ONE

By 7:24 PM ,



On November 7, 2104 our teeny babe turned one month old. It was the fastest, greatest, scariest month of my whole life. 

Weight: 8 pounds 14 ounces

Length: 21.25 inches

Size: Newborn diapers! Finally starting to fill out his newborn clothes. I didn't think that was ever going to happen. 

Hair: Long on top and shorter in the back. Still brown!

Nicknames: Buddy is what he is almost always called. He's probably going to think that is his name. 

Sleeping: He sleeps for about 3 hours at a time. So we typically are up 2-3 times at night. He is still sleeping most of the day, but is starting to be awake for longer periods of time.

Diet: Exclusively breastfed. I have pumped some, but we haven't tried a bottle yet. This child loves to eat though. All day, everyday. He is eating about every hour to hour and a half. Always, always falls asleep while eating too. And he is the loudest eater ever! It's hilarious and adorable. 

Health: We had a bit of a scare on October 30. Everything was fine and it was a typical night. Dalton was holding Sutter when he started to spit up, he seemed fine at first, but then he started to act as if he couldn't get what he needed out, and rather than spit up he started to just have a bunch of spit bubbles (imagine foaming at the mouth) constantly coming out of his mouth. He then began to have spit up come out of his nose (which he had done before), but something was not right about this time, he just didn't seem okay. I thought he just maybe had some spit up stuck in his throat/nose. So I went and got the bulb sucker to try and get some of the stuff out of his mouth and throat. 

At this point the whole ordeal had probably been going on for like 3 minutes and he was starting to have some trouble breathing. He would turn very very red/purple and not breath for 10-15 second at a time. I was completely terrified. I remember yelling at Dalton saying, "Something isn't right! I don't know what to do?!" I was in a panic. I quickly turned him over on to my arm and patted his back to try and get whatever was caught in his throat causing his labored breathing out. That seemed to help some and he seemed to be breathing somewhat normally again but was very very upset. 

It had been a couple hours or so since he had eaten so I thought maybe he was hungry and went to try and nurse him. He would latch and try to eat, but wasn't able to breath at all while nursing. He had also started to do the spit bubbles/foamy thing again and that was the final straw for me and I told Dalton that we were going to the ER (which thank god was only about 2 minutes from our apartment). 

When we got to the ER I quickly explained what was going on and a nurse quickly came and got us. She listened to him breath and checked his oxygen levels. She was concerned right away and said that his oxygen level was only about 80 (they want this to be 100, but anything above 90 is okay). He was rushed back to a room where he was surrounded by nurses and doctors almost immediately. They were all huddled around him trying to keep him breathing so that his oxygen level would come back up. I frantically tried to explain what had happened at home but I was absolutely horrified at this point and was having a tough time keeping it together.

The whole thing is kind of a blur, but I know that he had x-rays taken of his chest because the doctor thought he had aspirated (fluid in the lungs), but the x-ray was clear. We called both of our parents when we were told Sutter would be going to Children's Mercy. Finally I was told that he had what's called an ALTE (Acute Life Threatening Episode) and anytime that occurs a child is sent to Children's Mercy. He was stable, but his oxygen level was not where they wanted it to be even with the extra oxygen he was receiving.  

The Children's Mercy ambulance team arrived and explained what they were doing and to which campus they were taking time and told us they would keep him overnight. Watching him being taken away was horrible and so hard, but I knew that he was in great hands and that he needed some help. After he left we went back to our apartment to get somethings together to stay at the hospital. We arrived at Children's Mercy where my parents were waiting and Dalton's arrived shortly after. We got to his room and it was one of the most heartbreaking things I had ever seen. My tiny baby wrapped up with a cannula giving him oxygen. My heart broke, but I was told he was doing well and had been on the oxygen for about an hour. It was almost 1:00 am at this point and my sweet boy hadn't eaten since about 7:30 pm and was sucking on his binky for dear life. The doctor came in and met us and told us that he thought his episode was reflux induced and that his throat was closing off (the holding of his breath) to keep fluid from getting into his lungs. He was kept for 2 nights for observation and did wonderfully. He was only on oxygen that first night and kept his levels where they were supposed to be almost the entire duration of his stay. The staff at both St. Lukes and Children's Mercy were phenomenal. They made use feel safe and well cared for and took excellent care of our sweet Sutter.  

The whole experience was the scariest, hardest, most draining thing myself and my husband had ever been through. I am so proud of us for remaining calm and acting quickly to get our sweet boy the help he needed. 


Milestones:  
  • He rolled over from his belly to his back at 2.5 weeks! Yes, you read that right, 2.5 weeks! He's done it several more times now too. He hates tummy time so he rolls over instead.
  • Not necessarily a milestone per-say  but the kid is so so strong. He is always trying to hold his head up and he wants to stand. He's trying to grow up way too fast for this momma. 
Loves:
  • Eating. He will never ever stop eating. I seriously think he would eat all day long if it were possible. 
  • Riding in the car seat/car. He loves it. He is always calm and typically falls asleep once we start moving. We were really lucky to have a baby who likes car rides! 
  • Being swaddled. This is the only way he will sleep (unless he's being held of course). He also likes being swaddled and laying on his belly (only with my supervison though). 
  • Sleeping. Unless he is eating he is typically sleeping. It's a lot of work being that cute! 
Dislikes:
  • Diaper changes. He hates them! 
  • Taking off/putting on clothes. Not a fan. It's gotten better, but still not something any of us enjoy.
  • Tummy aches. Reflux sucks. :(

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