The hours following Riley’s birth were nothing short of a whirlwind. Like a dream, I only remember snippets of our final moments in the delivery room. I was virtually oblivious to the “repair work” I was undergoing. I was focused across the room, watching Max and our new son. When they finally brought him back to me and laid him on my chest, I think my first words were, “Oh my God, look at his feet!” Riley’s feet and hands would be the topic of many conversations to come…the little monkey. Once we were moved to the recovery room, anxiously awaiting family members were allowed to come in and see the newest member of the family.
That evening, after all of the visitors left, it was just Max and I alone with Riley. We finally had our own little family! Max slept on the couch, I in my bed, and Riley was beside me in his bed. He was so little, so quiet, and didn’t make a move. I awoke several times that night, just to check on him and ensure that he was breathing!
The next day everything was seemingly well with both Riley and me. Late that morning though the nurse came in to do her checks and discovered that Riley’s temperature was a little high. Thinking it was the cozy new blanket that I had him wrapped in; I was instructed to take him out of it. Shortly after lunch, Riley was taken back for a routine circumcision. The next several hours would prove to be the longest of our lives. Riley seemed to have excessive bleeding from the surgery that they were not able to get stopped. We were assured that they were holding pressure on the area and he would be returned to us as soon as it was stopped. Hour after hour went by, no Riley.
A nurse finally came in and said that they had the bleeding under control but there was a new issue. His temperature was over 100. They were waiting to hear from the pediatrician on call and told me that since he was the only baby in the nursery, I could come back and nurse him. They never came to get me so I went to them. Im not sure if it was a lack of communication or something else but I didn’t get to feed him. Next thing we knew, they were taking him over to NICU. It had been about five or six hours since we had seen or held Riley and the situation was getting the best of us. We were finally able to go see him but were told that he would remain in NICU for 48 hours while they ran tests.
My heart sincerely goes out to anyone who has complications with their newborn. Seeing your new baby hooked up to all kinds of monitors, without knowing what’s going on, is gut wrenching. Nothing could have prepared me for this emotional roller coaster. As if delivering you first child isn’t overwhelming enough, sitting helpless in that room was more than I could stand. I couldn’t look at him without my eyes welling up. Without feeling like it was all my fault.
Fortunately, there are a few nurses that are truly God’s special angels on earth. One particular nurse brought Riley this Purdue hat. A member of her church hand makes them for NICU babies. The hat warmed his head but the gesture truly warmed our hearts!
Two very long days later we learned that everything was fine. The doctor, who was wonderful, said that the high temperature must have been a fluke. A fluke. We agonized over a fluke. But, Id rather take extra precautions for a fluke than be sent home with an issue.
Our final day there, we had to wait for the last test results to come back before being released. All of Riley’s monitor leads were removed and we were finally able to relax a bit. With much anticipated freedom, he and daddy watched their first Purdue football game together before going home.
Though our stay was less than ideal, the important thing was that Riley was okay. And is still doing great! Babies typically lose weight after birth with the expectation that they’ll gain it back within two weeks. A week later he had his first checkup and weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz., a sure sign that he was doing wonderfully!
