To Hold And To Be Held

The power of touch is an amazing thing. Ever since Ainsley was born (a whole seven days ago now) we have  wanted to touch and hold her much more than we have been allowed, due to her situation. We have been informed that we should just touch, and not stroke her skin, as not to overstimulate or stress her too much. All of this made the conclusion of today so exciting!

First off, this morning we arrived to see that Ainsley was having a good morning. She had received great levels/scores on her blood gas test, her Nitric Oxide level had been lowered, and she was remaining stable. We were then told that it continued to seem likely that she would be able to cease needing the support of Nitric Oxide all together, but we would see later today if that would be the case. All of this also added up to the possibility of us getting to hold Ainsley today or tonight.  One of the awesome nurses at Mission Hospital had helped Ainsley stay out of her movement mischief by swaddling her and letting her have some time resting on her belly. This was the first time we had seen Ainsley on her belly, but she seemed very comfortable and secure with the swaddle. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't see her moving about as much, but was really happy that she was tolerating the swaddling, as this should be naturally calming for her being so new to the world and used to the restriction of the womb. We had a good day with Ainsley, but the time came when I had to leave for work and Ainsley had not yet reached the point of being able to get rid of the Nitric Oxide. Ginnie and I were both a little disappointed, but realized that this would hopefully happen very soon regardless.  I told her I was still hoping that it would happen while she was there tonight, and she promised to send me a text and pictures if it did. All I could think about at work was if Ginnie was getting to hold Ainsley yet, and if she had been able to say goodbye to the Nitric Oxide. Part of me was actually dreaming that Ainsley would be unhooked from the respirator as well and Ginnie would just be able to hold her without restriction for as long as she desired. We got busy at work and I didn't notice my phone vibrating at all. During a short lull I checked my phone and saw that I had 4 text messages. I checked them and this is what I saw....

I was so excited!! I felt the urge to just run out and drive to the hospital, but knew that I would get to share this with her soon enough, plus I've never been fired from a job and didn't want to start now. So, Ainsley was taken off of the Nitric Oxide, seems to be faring well without it, and there is a chance that tomorrow she could even be taken off of the ventilator....maybe. : )
Ginnie was able to hold Ainsley for an hour and a half! She said it was wonderful and made today the best day ever! This may be common knowledge, but before I started learning about baby things and especially about the connections between mother and baby specifically; I didn't realize how newborns reacted around their mothers. Ginnie was able to experience her body heating up to keep Ainsley the appropriate temperature, and actually was able to observe (with proof of numerous monitoring devices) Ainsley's comfort when introduced to the skin of her mother. Ainsley's heart rate and blood pressure when down to calm levels and she just chilled with her Momma.  So, not a lot else to say about today, but I can say that I'm SO looking forward to tomorrow! Ainsley seems to keep making those baby steps of progress, impressing us daily, and I can't wait to see Ginnie hold her and hold her myself!  I will leave you with one last cute picture of Ainsley in a knit cap that one of the nurses put on her, and a beautiful baby blanket/burp cloth made for us by Marissa Kent-White (with Ainsley's full name embroidered-Thanks Marissa!), that she is laying on.