Happy Birthday Luke Alan French!!

Despite my efforts to try to go into labor naturally, my prayer for God’s will was answered by delivering our sweet Luke via the scheduled C-Section.  What a gift trusting in God always turns out to be!  The doctor said that as she began the surgery, they saw that my uterus was extremely stretched and beyond thin from pregnancy with my 7lb 8oz (each) twin boys just 17 months before.  If I would have gone into labor naturally, it could have ended very bad.  What a beautiful gift God gave us and kept us safe and healthy!

My mom and sister had driven from El Paso to Houston the Tuesday before my section.  Friday morning, the 17^th of August, Jason and I headed to the hospital; arriving at 5:30am.  My mom and sister woke the boys up and took them to the hospital; arriving about 7/7:30am.  Grandma Nadine, Great Aunt Cynthia and cousin Zander also were at the hospital to welcome Luke into the world!  Luke Alan French was born at 8am; weighing 7lbs 4oz and 20 inches long.  It took the nurses a while to get air into his lungs, which felt like an eternity to me.  What a beautiful sound it was when he started crying!  They cleaned him up and then handed him to Jason who brought him to me to touch, talk to and kiss.  Then Jason and Luke headed to the nursery as they finished ‘working’ on me.  They wheeled me back to the room and eventually Jason came back to be with me.  We waited, and waited for them to bring Luke, but no one showed up.  I sent Jason to see what was going on, having a bad feeling something must be up.  Jason came back with a blank look on his face and I knew something was wrong.  The prayers began to flood up to heaven.  Jason explained that he had low blood sugar, high respiratory rates and low O2 levels; that he was in the NICU.  My heart broke, but I felt at peace knowing God was holding him and taking care of him. 

I told the nurses I had to get in to the NICU to see my son.  They reassured me that as soon as my feeling came back and I proved I could stand on my own, they would let me go.  I began doing everything I could to get moving.  I was up out of that bed within 2-3 hours!  It wasn’t until 12 hours after surgery though that I actually got to hold my son.  It broke my heart seeing him with all those tubes and IVs.  I still continued to pray and remain thankful for his health, despite the complications he was having.  I knew he would be okay, he just needed a little extra help in the beginning was all.  But still, it was beyond hard on this Mama not being able to be with my son and hold him on my chest and kiss him without all those tubes and IVs.  

 

While all this was going on, Gavin and Wyatt were having a great time in the waiting room!  They got so excited every time they went up there that week!  I had packed goodie bags full of fun activities and snacks for them, and what 17 month old wouldn’t love having a whole room with couches and chairs, and elevators and water fountains to play with?!  I was able to snuggle the boys on the hospital bed that day; an answer to my prayers!   We snuggled together as we watched a Baby Einstein DVD.  We also pulled out their doctor kits which they thought was really fun to do in the hospital!  Gavin and Wyatt’s heart was full of joy the week Luke was born and continues to be!  What a beautiful answer to prayers!  I have been able to snuggle them and love on them as well since the C-section was so much easier than my first one!  Another answer to so many of my prayers.  While my heart ached bad to be the mom I was before (rolling on the floor and chasing them), I had to be thankful for what we were able to do considering I had just had surgery.   

While Luke was in the NICU, they discovered he had low platelet counts and jaundice; the former of which caused him to stay in the NICU 4 days.  They never could figure out what caused the low levels, but it eventually came up a little and leveled out, so they released him.  (A week later, blood tests showed they came back up and are fine now!) 

Jason spent the nights at home with the boys to keep some normalcy for them as well as ensure he got some rest.  I spent my nights pumping and visiting Luke in the NICU.  By Sunday, I was beyond tired, pulled and stressed and hormonal.  The nurses gave me sleeping medicine to help me sleep (I had been unable to before) and I had to miss a couple of Luke’s feedings.  I hated this, but realized this was best and he would be okay without me for a few hours.  Even though I could have been discharged on Sunday because I was recovering so well, I stayed until Monday.  I decided it was best for me to go home and spend time with my husband and two sons and sleep in my own bed though Monday.  So Jason drove me home on Monday.  It was the hardest thing ever being wheeled out of the hospital without my son in my arms.  That afternoon was wonderful spending with my family at home!  Jason and I headed back up to the hospital to be with Luke that evening.  Later that night we drove home back home.  I felt like I needed to be with Luke when at home and with Gavin and Wyatt when at the hospital.  I continued to pray for peace so I could enjoy my blessings in the moments I was given with each of them.  We had breakfast with the boys and then headed to the NICU Tuesday morning.  After a few hours, we were told he would be able to go home that day!!!  A couple of hours later we were on our way home!