We got settled in our new room right as everyone came back from eating dinner. Audrey and Abby and Debbie had also come up to the hospital, so it was a party in room 215!
When everyone had left and things settled down, Nelson and I quickly emailed work to let them know we wouldn't be in the next morning. I wrapped up what I could and handed it over to the new girl at work - who I had only gotten to train for two weeks. Sorry, Jena! We decided to turn in for the night just after midnight, but I couldn't fall asleep. Nelson was passed out and barely even moved when Kennedy cried, but all I could do was stare at her. It was so surreal, and she was just so tiny. (Although here she looks chunky, but it's because she was still kind of swollen from her "journey".)
On Monday, family came back up to see us, including Nelson's dad who had driven in the night before, but we also had some new visitors: Anne, Bino and Allison, Trevor and Jenni, and Liz and Audrey :)
Kennedy also had her first medical procedure. When they were cleaning her the night before, one of the nurses made a comment about her tongue tie. Our nurse in postpartum also made a comment, as did the lactation consultant that came in the morning. She mentioned that she would have the pediatric ENT come and take a look, and she suggested having it corrected now versus later. While it could cause latch problems nursing, it could also cause eating and speech problems down the road. The ENT doctor came in later that afternoon and observed Kennedy's tongue tie and he agreed with the lactation consultant. It basically went to the tip of her tongue, so she was a good candidate to have that corrected. Of course the family in the room was worried, but he told them it actually doesn't really hurt; circumcisions are worse for a baby. Nelson went with Kennedy and the doctor to have the procedure done and he said the only part where she fussed was when they had to hold her mouth open and tongue out. She came back all ready to go, and we received our instructions to rub a finger below her tongue every now and then to prevent it from re-attaching.
I decided to move some that evening and walked down to the nursery and back. It wasn't that far, but I was so exhausted afterwards. It's amazing what toll childbirth takes on the body. I'm sure it's a mixture of labor, pushing, and blood loss, but I was really glad I only decided to go to the nursery and not outside like Nelson had suggested.
I also had some fun dressing up my baby doll with the only thing I'd bought my entire pregnancy: some bows <3 And we just hung out in the room as a family of three. One big milestone for Monday was Kennedy passed her hearing test on the first try! It's pretty common for premature babies to fail it the first time, so we were elated when she only had to do it the one time. I didn't witness this test because I took that opportunity to finally take a much needed shower (and that felt amazing).
They also let us know that Kennedy would be taking her car seat test that night. This consisted of her sitting in her car seat, hooked up to heart rate, oxygenation, and respiratory monitors, for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, she failed this test :( The whole test looked amazing, textbook results, except one three minute section. Everything was wonky, basically all three monitors, but the pediatrician couldn't determine what. She said that, by the looks of it, Kennedy must've been upset because there were certain indications that told her it wasn't trauma or anything. But because the nurses didn't make a note of what happened, she had to fail her. Ugh.
We did a lot more gazing at Kennedy on Tuesday and had more visitors. My dad and Patty had been out of town when she was born, so got in as soon as they could, and Beth came to meet her. I was also discharged, so officially no longer a patient. But because Kennedy had failed the car seat test, she couldn't leave. But we got to keep her room for us and they wrote a meal plan for her for me to use. So the only real difference is nobody came in asking if I needed pain medication or to take my blood pressure and push on my stomach.
Tuesday night, they tried the car seat test, again. And she failed. Again. This time they didn't let her finish because her oxygen levels dropped into the 70's, and they don't want them to be below 85. I was sleeping while she was gone, so woke up when the nurse came in to tell us. We went to the nursery and she was laying in a little bed and looked so sweet and small. They let me nurse her and hold her while they continued monitoring her oxygenation. Sure enough, it dropped, again. The pediatrician came into the nursery to talk to us, and her thought was Kennedy was so premature, her brain stem was just learning to tell the body to do so many things at the same time. And it really only seemed to be happening when she was slightly curved (in the car seat, being held, etc.), and not on flat surfaces (in the bed). The doctor was very encouraging in that she said it gets better with each day and not something we should be concerned about. They'd perform the test for the third time Wednesday night and we'd go from there.
On the way back to our room, Nelson pushed the bed. Kennedy wasn't a fan of moving around the halls like that and cried the entire way. Well Nelson's heart breaks every time she cries, and since we're not allowed to hold the babies in the hallway (safety hazard should there be an emergency in a room, the nurses don't want to bump into anyone and make you drop the baby), this is how he pushed her: increasingly fast and bent over like any helicopter parent.
Speaking of Nelson, he was utterly and completely smitten by this point. Kennedy could do no wrong in his eyes, and the love he felt for her was like something he'd never felt. He didn't say this aloud, but he didn't have to. I know Nelson and his actions said it all. He wouldn't let them take her to the nursery without him; she couldn't go anywhere without him. At one point, when he was holding her and just staring at her little face, Lindsay commented, "You didn't want this, remember, Nelson?" And he responded, "Yeah, but she's just so cute," without taking his eyes off her. And I snapped this picture as he told her how beautiful and smart she was <3
Other Wednesday happenings: hanging out, holding Kennedy, and pumping for the first time! The nurses suggested letting Nelson try to do a bottle so I could get a little more than two hours of sleep at a time. The nurse that taught me how to use the pump encouraged me by letting me know that no matter what I produce, it's helpful. A few drops can be rubbed on her gums and lips to be absorbed, and a little bit can just be put into the nipple of a bottle for her to drink. They were pretty impressed when I sent this to be refrigerated :)
Wednesday night was another car seat test - and she PASSED!!! Woohoo! That meant we could go home! The hospital stay honestly wasn't bad. We were pretty comfortable, and having the nurses and their experience was helpful. But it would be fun going home as a little family to adjust to our new life :)
Thursday afternoon, we loaded up our bags, belongings, and baby, and we headed home!
