Reed William Phillips
Born September 1st, 2013
10:17 p.m. at Providence Everett
5 lb., 9 oz., 18.5” long
34 week-old preemie
Due to a completely unforeseen placental abruption (tear),
Johanna was hospitalized starting August 22nd. The following eleven
days were a roller coaster of good news and bad news and constantly changing
outlooks on the future. The name of the game was to try to keep Reed in the
womb as long as possible to avoid complications from being born too prematurely
– he was only 32½ weeks when we first
arrived at the hospital. Through that whole ordeal, the amniotic sac stayed
intact and Reed’s strong vital signs impressed the nurses and reassured his
parents. Johanna’s vitals and blood count stayed strong, too. But due to the
highly critical nature of the abruption (she might hemorrhage at any minute and
need an emergency c-section), all precautions were taken to prepare for the
worst. By late-night August 31st, it became clear that due to
continued bleeding and contractions from the placental abruption and the fact
that Reed was now 34 weeks along (a much better scenario than 32), that
inducing labor was the best course of action.
Fortunately Johanna’s doctor was on call September 1st
and we started a plan of action to use pitocen to induce labor and hope that if
all vitals remained strong that a vaginal delivery was still possible. We
started the piotcen at noon and slowly ramped it up, triggering stronger
contractions. Once the doctor broke Johanna’s water at 9:15 pm, everything
kicked into high gear and Reed was born at 10:17 pm without an epidural. The
delivery went fairly smoothly except that he had his hand raised up to his face
as he was coming out – ready for a high five? There was a team from the
neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the room to immediately begin caring for
Reed. Reed’s Apgar score of 9 (out of 10) was impressive for a preemie and we
were relieved that the first assessment of his health was so good. After a
minute of cuddling with mom, Reed, accompanied by Eben, went down to the NICU
for more assessments and care. Johanna joined them an hour later after
recovering a bit from labor. Reed’s status was outstanding: great birth weight
and length, strong lungs that didn’t need a respirator, the best outcome we
could have hoped for him. Today, on his first day of life, his condition
continues to look great – he is off of the heat lamps and can regulate his body
temperature to some degree with the help of blankets. We are told by his NICU
doctors that Reed will need to develop the ability to nurse (suck, swallow,
breathe) before he will be discharged. This will likely mean two-three more
weeks in the NICU. Johanna will be discharged tomorrow and is doing well – now
focused on providing the best level of care she can for Reed, especially
focused on feeding him well.
Edison and Charlotte came to the hospital with Auntie Karen
this morning and were humbled by their little brother’s tiny size and
affability. They followed all the NICU rules and spoke quietly, welcoming Reed
into the family. It was very touching and I hope it is a sign of a smooth transition
for them to have a new sibling at home.
We chose the name Reed because it sounds strong and has a
nice ring to it – but also because a reed has great strength even when tiny. It
can stand up to the currents of a raging river and still pop right back up when
the waters recede. We hope our son Reed will be similarly resilient. William is
the name of Eben’s maternal grandfather whom he loved dearly.
We have been so grateful to everyone who has helped us and kept us in their thoughts throughout this tumultuous period of uncertainty and stress. Your support and kindness made it possible for Eben and I to focus on the health of mom and baby. Ultimately the results are more than we could have hoped for when we checked into the hospital a week-and-a-half ago: a healthy mom, a smooth labor and delivery, and a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Though he was delivered six weeks early (his due date was October 12), he should be just fine in about a month and will quickly catch up to his peers in terms of development by the time he is one. Now – that is definitely worth celebrating and giving thanks for!
We have been so grateful to everyone who has helped us and kept us in their thoughts throughout this tumultuous period of uncertainty and stress. Your support and kindness made it possible for Eben and I to focus on the health of mom and baby. Ultimately the results are more than we could have hoped for when we checked into the hospital a week-and-a-half ago: a healthy mom, a smooth labor and delivery, and a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Though he was delivered six weeks early (his due date was October 12), he should be just fine in about a month and will quickly catch up to his peers in terms of development by the time he is one. Now – that is definitely worth celebrating and giving thanks for!
Please welcome, Reed William Phillips!
Sincerely,
Eben & Johanna
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