Happy Birthday Buggy

Buggy is four today. It makes me feel old. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, and yet, there are days when I don't remember life before him. A lot has happened in that time. He has moved four times in his life. I've been through two pregnancies since him. My husband and I have graduated from college, made a halfway-across the country move, bought a house, and we are on our third "family car" since he was born. No wonder it seems like he has always been here. In honor of his day, I would like to tell the Buggy story.

Buggy was our miracle baby. He was due on August 20th. It had been a long hot summer, we lived in a 4th floor apartment and I was working a desk job at the time. All of these factors contributed to me retaining ALOT of water during my pregnancy (as anyone who knew me then can attest to). It was what is medically referred to as "pitting edema". My husband had a lot of fun writing words in my legs with his fingers and watching me grow out of a pair of flip-flops. Because of the other factors though, my doctor wasn't too concerned about the water retention (40 lbs total) until my blood pressure started to shoot up in my 33rd week. Severe preeclampsia. I was hospitalized then and there - I didn't even get to go home from my appointment, just straight over to L&D for monitoring. That was at 33wks 5days.

After 2 days of monitoring, instead of sending me home on bed rest, my doctor decided I just needed to not be pregnant anymore. Labor was induced and after 24 hours of nothing and blood pressures running in the 180/110 range I was whisked off for an emergency C-section. Buggy was born on July 10, 2004 at 34wks 1day. He weighed in at 5lbs 9oz (really good for a preemie) and was 17 inches long. He came out screaming and even peed on the pediatrician a couple of times while they were cleaning him off. He was breathing on his own and all looked to be going well.

(shortly after arriving at the NICU)

My husband followed him off to the NICU while I was recovering. Once there things took a bit of a down turn. They tried to feed him, just to see if he could do it - definitely couldn't. The feeding created lots of stress which in turn caused his O2 levels to drop, putting him on the oxygen tank that would become a regular fixture for him over the next month and a half. They also started an IV (a very sad sight on such a little baby) a heart monitor (precautionary), feeding tube, and he was put under lights for jaundice. The IV only lasted the first day, and he was away from the lights by day 4.

I was under strict 24hour bed rest after the delivery and therefore didn't get to see him until he was almost 10 hours old (I had a nice nurse who helped me sneak out to see him for a few minutes). What a hard thing to go through, me being stuck in my room, and him so far away from me. And it wasn't as though I could just get up and go see him. I had to be wheeled everywhere for the first couple of days after his birth.

(Learning to eat)

I was able to go home 4 days later (a very bittersweet moment), after a week in the hospital. But Buggy had to stay. We had lots of adventures in the NICU (stories for another day perhaps) and got to be pros at being "preemie parents" after his 2 1/2 week stay there. 17 days after his birth Buggy finally got to come home. We brought an oxygen tank home with us, but left the feeding tube and heart monitor behind. (hurray!) We were able to ditch the oxygen about a month after he got home, and from then on he took off.

(Going home day!)

We were told to expect some delays in his development due to his birth circumstances, but we haven't noticed any (unless you can call stubbornness a developmental delay). He is a smart kid who is doing fabulous. He lights up the room, and is full of energy and smiles. He gives the best hugs and is a very loving child, and I know my world is better because of him. I love you Buggy. Happy Birthday.
*On a side note-when we got a new computer last year, we somehow lost all of our wedding pictures and the photos of Buggy as a newborn (why only those ones I never will know). Therefore, these are scanned photos and a lower quality. Too bad, but at least I have them saved now.