On Sunday night, our youngest daughter Heather and husband Jesse trekked on down to the hospital in the middle of the night to have our darling granddaughter! Yes, little Whitney Wonder Wade was born at 4:46 a.m. on Monday, 5 pounds 8 ounces and 18.5 inches long. Such a darling little tiny tot.... (and a happy momma and exhausted daddy)
We spent a few delightful hours enjoying the sweet baby, while exhausted Jesse slept in the background. This new mommy looks so happy and proud.
We had the chance to cuddle and snuggle her.
While Mommy ate breakfast, this grandmuddah got to do the magic of rocking her to sleep,
and holding her close and loving her.
Soon though, things changed.
We had no idea what kind of rollercoaster
we were embarking on just a few hours later!
The wee one had some issues, and off she was whisked to the NICU!!!
Her blood sugar levels were way off,
then her hemoglobin platlettes were way off,
and soon our little wee angel was having a transfusion!
I rushed back to the hospital to a whole different scene.
I close my eyes and can still see in my scared frantic head the
image on her tiny body with all those tubes and hoses and sensors!
She was having the best of care,
in the best neonatal unit in the area.
With the grandmotherly love that Jesse's mom, Lisa, and I poured over her in the NICU was warming and amazing. Each time we spoke, her heart rate would jump up a few beats. Each time her mommy touched her, she would respond. We gave her all we could. We touched her feet and caressed her arms. We had the nurse adjust an IV line tape. We soothed her and fawned over her. She looked so helpless and tiny. It was breaking our hearts.
On the upside, she was nursing well, and Heather was miraculously able to start getting milk within a few hours of giving birth, on top of colestrum she already pumped out that they were feeding her via syringe. Heather is such a trooper, listening to the nurses and docs, and doing all she can. Having nursed Jameson 7 years before, she was an old hand at this!
Whitney's immature little system was rallying, and her parents' love is strong. All the tests and docs and nurses and care --- in and out of the NICU to help our sweet angel Whitney to get through this. The strain and pressure in our hearts was immense, and prayers from family and friends flooded in.
It has been a rollercoaster over the last 36 hours, but she turned the corner. The blood sugar spikes and drops have leveled out. She underwent a blood transfusion, The platelettes went from only 13,000 up to 98,000. She had an ultrasound to ensure there wasn't any internal bleeding from the delivery and that showed everything would be okay. She will be released from the NICU in the next day or two.
I could finally breathe. I got the weight off my chest, and I can see ahead for many wonderful years with our darling little Whitney added to our tribe of grandbabies.
Please welcome Little Miss
Whitney Wonder Wade
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