Oliver Benjamin Karren
November 24, 2007
7 pounds 7 ounces
We came to Utah November 20th and I went into labor the day after Thanksgiving, November 24th, even though I wasn't due until December 14th. Mom took to the hospital and they gave me a shot to stop the labor. It worked for a couple of hours, just long enough for us to be at James' blessing(Mike & Stef's newest baby). By the end of the blessing I was about 5 minutes apart. Yet, I still went home, thinking it would settle down when I laid down. It soon became aparent I had to go back to the hospital. Oliver came via c-section around 2 am. I had a rocky nauseating c-section and it didn't get much better. Dad had taken the baby and it looked like he needed some work, and then he was taken out. I looked up and saw Ben and Dad looking like this...
I started to panic because I couldn't tell if Dad was telling me everything or waiting till I was stitched back up. I didn't see Oliver for a day and a half after that first picture. His cord had kinked in the birth canal, the blood could go out, but not in, so he had lost a third of his blood supply. His lungs wouldn't inflate, his oxygen was low, and respiratory rate was high. He was basically in shock.
Dad put filled him with fluid, more than they usually do,just to try to get him to the point that his lungs would inflate. He was so swollen, he couldn't open his eyes, but at least he was breathing.
It was a long week in the NICU. After all the other things started to resolve, his bilirubin spiked. Dad figured out that mine and his blood were slightly incompatible and his body was fighting my antibodies. So, we added bili lights to his tubes and cords. He started to pull out of it and we were released a little over a week from his birth.
I feel so lucky and blessed that my dad was there. I really think there was a reason that we couldn't transfer our insurance and that we had to go to Utah for his birth. Because I really don't know what would've happened if my dad wouldn't have been there. I wouldn't have had any pediatrician there because I wasn't considered high risk or anything. And it took quick and aggressive work to get him going. I appreciate you so much Dad and I love you to pieces. Thank you for being the great man and doctor that you are.
When we finally got home, Alexandra came down with a horrible flu bag with constant vomiting all night long. Then one night off. Then Isabelle got it even worse than Alexandra. Then one night off. Then I got it. I really wouldn't have made it if it weren't for my mom. She would come in and bring the baby to me, change sheets, get bowls, and all the wonderful mom things. Poor Ben felt very helpless back in Arizona. Not only did he have to fly back and forth for work, but he had dental residency interviews during it all.
I also have to thank my mom for taking such good care of my kids while I was in the hospital. I really didn't worry about them at all while I was in the hospital. And for anyone that knows how I am with my kids, that is huge. I am a little paranoid and a bit of a control freak. But, she did such a good job that Izzie was actually excited about the plan we put in place in case Ben & I died, that she and Allie would like with Nani & Papa. She actually squealed in delight. Should I be offended? No, I am happy that they would feel so loved and so at home.
By mid December, I finally felt like it was finally kind of normal and I could really start to enjoy my new little man! It was a hard start, but he is worth it.
