Yesterday, Thursday March 3, 2011, I went to a routine doctor's appointment for an ultrasound. I was about 36 weeks along. Since he wasn't moving too much and his umbilical cord wasn't flowing correctly, the doctors sent me up to Methodist Hospital for a emergency C-section.
Up in the OB triage unit, I quickly called Tom (he was at work and had to quickly end a phone call with a client), my mom (she was in a meeting), and Courtney (who was at the airport in California, trying to get home.) Tom ran home to grab our hospital bag and let the dogs out. He almost forgot to let the dogs back in. Ooops. By the time he got to the hospital, he threw on some scrubs and went straight to the operating room. In the operating room everyone got things going quickly. I got spinal anesthesia, and they started the surgery. Tom was by my side the whole time. He held my hand and watched the operation. (I think I would have fainted. I don't do well with blood.) They had to maneuver Cooper's head around a couple of times, but got him out at 4:43 pm. He weighed in at 8 lbs and 13oz, andhe ended up measuring 20 and a quarter inches. He's a very well built boy for being so early.
Today, I have been recovering slowly. I accomplished my goals which consisted of getting my IV out, walking around the hospital, maintaining pain control, taking a nap, taking a shower, sending out an email, using a breast pump, and meeting my son. While I was doing these things, Cooper was going through a lot of medical stuff in the special care nursery. Courtney has offered to write the translation of his condition below.
Translation (written by Courtney): When babies are inside mom, they get their oxygenated blood from mom through the umbilical cord. The blood passes from mom into baby and sort of bypasses the baby's lungs (since the baby isn't breathing yet). It "skips over" the lungs via a hole called the Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) (it connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery). When the baby is born and takes a breath, the air fills the lungs and increases the pressure inside--this increase in pressure (along with some complicated chemical reactions) USUALLY closes the hole (PDA) and lets the baby breath and the blood flow just like you and me! However, sometimes when babies come early, this hole is too big and doesn't close. This is what happened to Cooper. So when he breathes only some of his blood is getting cleaned. The rest of the clean blood mixes with the dirty blood via the PDA and he cant get enough oxygen to his little hands and feet. His body knows this and to compensate, he breathes harder and faster to try and get more oxygen. This condition is fairly common and the hole will often close on its own (if it doesn't, there are some medications they can give him to help). So they currently have Cooper inside a bubble filled with lots of oxygen. They are giving him extra oxygen and monitoring him closely to make sure all of his tissues get enough oxygen without him having to breathe too hard. He may be a big boy, but his lungs weren't quite ready for the big outdoors!
So, I will be in the hospital for another 2 or 3 days, but Cooper may have to be here for longer. I know the doctors and nurses will keep a close eye on both of usand let us return home when we are safe and ready. We'll keep you updated as we go along.
What an exciting start to our little boy's life!
Love you little man. :)
Cooper has been put under the lights, because his Bilirubin level was high. This is a common issue for babies, and they're not too worried about it. Look they even gave him special "goggles" with eyelashes. :) What a stud!!! 
