Christmas Came Early!

After much anticipation and 17 days in the NICU at Parkland Hospital, Gavin Dee Rasmussen has made it home. He had a rough entry into the world, but with the amazing care from all the doctors and dedicated nurses we're hopeful he's on his way to a full recovery. I know some of you haven't been able to get the whole story, so I thought it would be easier if I blogged about it for you and catch you all up on his progress. Gavin was born on Friday November 14, 2008 at 11:52 am. He weighed 6 Ilbs. and 9 0z. My labor was uneventful and he came out with just a few pushes. I was induced due to low amniotic fluid, but we had no reason to think anything was wrong with me or Gavin. Shortly after he came into the world, Jared and I noticed he was breathing fast and hadn't even cried. Our OB called in the Peds guys and they took a look at him. Within 4 hours Gavin was on O2 and having difficulty breathing. He was taken to the NICU and observed there over night. The next day he got worse. He was then put on CPAP (a breathing device that helps push air in the lungs through the nose). Then it just kept getting worse. The next day he was intibated and the day after that his right lung collapsed and he had a chest tube put in his little body. We had neonatologists, nurse practitioners, and infectious disease trying desperately to figure out what was wrong with him. Jared and I felt useless and we were afraid to even leave his bedside. He had culture after culture, lp's, blood draws, and any other test you could imagine and they were all coming up negative. They had put him on antibiotics, but he was not responding and everyday we thought we would lose him. It was the worst and scariest time in our lives. After day 6 of intibation a wonderful doctor named Pablo came and decided to try a different round of antibiotics and within two days Gavin started to get better. It's a slow recovery and although they aren't for certain what he has they are calling it a very acute case of bacterial pneumonia.

All through this traumatic event Jared and I felt comforted and loved by our friends, neighbors, ward members and supportive parents. We didn't get off our knees. Our ward was so supportive and our bishop called a ward fast for Gavin. We have the most amazing friends out here. My girlfriends arranged for lunches for my mom and I everyday while we were at the hospital and dinners every night. My mom was here for us and I don't think I could have made it through those 2 weeks without her. Jared had to go back to his rotation and they discharged me on day 3, so I was stuck having to go home without my sweet baby. My mom and I would go home late at night and sleep for three hours and then head right back in and sit with Gavin all day. Jared would rush from his rotation at another hospital to Parkland and sit and talk to his baby. Gavin would always open his eyes the minute Jared came into the room. I sang to him and read him stories and my mom knitted by his bedside. If you know us then you wouldn't be surprised to hear by the end of the first week I had made great friends with all the nurses and they let me help take care of him as much as possible (i.e taking his temp. changing his diapers (who would know that I actually was thrilled to change his diapers), and anything else they let me do). All the nurses would come and comment on how cute Gavin is and we had a couple nurses fighting over him. Everyone wanted to take care of him. He has a sweetness about him that is undeniable and he looks just like Jared. He got the nickname "little gentleman" because he is such a good baby, very even tempered like his daddy (not like his mommy). During the second week Gavin started to improve. He needed less and less O2 and was eventually on room air. It was such a relief to have him turn the corner and start to improve. Gavin has had a hard time learning to eat (that's what you get when you're not allowed to eat for the first two weeks of life, also babies that have been intibated have a tendency to struggle with sucking, so we're working on it). We have wonderful lactation nurses that help and a great speech pathologist, who helps Gavin with his sucking. They call me at home to check on him and his progress. Now that Gavin is home we have been trying to get on a schedule. I love having him home! He still breathes hard and I have to go into the pediatricians office twice a week for weight checks, but hopefully he'll get it and this will all be a bad memory. This week we are meeting with a pulmonologist because our pediatrician wants his lungs looked at and possibly put him on some steroids to clear them up. We both feel that that would be good and want anything that will help him get better. We feel so lucky to finally have our beautiful baby home with us. We'll keep you posted on his progress and want to thank you all so much for the prayers, fasts, and support. We really could have not made it through this trying time without our faith and love for the savior. We know that heavenly father has big plans for our little guy and can't wait to watch him grow and accomplish his goals in life. We love you ALL!