Home Sweet Home

It’s been a hectic couple of days, so forgive my absence, but it’s for a good reason! There was a flurry of activity and consults and tests (for Coop and for us!) but the bottom line is HE’S HOME!!!

I can’t believe we finally have this little nugget at home!!! It’s been 3 weeks, or has it been 3 decades??? He beat the doctors’ original estimates, who said he probably wouldn’t go home until after his due date of May 4. We are lucky that the providers trusted us and took the time to educate us on using his feeding tube. They did offer to keep him inpatient until he is off the tube, but it could be weeks or even another month or two. We figured the best thing for him was to be home with his family. Home health care has set us up with all of the supplies we need to keep him fed. 

We know this isn’t quite the end of his medical challenges; he still has a way to go in terms of feeding and getting his growth back on track, but we’re at a point where we feel comfortable managing on an outpatient basis. 

Me navigating the complicated process of breastfeeding under the shawl cover. Nailed it!

Cooper’s 💩 face

Our hearts are so full of love and gratitude today.

- We are so thankful for the astute team at St. Mark’s who discovered his potentially deadly gut infection within minutes of his birth, and saved him from a much worse outcome. 

- We are grateful to his incredible health care providers at Primary Children’s Hospital. They were thorough and meticulous with Cooper’s care, and they also made us feel as comfortable and included as possible. They answered all of our stupid questions, and didn’t even make us feel silly for asking. The NPs and doctors constantly kept us updated on his condition and his care. The lactation consultants and feeding therapists were indispensable and spent literally hours and hours of their time guiding us, comforting and encouraging us when things didn’t go as we’d hoped, and celebrating every success with us. The NICU nurses are absolute angels on earth - I don’t know how they do what they do. They look after the tiniest, neediest, most fragile patients for 12 hours straight, and on top of that they have to manage their patients’ crazed, stressed, overwhelmed, confused, clueless, and sometimes hormonal parents. And all the while, they taught us how to care for our child - from the basics like changing diapers and swaddling to medical tasks  like how to use a feeding tube or apply a pulse oximeter.

- Our hearts are bursting with the generosity, love, and support coming from our friends and families. We truly cannot thank you enough for all the food or the outrageously generous gifts, or for the texts, calls, or Facebook messages. You made us smile when we didn’t know if we could. You raised our spirits more than you know.  

Finally, to Cooper’s grandparents. We are so, so happy to have you here, and watching you finally meet our lovebug was a moment we’ll never forget. There was no better way to be welcomed home than to you standing eagerly in our front yard, bursting at the seams to get a look at him. He is, and we are, so lucky to have you in our lives!!!