Jackson William is here!

Jackson William Martino made his debut on Friday the 12th at 10:44 a.m.  Getting him here was quite the feat, which ended up being a bit more involved, and more of a miracle, than what we even were expecting. Will and I arrived at the hospital and proceeded with everything we were told to anticipate. The Interventional Radiologist was my least favorite part, though he was one of the most important. He didn't put me under any sedation, besides a local anesthetic, so putting in the balloons was extremely painful for me, and I was thankful when it was done. I don't remember much of the day after that. Jackson was born at 10:44, and Daddy, Grandma, and Papa got a quick peek at him before they brought him up to the ISCU (Infant Special Care Unit). He was 5 lbs. 15 oz, and 18.5 inches long. Will got to see him and spend some time with him on Friday through the day.

Throughout the process, we've asked for prayers that we made it through safely and that there were no major complications, including bleeding, and that my placenta didn't go through to my uterus (percretta). When the doctors went in, they saw that my placenta was indeed through my uterus, though thankfully hadn't reached my bladder. However, it was at the most serious of the 3 levels of accrete.  Yet thankfully there was no bleeding. In addition, the doctor said that my uterus was so bad - it looked so bad, and was in such bad shape - that he was shocked it hadn't just ruptured at some point during my pregnancy, just exploded. I read about this with one other case, and I am so thankful that this didn't happen, since this, as I'm sure you can imagine, would have been fatal very quickly. We are also very thankful that I only needed one unit of blood after the surgery - the balloons worked, and even that unit was a prophalactic one, just in case. It wasn't critical, but was given to be helpful.

Friday for me was a blur, but Saturday I was in much better condition. Jack, not so much. He's still struggling to breath. They say this is to be expected, though for as big as he is, they didn't expect it to be as rough on him as it has been. He is struggling to breath, is on a CPAP, and is under close watch. I finally got to hold him for the first time this morning, and tonight we'll go back up so I can do Kangaroo care with him - this is skin to skin contact. When I held him this morning it seemed to calm him down tremendously, and he tried to open his eyes a bunch of times, unlike other times Will has been up there.

The kids got to come see him yesterday. Mia was terrified. She's her mommy's daughter, such a worrier and always very concerned. The boys were fascinated.  They are having fun with Grandma and papa at our house, and we are so thankful for their help. We are also so grateful for everyone's prayers. Without you, we wouldn't have made it this far. I feel fairly good today, walking much better, and most of my 'attachments' have been removed so I can move around more quickly. Please continue to pray for Jack, that his breathing recovers on his own without being intubated, and that we can move to the next level of recovery - eating. He is maintaining his temp fairly well on his own, which is a blessing in itself. Keep the prayers coming!