Friday, December 30, 2005

Baby Iggy Joins the Family - After a Day in the NICU

Welcome baby Iggy to the family of the Angry Asthma Mama!

Iggy entered the world on December 20, 2005 at 5:52 pm, weighing 6 lb., 7 oz. We didn't know whether to expect a boy baby or a girl baby, and honestly, I didn't have a preference. I just wanted an asthma-free child for a change.

Hah!

After a mercifully short, natural labor, I was handed my warm little Iggy to snuggle. His first APGARs were pretty good, but a few moments later, it was obvious that our little boy was having some trouble breathing. He was whisked away to the nursery, and shortly thereafter, transferred to the NICU, where he stayed for a full 24 hours.

Apparently, because my labor was so quick, Little Iggy was left with some fluid in his lungs. The relatively small number of contractions were not sufficient to clear it all. He was retracting, flaring and grunting. (And if you're an asthma parent, you'll know what all that means.)

The good news: He was fine within 24 hours. The distress resolved itself, and the doctors assured me that this condition is not necessarily a harbinger of asthma later in life. (The fact that he has two asthmatic brothers, on the other hand, probably is!)

Another less-than-encouraging sign: my latest little monkey already appears to have eczema AND his first allergy: to Pampers!! Guess this will be Huggies baby....

Anyway, welcome, Iggy! We're so happy to have you in our family, and we wish you strength and good health in the New Year (and every year)!

2 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Mazel tov!

Sorry to hear about the NICU stay, but glad that he's doing well now.

SRH said...

Congradulations on your 3rd. I hope this one does not present as many asthma symptoms as your other 2. We have a little one with asthma as well. He's 2 1/2 years old and has been on orapred way too often. It is always nice to hear that we are not the only ones struggling with the problem of asthma in a young child.