Introducing.....

Just seconds old

Getting checked out

Nathaniel Bryan Goodrich!!!! Yes our son is here.
Born Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 8:38pm
Weight 3lbs 0.8oz

Length 15 3/4 inches

The story......

I woke up early Sunday morning and was leaking so I called the hospital and the on call doctor told me to come in. Chad was in York, PA taking a class this past weekend. My sister is staying with us this month doing some externships for vet school so she drove me to the hospital at 6am. When I arrived I was told the my water had broke and I was dilated 3 centimeters - bad news at only 29 weeks and 1 day. Since my local hospital, St. Marys, doesn't have a level 3 NICU I was flown by helicopter to Johns Hopkins Bayview. Jenny and Chad met me there shortly after I arrived and my parents came a few hours after that. The original hope was that I could stay at Hopkins and keep him in until 34 weeks but because I continued to dilate that was not an option. Luckily I received a shot at St. Mary's to speed up our little guys lung development. As the day progressed it became apparent that probably due to an infection my water broke and our baby needed to come out. I received and epidural to help with the contraction pains and delivered him at 8:38pm after some heavy pushing.

Nathaniel is doing well so far and is actually breathing on his own. I am pumping and they have already started feeding. He does have an infection but is being treated with antibiotics. PICC line is being put in sometime today. He will be here until probably sometime in August. I am being released today (6/9/09) and will make arrangements to travel back and forth (we live about 1.5 hours from here) or stay at the McDonald house for parents some over the next couple of months. I will continue to update the blog as I can. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on this journey.

First family picture and first time Mommy held Nathaniel

First time Daddy holding Nathaniel

In the incubator

Mommy's 2nd time holding Nathaniel in the NICU