| Bryce's First Three Days |
| While I was still in recovery and visiting with our friends, Daddy went over to the NICU to see Bryce. He had been placed on a ventilator to help him breath. The NICU nurses were very nice to Daddy and took pictures of him with Bryce to take back to Mommy. She sent the phone numbers for the NICU with Daddy so that we could call to check on Bryce whenever we wanted to. Bryce weighed 2 pounds and 8 and 1/2 ounces and was 13 and 1/2 inches long. He was so tiny and beautiful. I think that Daddy got maybe 4 hours of sleep that night. I was wheeled down to the anti-partum wing so that I wouldn't have to be around other women who had their babies with them. I slept some, waking only when the nurse would come in to check on me, take my blood pressure, or to give me medicine through the IV. |
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| On October 16, I was so very anxious to see my baby. My perinatologist came by and checked on me and said that I could go see the baby after I had gone to the restroom on my own. By 4 p.m. that afternoon, I told the nurse I was ready and they called patient transport so that I could be wheeled over to Children's Hospital to see Bryce. When we rolled into the NICU, I was so anxious. I just wanted to see him. I didn't know if it was okay to touch him. We had to wash our hands first. Finally, Daddy wheeled me over to the place where our son was. Oh, he was so very beautiful. I cried and cried when I saw him. Daddy showed me how I could open the isolette door and reach in and touch him. I was so scared that I would break him. He was so tiny. Bryce's nurse introduced herself to us and told us about the medications that she was giving him. She showed us how there was storage under the bed for our things. She was very kind and took some pictures of Mommy with Bryce. FROM BRYCE'S JOURNAL Mommy first got to touch Bryce today. He was so beautiful. He had a lot of wires and tubes in him and machines helping him to breathe. Bryce is the perfect name for Mommy's special baby. The first time Mommy felt your fingers, Brycie, she cried and cried. What a wonderful blessing to finally be looking at the baby that was in Mommy's tummy for so long. Mommy came back to visit Bryce twice. While we were visiting Bryce, we had a call that there were visitors there to see us. Our friends, Ross and Kris had come down to meet Bryce. Ross had been sick, so he decided it was best not to come in, but we visited with him outside of the NICU. Kris met Bryce. She had been praying for Bryce for several months. Then his Aunt Lori, Candi, and Jennifer and Uncle Kris showed up to meet him. They took several pictures, but the lighting was bad, so they didn't come out. I am just so grateful that Bryce got to see how many people loved him. Lori, Kris, Candi, and Jen brought Bryce a bear that had a t-shirt on it that said "I was born at Barnes-Jewish Hospital" and a rattle that was shaped like a baseball and said "Babies First Baseball". They also bought flowers and a Veggie Tales balloon that said "God made me special and he loves me very much!" I kept the balloon and flowers in my room. By this time, it had been a long day for me, so Daddy wheeled me back to my room at Barnes and I crashed. |
| Sunday, October 17, 2004 |
| FROM BRYCE'S JOURNAL In the middle of the night, Bryce gave Mommy and Daddy a scare. The doctor called Mommy to explain that Bryce needed to be moved from the ventillator to an oscillator. The oscillator gives several hundred very small breaths a minute and works very hard to help Bryce's lungs open up. Thankfully, this helped Bryce to stabilize. |
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| This sign was hung next to Bryce's NICU bed. |
| Today, Bryce met Grandma, Granddad, and Great-Grandma Myra. Grandma took many pictures of Brycie and she has gone on to share them with friends and family. Mommy tried to sing to Brycie today, but it made Mommy cry. She prayed with Daddy and Bryce. God is holding Bryce in his arms since she can't. |