed the diagnosis to a certainty, as well as the general direction of the blood cultures and numbers.

So there we are.  An initial physical exam was made and they were not able to establish with certainty which end was up (or more to the point, down) on then Blasto.  An ultrasound showed him rather contentedly lounging across the womb lengthwise, there by making conventional childbirth ill advised.  C section was the order of the day.  Consultation with the Anesthesiologist recommended a spinal block as the best way to have the delivery, thereby allowing Bryce into the operating room. Immediately changing into scrubs and gear, we were off to the races.  Pack up, down a few more meds, move to the pre-op area and by 11:50 or so we were in the room and getting started.

The baby was born at 12;14, 2 pounds 10 ounces and 10 weeks premature.  The C section went well and Bryce was able to watch while the baby pop out and was handed to the waiting NICU group who took care of Blasto, got him set and on his way to the NICU (only after a number of photos from Pops).  We had another 45 minutes or so of sewing up to do, and then another hour in post op, and we were ensconced in our room in the post-partum ward by 3:30.

So the snails pace of our last several days turned into a sprint at the end.

Bryce was able to visit him in the NICU by 5 and we were both down there this evening.

Blasto-come-baby is a healthy, robust, hairy individual already poking his away around the great big world.  We are thrilled beyond words.

The story is far from over yet.  There will be days and perhaps weeks of recovery for Emily, and further complications, while not likely, are possible.  We are looking for a stabilization in blood pressure and the all important lab tests from Emily, and we trust that will come in time.

For baby, it is now the work of doing the development he was supposed to do in the next 9 weeks.  There are challenges and potential pitfalls, but those seem broadly unlikely (but I guess that would be why they are called pitfalls, aren't they).

We hope to continue to update you here, though likely not with as great of frequency.  Thank you each for your love, care and support here and throughout life.  We feel it and appreciate it deeply.

With Love,
Bryce