Three weeks ago today, I gave birth to our third child, our second little girl. Little Baby G is doing beautifully. She was up to 5 lb 12 oz at her two-week check-up (four ounces above her birth weight) and she's one happy, easy little baby. She's got her mama's big blue eyes and long, thin fingers. Actually, she has a lot of her mama's features. Our other little girl is kind of a "Daddy clone" so this has been fun for me!
When G. was born, she had a little difficulty clearing the fluid from her lungs. As a result, she was taken to the NICU and given some supplemental oxygen. She was also fed via IV fluids which meant that, rather than commencing nursing, I had to commence pumping. Oh, and she had some jaundice issues. Severe enough that she had to come home with a bili-blanket.
But you know what?
After the wild ride we went on following C's extremely premature birth, this didn't faze me. I really wasn't worried about the O2 because I knew how minimal it was. I became an expert pumper the last time around so that came naturally to me. Jaundice shmaundice. You think a little blue light is going to send me over the edge? I'm made of sterner stuff. :)
But as I sat in the NICU by G's bedside and saw the tubes and monitors, it did take me back a bit. And it made me realize how terrified I would have been by even these "minor" problems had this been my first birth. Or had I never encountered any complications or challenges in the past.
But I've had those experiences. I've learned those lessons. And I was able to count my blessings even as I faced "imperfect" birth circumstances.
God has never given me more than I can handle. And this time He had me well-prepared for the little bumps in the road...
Our sweet baby girl is doing just great! She gets to room with us now and, as of this morning, is completely wire-free. She spent yesterday hooked up to a monitor to track her oxygen level. It was not a big deal but it was also not particularly helpful since it would often read her O2 level as being in the 70's when she was perfectly pink and happy. As you know, we had a baby on monitors for months and we KNOW that a baby who was truly satting in the 70's would have blue lips. It was driving us- and the nurses- crazy since we all knew she was doing great. So now? It's gone. Hooray! 
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