We HATE this machine.....

So things are well at the Logan Compound....ESPECIALLY since this machine has run its course.  Existing parents, I don't know if you've had the "pleasure" (& I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible) of using this machine, but we used it for 10 days.  That's about 10 days longer than I recommend.  Average usage time is 2-3 days.  Parents-to-be, beware of this thing.... think long & hard about using it because your other option is to stay in the hospital another day or two.  

This contraption is called a "Billi Blanket".  It is what they have created to help jaundice babies get all of the "bilirubin"  out of their system.  From my best translation of what the docs & nurses say, jaundice is the liver's inability to process dead blood cells out of a baby's system.  This leads to a slight discoloration in the baby's skin -- giving a yellow tint.  If the liver doesn't process it out properly it can re-absorb into the baby's system....I'm not sure how bad that is, but probably not good.  But I digress....

The little paddle looking thing you see at the end of the hose is to be placed UNDER baby's clothes & in contact with the skin.  The tube then leads out to the box machine which houses a fluorescent light that is shone through a blue lens.  The light helps break up the bilirubin, thus making it easier for the liver to do its thing.  This gives off a nice little "glow worm" effect that you see here:  

While this is pretty cool LOOKING, it is probably one of the most inconvenient devices we've ever had to use.  It pretty much ensured that we couldn't walk freely with Ethan around the house because we needed to have it on him as much as possible.  As in, 24 hrs a day.  So we had to pick our place & plug it in & sit.  

The test to see the bilirubin level is a blood test that they draw from the heel.  We had to get this test 8 times out of the 10 days of wearing it..... so needless to say, his heels are pretty nicked up!

Granted, with all that said, the device DOES do what its supposed to do.  It got his levels down & frankly, anything that helps our child be healthy is a great thing.  Its what they recommended & while it was tough to use, it did a fantastic job of getting Li'l Man healthy.

The call from the doctor today that informed us of his levels being where they want them to be was the best news we've gotten since he was born.  This news included the instructions to call the company who provided it to us & have them pick it up.

Adios "Billi Blanket" -- good riddance!

Ethan's Arrival

Boy, I've really dropped the ball on this blog -- for that I apologize!  Well, lots has been happening since my last post.  I'll cut to the chase & fill you in on the biggest news of all....

Ethan David Logan was born on 5/30/08 at 3:47 pm.  Yes, his due date was actually 6/26/08 so he came a month early!

It was a rather surprising occurrence, but we knew she had been dilated 1 cm for about a week.  Her water slowly broke at about 2:45 am on Friday, May 30th.  We took off for the hospital after speaking with the doctor on call & she said, given the info Mel gave her, that we should go.  After Mel got her shower & packed her bag, we headed to Community South.  The contractions were fairly far apart, about 7 minutes.

We were checked in & by the time the paperwork was finished, her initial check was complete, she was still at 1 cm.  Her contractions still weren't bad, but they were increasing in strength.

Before we knew it, she was dilated to 4 cm.  As the contractions grew the nurse checked her an hour later & saw she was dilated to 8 cm!  At this time, the contractions were strong enough & we called for the epidural - it was only 7:30 am.  The block was administered without a hitch & it took effect slowly.

The nurse told us there would be a pretty good break while the block set itself.  This was good because her parents & sister had just arrived & with all the commotion, we needed a quick nap.

Shortly after our nap, they checked her again & she had dilated fully to 10+ cm & 100% effaced. Her family left the room & we knew things were about to get good.  The time?  12:30.

Our nurse readied the room for pushing & called the doctor.  She told us that the doctor was about 20 minutes away & instructed the 3 of us to begin pushing.  While I was surprised by this news, I thought, "Here we go!  Our time to shine!"

We began pushing & after a few good pushes, the doctor arrived at 1 pm & told us we were doing great job but to give Mel a break.  (I thought that was weird, considering how quick everything happened to this point.)  We broke for about 30 minutes before we started back up.

At 1:30 pm, we hit the main stretch -- & boy what a stretch it was.  From 1:30 pm to 3:47 pm was hard, frustrating work but the end result was so incredibly worth it.

At that time, we welcomed our first son into the world.  We were so excited.... an incredible miracle that God delivered us a healthy baby boy.

While they were cleaning up & taking care of Ethan -- I headed to the waiting room.  We knew there were people out there who were concerned because the first half of the day went by so quick, but the second half seemed to stand still forever.  As I opened the door, I saw that 15 people were waiting patiently.  Controlling my excitement, I filled them in, "He's HERE!"

The excitement was unbelievable.  Everyone erupted with joy & gathered around to see the few pictures I had taken.  Handshakes & hugs, congrats & questions, the entire gamut was covered.  After the all clear was given, family fled to Mel's room to congratulate her & to the viewing area to see Ethan getting his bath/tests done.

The experience was exhausting but exciting.  We couldn't have wished for a better staff or better situation.  Everyone was so great & informative.  They never made us feel stupid & always welcomed our questions.  They stayed patient with us with the swarms of visitors we had Friday night & all day Saturday.  Sunday was a relaxing day for us & after they finished the tests, we were discharged late Sunday night.

Welcome home, Ethan.  We love you.