Friday, July 3, 2009

Lessons Learned


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...

2 comments:

Amy @ Finer Things said...

Such a dolly. You're right... jaundice, pumping, etc. Definitely the small stuff!

Heather Benza said...

Hooray she's growing! Gus gets a weight check on Monday but breast feeding is going so well I'm sure he's grown again. It's kind of weird to feel so relaxed about weight checks and precisely what time and how much does he eat this time around.