I'm An Aunt!

August 29, 2009 10:52PM

Well, it has been a long day and not quite what I had expected. Shana had to have a C-section because she was not progressing in the labor and the doctor suspected that it could not be a regular delivery. It turns out that my nephew, Jack Benjamin, was 9lbs 6oz. According to one nurse he was probably "overdone." There had been contention as to his due date among the doctors and it seems like he may have been a little late.

Anyway Little Jack (which is really Big Jack) is in the NIC-Unit (he is probably 2-3 times the size of every other baby there) because he had a lot of mucus on the lungs. Apparently passing through the birth canal often expels much of the fluid and since he did not, his lungs have to absorb the extra fluid. He needed oxygen too because he was struggling a little with the breathing. By this evening he was receiving pressurized room air instead of oxygen because he still needs some extra help in strengthening his lungs.

I went back to the hospital after meeting up with a couple of friends for a little bit this evening and was able to go with Shana and Jason to the NIC-U. At long last I was able to see them holding Jack, and I was able to hold him though we found out after the fact that only the parents are allowed to hold him while he is there. That has been the hardest part of the day -- unmet expectations of being able to hold my nephew and see everyone together. He will likely be in NIC-U for longer than Shana will be in the hospital (and that will proably be 3-4 days) so it will be an adjustment. I think I will be spending a lot more time at the hospital these next few days than I had expected. I am just so glad that I am here in Lancaster and not traveling or even in Honduras.