EDITED TO ADD: I wrote this while spending the day sitting in Samson’s room. This was all before his dip yesterday and the decision to transfer him to Riley. I’ll try to write more about what happened in the afternoon and evening and how things ended up the way they did when I get a chance…

I’m finally getting a chance to write a more in depth update on what’s going on with Samson. First of all, we cannot thank you all enough for the outpouring of love and support. It has literally carried us through the past few days. I am so grateful for every call, text, post, comment etc…

How it began…

I started contracting regularly Tuesday and by early Wednesday morning things had progressed to the point of calling our ob. We arrived at the hospital to find that I was dialated to 4cm, I was admitted and began the laboring process. A couple hours later, my ob arrived and broke my water. It was then that we discovered a large amount of meconium in the amniotic fluid. A level that was so thick they refer to it as pea soup, both in consistency and because of the greenish shade of meconium. They immediately began Amnioinfusion which is where sterile fluid is placed inside the uterus via a catheter to help dilute the meconium. There were no other signs of fetal distress.

Because of the meconium, the NICU team was in the room at delivery. They took Samson right away and began suctioning out of his airways. In the process of trying to remove a huge chunk below his vocal chords, they stimulated his breathing and it went straight to his lungs. 

Here is an idea of what exactly is happening in his body: “The inhaled meconium can partially or completely block the baby’s airways. Although air can flow past the meconium trapped in the baby’s airways as the baby breathes in, the meconium becomes trapped in the airways when the baby breathes out. And so, the inhaled meconium irritates the baby’s airways and makes it difficult to breathe.

MAS can affect the baby’s breathing in a number of ways, including chemical irritation to the lung tissue, airway obstruction by a meconium plug, infection, and the inactivation of surfactant by the meconium (surfactant is a natural substance that helps the lungs expand properly).”

They took him to the NICU and put him first on oxygen,  then a ventillator and eventually, the oscillator. All in an attempt to help his body do these things: expand his lungs, make sure his blood is properly oxygenated, etc… The first day or so is really a blur.

We had a meeting with his doctor on Thursday, where we were informed that he would probably get worse before he gets better. That babies with MAS tend to have a “honeymoon phase” where they respond well the first few days and then they have a dip or drop. Sure enough, the doctor was right, Friday was a really bad day for Samson. His blood gas analysis (a test that helps determine if the baby is getting enough oxygen) results were not good. He prepared us for a possible trip to Riley hospital to be put on ECMO (Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation) which is a form of cardiopulmonary bypass, meaning that an artificial heart and lung will temporarily take over to supply bloodflow to the baby’s body. PHEW!

They started “Rescue Therapy”, where Nitric oxide is added to the oxygen in the oscillator. It dilates the blood vessels and allows more blood flow and oxygen to reach the baby’s lungs and he started to bounce back over the weekend. Since then he has had dips here and there but, has continued to remain stable. 

I’m trying to keep this all in order and be as accurate as possible, but it is tough. I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime in past couple of days. 

The doctors have said that they will not even consider taking him off the oscillator for at least 7-10 days. And that it will take at least that long to wean him off of it. We are just hoping and praying that he continues to remain stable and respond well to the treatments, so his body can eventually absorb the meconium (which is unfortunately, the only way to get rid of it). Once this happens, they say he will turn a corner and start to really get better. Then they will begin to introduce feedings, allowing us to hold him, etc…

Right now, they are doing a blood gas analysis every four hours or so. We are being updated regularly with these results….even throughout the night. I’m also up every few hours to pump (they are storing my breastmilk for when he is able to eat)…which is why you will see me on facebook posting and commenting at all hours of the night.

How are we?

As you can imagine, this is unbearably tough. We feel fortunate to have the support of our friends, family and church & recovery communities. Right now, the hospital is providing a room for us and three meals a day for me. David has taken over primary care of Mary & William, while I mostly stay here to be with Samson. Although, now that I am beginning to feel better physically, we will likely start to switch off a bit. 

How are the kids?

They seem to be doing well. Of course, they do not understand why their baby brother cannot come home, can’t be held, feed, etc… After all, these are the things we’ve been encouraging them to look forward to for the past nine months. It is tough to explain to them, but, keeping it simple seems to work best. Samson is sick and he’s staying here so that the doctors can make him well. As soon as he’s well, he’ll be home with us. Mary has been to see him twice for a short period. Yesterday, when we left the room, she said, “Is he real?”. Bless her heart! In her defense, he doesn’t move or cry…since they have him totally sedated.

What do we need?

First of all, we need continued support through prayer. We really do believe that God is in control and is working everything out for our ultimate good. We also need help with Mary & William. We are trying to keep things “normal” for them and at the same time, provide them with activities to help keep their minds off of things. Please let our dear friend Arin (arinbrooke@gmail.com) know if you want to volunteer to hang out with the kids. We are set on meals right now, but, would definitely welcome that later after the baby comes home. And, even though Samson can’t have visitors, we still welcome our friends and family to come see us at the hospital. It gets really lonely being here for hours on end with virtually nothing to do except sit in a room. We want people here to keep us company, pray with us, distract us, encourage us, etc… 

Hopefully, this helps give a little more meaning to our situation. I will try to post here occasionally, but it’s just been easier to do on Facebook. And, btw, thank God for Facebook! It has helped me feel connected to the rest of the outside world. It has also been a great source of distraction. 

Once again, thank you to everyone who has called, visited, emailed, prayed, etc… We cannot thank you enough!