THE MIRACULOUS...
Asher Benjamin Picard is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 12, 2019 - 9:26am
Monday night, March 11th, the breathing continued and the contractions picked up - oh my!! Somewhere after midnight I decided I didn’t want to be tough anymore and I opted for the epidural - best decision of my life!!! Contractions became steady 1 1/2 to 3 minutes and pitocin continued to do its job and prepare my body for little Asher’s arrival.
A slight smile amidst the pain…. Pre-epidural moment! :)
At 8am, Tuesday March 12th, I was 5cm dilated and my nurse, Charlotte, advised we would continue to check in on that about every three hours.
About 9am, Jonny went to get a breakfast sandwich at the cafeteria.
9:05am, my contraction monitor showed a slight change and Charlotte came in to do a double check on my dilation status. She grabbed her phone immediately and this is what I heard…
Post-birth celebration with nurses, Charlotte (right) and Julie (center)
“She’s 10cm plus 3, he’s crowning!”
Her support team showed up pretty much immediately to wheel me around the corner to the Operating Room (this has been the plan all along in case of an emergency) and I called Jonny so he could come hustling back. He made it just in time to get into scrubs and into the OR.
3 pushes and wah la! We had a beautiful crying baby, which meant he had lungs!!!
THE MIRACLE HAPPENED!!!!! GOD DID IT!!!!
PRAISE HIM!!!!
They laid him on my chest for a minute and then wisked him into the next room for monitoring and getting IV, ventilator, and other things with cords all over him hooked up. .
In his little kiddo cabin :)
He was on a ventilator for a bit, then only to a CPAP for a few days but now, by today, Day 6 is….
BREATHING ALL ON HIS OWN!!!!
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
He has some physical challenges that OT is/will continue to work on with him due to the tight space for such a long period of time, but they are hopeful the work they will do with him will be successful and help him to have proper alignment in time. Please continue to pray specifically for his right side - hand and leg/foot.
Jaundice light time. Normal for a preterm.
Overall everything has been super peaceful all things considering… We are reliant on our team for his excellent assessment/care and monitoring throughout the days, but there are sweet moments that we get to hold him for skin to skin care without interruption. Little man lives in a kiddo cabin lol that Jonny and I can put our hand in to touch him through out the day. We get to hold him for skin to skin about once a day. He’s the sweetest little peanut. Everyone thinks so! :)
Skin to skin - melt my heart.
My cousin once told me that a little door in my heart would be opened when he came - how true!
He is love made manifest.
We are so grateful for this gift.
Every moment with him is a treasure.
Jonny’s back to work today and I live at the hospital still in a new room, a parenting room a floor below the NICU. I spend the days learning to pump Asher’s little food until he’s ready to try nursing and just hanging out watching our sweet boy rest and grow.
I’m so grateful for how God is continuing to provide for us during these days. We can’t say it enough, how thankful we are for the outpouring of love, prayers, cards, clothes, diapers, gift cards, cash, checks, Gofundme gifts and more! I think we are about 70 days into life here at MVH and there has been a peace and joy that fills our day that could only come from the Lord.
Many of you have continued to ask what we need… First of all, THANK YOU for being so kind and caring!!!! We live amazed and blessed by your generosity!!! ! Life is still happening mainly here at the hospital and since I am no longer an admitted patient we are no longer on a meal plan. The cafeteria is a huge blessing and is pretty affordable. Gift card and monies are the biggest blessing in helping us right now. .A dear friend surprised us and set up a Gofundme to help with ongoing expenses from these months here at MVH and life with our new little man.
Our mailing address is still the same for now until we settle in at the apartment - 248 McDaniels Lane, Springboro Ohio 45066.
