Hello Ryder!

Our tiny angel was born on Friday June 25 at 8:12am. He was 7lbs 2ozs 21 inches long and is absolutely adorable!! We weren't scheduled to have him until June 28 but I started to contract on Friday evening and when we called the Dr she said to come on in. After a few hours in labor and delivery, our doctor decided to deliver on Friday morning. It was a complete shock since we where expecting Monday, but obviously the doctor knows best so we where along for the ride!

Ryder was born via c-section (it was a repeat) and everything went smoothly. I'm recovering well, as expected I'm sore but overall doing good.

Ryder on the other hand has had a few issues. After delivery the nurses noticed his breathing wasn't normal after running further test they determined that he has excess fluid in his lungs. He was immediately moved to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for treatment. At first they thought his lung development was premature. After running further test, he was diagnosed with RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome). It's very common for repeat c-sections. Unfortunately Chris and I did not see this coming at all. We delivered William at 37 weeks 5 days via c-section and there wasn't a single problem with him. We just assumed the same would be for Ryder. Gestationally he was full term so the risk of being in the NICU was not something we put in our equation.

We spoke to the neonatal doctor last night and he gave us a few updates on Ryder. Since his chest x-ray was worse than delivery day (more fluid in his lungs) they decided on a new route of treatment. For about 24 hours he was just on minimal oxygen and feeding tube. Now the doctor is wanting to be more aggressive to speed his progress along to ensure the fluid is dissolved faster. He was placed on a respirator/c-pap machine (just like Dad!) for breathing and given additional catheters through his belly button. He was also injected with surfactant. Surfactant is a natural chemical that is produced in the lungs of newborns to help with breathing outside the womb. With the combination of my excess amniotic fluid and the fact that he was delivered by c-section the natural surfactant that he developed was washed away. The downside to c-section delivery is the baby doesn't get "rung out like a towel" passing through the birthing canal so all that excess stuff the baby doesn't need and his harmful has to be manually expelled.

So we are just waiting, as patiently as possible to see how Ryder takes to everything. Unfortunately I may be discharged before Ryder is able to come home. To say my heart is breaking is an understatement. I never in a million years expected to leave the hospital without my baby but if this is what is best for him, then I just have to be patient and pray. The doctors are hopeful that he will be discharged on Friday. Again these dates and times are not set in stone and Chris and I are at the mercy of the doctors and Ryder's progress. All we can do is just pray for a quick and healthy recovery. He's such an angel, so many people are dying to give him kisses. First in line are Chris and I, at this point we can't wait to hold him (something we have yet to be able to do). Second is big bro William!! He doesn't quite understand this situation but has been very patient and understanding through out it all.

I have tons of more pictures but unfortunately the connection at the hospital is so slow I'll upload more when I get home.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, hopefully our angel will be home soon!