One Week Old

Still working on that birth story, which may have to be posted in parts due to my incredible sleepiness (for the best reason in the world!) and lack of time (also for the best reason!).

His blood draw yesterday showed that his bilirubin had risen almost two points, but still is the okay range. He had his blood drawn again this a.m., so we'll see what that one is and go from there. But here are some photos taken today of Caleb. We think he's pretty special!

We're Home!!!

Finally, as a family of five, we arrived home yesterday afternoon. Paul and the boys had been staying in the cities with my parents during my hospital stay with Caleb, so that Paul could be close to me and close to work. It's SOOO good to be home! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your prayers.

I want to include the full hospital stay story in Caleb's birth story, which I hope to write soon. As much as there is to do when you have a newborn, I find it really important to write it out as soon as possible so I don't forget details.

But in the meantime, I'll tell you that Caleb is doing well - nursing, sleeping, and being alert, which is very important for a baby with hyper bilirubin levels (HDFN) so that we know he's doing okay. The bilirubin makes him incredibly tired, so if he was sleeping around the clock, we'd definitely have to take him in.

I take him to the doctor tomorrow morning to get his levels checked again. The NICU docs told us to expect them to have risen. If they are up too high, they will order us a bili "blanket" to use at home. Hopefully nothing more extreme will need to be done unless his levels skyrocket. Until then, please pray that he continues to poop and pee A LOT as that is now the only way the bilirubin can get out of his little system.

Blessings!

Soon....

...I'll be holding Caleb in my arms as I was told this morning that he can breastfeed today! As soon as he's alert enough they'll let me nurse him, central line and all. His bili rubin levels are "really good" according the doctor this a.m.

...he'll have his central line out. We found out during rounds today that they don't think a blood transfusion will be needed and that they hope to take it out tonight and replace it with an i.v. He still needs i.v. fluids in case of dehydration.

...he might be sleeping next to me, in a boarding room, under bili lights, but with me so I can be right near him to breastfeed during the night.

...we could be home! Sooner than I thought. He has to be taking all his nutrition via mouth. Because the jaundice makes him sleepy, breastfeeding may be harder, but I'm no quitter!

Praise the Lord for quickly answered prayer! Here are some more photos taken Friday night before we knew the results of his blood work.

Update on Caleb

Caleb is doing well - he is stable though his bilirubin levels are still high. We saw a fluctuation during the night and he is in the NICU still.

They just started him on some medication (IVIG) to hopefully bring his levels down even more along with the phototherapy (bili lights). Since bilirubin levels peak around day 7, I am thinking his stay will be at least a week. I'd rather prepare mentally and emotionally for the longer stay rather than hope for a short one and be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

I will stay at the hospital probably until tomorrow and then commute back and forth during the day to be with him and bring him breastmilk. The pump and I have not yet come to an agreement on the type of relationship we're going to have, so I'd appreciate your prayers in that area as well. My admiration for moms who pump is increasing every two to three hours.

I got kind of emotional this morning about not having him with me nor being able to hold him because at this point we can't even do that due to his central line (through the umbilical stump)and the fact that he needs the constant phototherapy. I'm doing better this afternoon and hoping to get a quick nap in before the pump and I have it out again.

Thanks for your continued prayers! I hope to tell you more about his birth soon.

In the NICU

Caleb was admitted to the NICU at about 8:30 pm due to his bilirubin levels being high with the potential to go higher.

He is under the bili lights and receiving medication to help his levels decrease. They also put in a central line to be prepare for an exchange blood transfusion should his levels not decrease. They will check him every 4-6 hours.

Please pray for us and him especially as we wait to hear good news!

Our God is Merciful

Caleb Isaac Schwendinger

7lbs, 14oz; 19 inches

After 1.5 hours of hard labor and one push he arrived at 3:55 PM, January 22nd. Praise the Lord!

Mommy and Daddy are overjoyed. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Blood test results for iron levels and Bilirubin are pending. Please join us in praying that they are good and no additional intervention is needed.

Regarding the Contest: The winner is Cortney Heath who guessed 8 pounds 7 ounces. Please email Rachel (rschwendingerathotmaildotcom) your address so she can send you your prize.

Love from the Schwendingers.

Details and a Contest

I am officially counting down the hours until Friday. We have to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. for my induction. First off will be i.v. antibiotics as I tested positive for GBS, so I'm not quite sure how long I'll be on that before they'll start the induction. They want me to have four hours of it before the actual birth and my last labor was only 2 hours, so it'll be interesting to see how they want to time it all.

I went to my regular doc on Monday and I'm 1 cm dilated. I'm hoping to be farther along come Friday, since I'm no longer on modified bed rest and am back to my regular routine. Which means I'm still not doing much since I'm sooo tired all the time. And the contractions are getting more intense.

Anyway, we will appreciate all prayers on Friday. After Caleb is born, they will test his hemoglobin and bilirubin levels via the cord blood, to determine whether he needs a transfusion and whether he'll need time under the bili lights, which is common for antibody babies. I'm praying to have as much contact with him as possible and to be able to get breastfeeding off to a good start. We are planning at this point to bring the laptop to the hospital (and a camera, of course), so we can alert people to his arrival as soon as possible.

AND NOW FOR THE CONTEST PART:

Guess Caleb's birth weight!

You have until we post/email info. about his arrival to guess what he weighs. Please pay attention to what those have guessed ahead of you as I will take the first correct (or closest) answer.

What do you win?

If you know me at all, this is easy to figure out! Homemade dishcloths. Whatever number in his birth weight is biggest (lbs or oz), that's how many I'll send you. So if he weighs 8.6 you get 8 dishcloths or if he weighs 9.12, then you get 12 dishcloths. And to help you in the guessing, here's a little info about my other babies birth weights:

Ethan: 8lbs,4oz. born at 39 weeks and 4 days

Elijah: 9lbs, 3 oz. born at 39 weeks and 3 days

Felicity: 9lbs, 15 oz. born at 41 weeks and 1 day

I'll be 39 weeks gestation on Friday.


Blessings,