Faith Rae

She finally arrived.

After months of waiting, we met Faith.

She was born on 8/23/2016 at 15:10.

She was 19.1 inches long and 7 lbs 6.7 oz.

I can’t believe it’s already been a week since this little crying bundle of poop and pee arrived.

In just one week she has turned this house upside down. Sleep schedules have been overturned. My washing machine seems to be constantly running, laundering miniature clothing with baby-scented fragrances. And every 2-3 hours, this little creature shrieks and angrily cries out for food. Her hangry cries, I’ve concluded, reminds me of a foreign police siren. If only I could make such an international trip right now.

Of course, I am thankful that Faith is healthy.

Allison was admitted on Monday night (8/22/2016). She gave birth on 8/23/2016 at 15:10. On 8/24, we hoped to be able to go home after 24 hours. However, the bilirubin check at the 24 hour mark yielded a level higher than expected. The Pediatric team decided to keep her overnight and watch the levels.

The following day, on 8/25, we eagerly waited for the results of the repeat testing. The good news did not come. Her levels had gone up. They swiftly started her on phototherapy and placed her on a UV mat. She did not like it. Specifically, she did not like the eyewear they gave her. I thought it looked like a superhero mask sans eye cutouts. She didn’t think so, apparently.

Several hours later they rechecked her bilirubin levels. She wasn’t trending in the right direction so they decided to send her to the nursery for dual phototherapy. She would have a UV mat underneath her and a light source above her. Allie was discharged that night. We both said goodbye to our daughter as we left her in the hands of the nursery nurse. That night, there was only one baby in the nursery and that baby was Faith. So was essentially a one-to-one so that eased the minds of these new parents.

Friday (8/26/16) morning soon came and we called the hospital and received the good news. Her bilirubin levels had stabilized. They would be comfortable discharging her home. The caveat was that we would need to follow up with them in clinic in 2 days on Sunday (8/28/16). We would take that. We rushed back to the hospital to bring home the baby girl.

Friday night was rough. We were exhausted after a long week spent mostly in the hospital. The night was long and it seemed like it would never end. My daughter, I learned, is a night owl. After her night feedings she was handed over to me so that I could change her diaper and let Allie nap. She just stared at me and everything around us. The minute I thought she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep, I would try to lay her down only to find her eyes pop back open and cry to be picked back up. I suppose my nights will be daddy-daughter bonding times. Below is a picture of her during one of those early morning hours where I pleaded with her to just go to sleep. My pleading fell on deaf ears.

Today, I still can’t get over the fact that she is 1 week old. Even these last few days have flown by!

Oh well. Can’t stop this train, now. We’ve jumped head on into this adventure called parenthood.