The Day Has Arrived

Around 5% of babies are born on their due date.

I win!

Seth Hayden Foster was born at 4:52 PM on November 12, 2008. He was 11 pounds, 11 ounces and 22 inches long.

He had a few complications from birth trauma (he was delivered vaginally, and it wasn't an easy trip down the chute, let me tell you). His first APGAR score was a 2, then a 6. His breathing was very rapid so they put him on oxygen and some sort of oxygen monitor. He's on an IV right now, and a feeding tube. We are really hopeful that he'll be home with us in a few days, once he figures out how to slow down his breathing. He's already doing way, way better than he was a few days ago. Initially they told us he had some broken ribs, nerve damage in his shoulder, a heart murmur, and a blood infection. Today they told us that the only problem he actually has is some nerve damage in his right shoulder (which got stuck while he was being born), and the rapid breathing. We are so, so grateful that his other problems seem to have healed right up. We've just been praying and praying that everything works out well, and although he has to stay in the hospital longer, it seems like he will be just fine. I'm officially discharged, but we've moved into a courtesy room on his floor so we can stay close to him. He's in the ICU nursery so he can't be moved, but we go and visit several times a day. We snuck away home today to see the other kids and do some laundry.

I have lots more pictures, but we left the camera at the hospital while we stopped in at the house, so I have only this one shot for now off of Keith's phone. Suffice to say, he is quite the little chubber, and those cheeks are DELICIOUS. The outfits I took to the hospital are both a 3-month size, so they should fit him for now. The nursery had to track down some special diapers for him, as their usual newborn diapers didn't fit. How in the world he grew so large, I have no idea. I actually gained less weight with him than the other boys, but he takes the prize for big baby. My doctor was right all along about growing a monster in there - but even he was surprised when Seth was born. It was a new personal record for my doctor, he said.

This little baby is just amazing and we are nuts for him. He's been through a heck of a lot from being born so big, just all kinds of yucky tubes sticking out of him, but he's a trooper, and I cannot wait to get him home.

Oh, and that whole delivering naturally thing that I was so worried about? Yeah, did it. It sucked, but we did it. Go vagina.

More on his birth/delivery/updates and more pictures when I get home with him, I hope very, very soon.