Fuuuuck. I have to work tomorrow.
So, first: my initial description of the baby's status was supplied by a woman who had just had major abdominal surgery three hours earlier and was quite lucid and sending clear and grammatical texts while also high as a kite; she knew what she was talking about but I missed some of the finer points.
He hasn't been on O2 for the oxygen's sake, he's on a CPAP on a very low setting to help his lungs until they absorb the liquid present when he was rudely born without consent. He's doing great but his lungs are taking a bit to clear, and he's in one of the best neonatal hospitals in the country, getting top-notch care. His doctor is cool about it and nobody's worried; it's just taking a bit to resolve. He wasn't supposed to be here until around Memorial Day weekend and while he passed the many pre-birth tests, apparently his lungs just needed a bit more time in the oven. But considering that he had given his mother scary blood pressure issues and then gave himself a freaking cord knot that could have KILLED him had he gone to the wire with normal labor and delivery, he's just going to have to deal with these inconveniences for a couple more days.
Hopefully he'll be off the CPAP tomorrow and they'll spend a day making sure his O2 levels stay normal and he's eating, and then they'll send his little butt home.
My daughter was discharged yesterday (her lovely OB offered to let her stay, but as she said, it's a really expensive hotel) so she went home and they visited him today.
She observed that he's cueing to eat right before his scheduled feedings (did I mention my daughter has a Master's degree in this stuff?) and she's not anticipating any feeding issues once he's off the CPAP.
He removed the CPAP himself yesterday (they did put it back) and he is more alert and disgruntled about this annoying situation by the day, which is adorable and excellent. He's on room oxygen now and his levels are just fine, and he's on the lowest CPAP setting.
So, while this was drama that this anxious grandma really didn't need, it's all going very well.
And I would like to point out that at no point this week did I feel the slightest urge to say that maybe the doctors were lying, and he's really NOT OKAY!!! OMG!! How can you be SURE they're telling you the truth?? Why yes, it's been over 40 years and I'm still holding a grudge on that one. Let me make it clear: it was not a single offhand remark I may be misremembering. It was the drumbeat of the first weeks of my first child's life.
I texted my daughter that her son is recreating his uncle's entry into the world, knowing how she'd respond, and her response was "Don't imply my kid is going to turn out to be a douche." Siblings.
So, basically my week's vacation looked like: 2 dog groomings, house cleaning, attending end of the year middle school band concert (with my very pregnant daughter the night before induction), Ubering the tween to volleyball, then c-section drama and a trip to the hospital so said tween could see that her mom was okay, getting assaulted by the granddog when we stopped by the house a couple of times, handing off the tween to her dad, and then it was the weekend. That was my vacation. I think I averaged 6 hours of crappy sleep each night. I'm definitely too old to hit the drive through at 9 p.m. and expect to sleep later.
And back to work tomorrow! Yay?
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