Day 2-3: Recovery

Simon has been a sweet little child here at the hospital. All of the nurses here have been so great with us here. They've especially been kind to help us change the diapers; if we suspect a dirty one, we push the button and they'll come in to change. (We just have to take advantage of this while we can...) Simon's cries are not really harsh, just very much a mild protest; when the nursery brings Simon back for feedings, (another plus, free babysitting) we can recognize his mild cries as they come toward us down the hallway.

Simon of course has had quite a few visitors:

- Grandma and Grandpa Robinson have been by daily to see how his faces changes. Cari had to go back to Phoenix to see after her little ones too. Unfortunately, every time she tried to hold Simon he had to be fed, so all he did was cry for her. :(

- Uncle Cary, and Grandma and Grandpa Ning were having their chance to see him too. Simon is the first grandchild on the Ning side. As you can see, they're all very excited to see him.

- We had other visitors as well. Michelle Parker brought Abigail (twice) and Zach to see Simon. Zach especially liked his visit because he got a Peek-a-Pooh keychain from our nurse Kim. (apparently they're all the rage). Unfortunately, no pictures yet of Michelle with Simon. Becca and Jared Peterson came by to say hello as well. Jared has an aversion to holding newborns, especially while at the hospital. We did get a picture of a very happy Becca holding Simon.

We took some additional shots of the boy...we hope you enjoy them. I'll try not to burden this site of too many pictures that all look the same. We tried to get some pictures at different angles, and poses. Once again, we'd love to have visits. We leave the hospital Monday morning. Please, just call ahead of time to see which time is best.

Day 1: And now we are Three

Well, we finally did it...there's three of us. In short, he's healthy, Mom's healthy, and these are the stats:

• Simon Andrew Ning
  
• 8 lb 2 oz
  
• 21.5 in
  
• Thursday, April 19, 2007
  
• 3:13pm
  
• California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
  
• Emergency C-Section (Either take it as is, and enjoy the pictures, or read below)

So, we scheduled to be induced on the 19th, and checked in at 9:30pm on the 18th. Susie wasn't dilated so they gave her three doses of misoprostin to help along. At 9:50am, Susie's water broke without any induction necessary. As her contractions started to get more intense, we all started taking bets as to when he'd be born...and the nurse (Tori) guessed around 8:30pm. I was optimistic and guessed 6:30pm.

At around 11:30pm, contractions got pretty intense. Susie asked for a Priesthood blessing and I didn't have my oil. I called around, and decided the quickest way was to buy some olive oil at the closest store (Union 76 Gas station). The biggest impression from the blessing was that the Lord had given us modern technology to help us. Susie was blessed to react well with all of the medication administered, and that the Lord had provided all the knowledge and medication necessary to have a healthy child. About half an hour later, an epidural was placed. The Anaesthesiologist was great; he was gentle, patient, and very clear on his instructions. Susie then became a different person. She was able to sleep for quite some time, rather than just 3 min naps (between contractions).

A little after 2pm, Susie was feeling great, and her parents and sister (Cari) showed up from Phoenix. We chatted for about half an hour. The nurse came in and was a bit concerned about the fact that the child's heart rate would be at 158 bpm and then drop to 90 bpm during contractions. They were hoping that adjusting sleeping positions, oxygen, or infusing saline in the uterus would help bring his heart rate back up. After attempts in all of these were tried, nothing improved and we were encouraged to do an emergency c-section.

Everything went quickly from there; nurses asked the family to pack all of our stuff to move into recovery. I changed into a semi-sterile gown and waited outside the OR until they called me in. The greatest thing Tori did was push a bolus of the epidural 5 minutes prior. It was just enough to allow the anaesthesiologist to block up to the chest. Otherwise, Susie would have had to go under general. They asked Susie if she needed anything; she answered, "My husband." I got in after she was on the table, and the drape up. Within minutes, the surgeon was in. I stood up to see as they pulled the head, and pushed the body out of the hole (it was cool). Baby Ning was cut loose, and then taken to get cleaned up a bit. On the cleaning table he pooped twice, I cut the cord (super thick, needed two clips) and then he was brought over to the new Mommy who could only turn her face and breathe on him.

We got him all cleaned off of his outer layer of white paste, and strolled him past his grandparents and aunt who were waiting down the hall. We all commented on his bright red lips and his dark hair. I then watched them wheel him into the nursery to be weighed, measured, cleaned up, and given his first shots.

Mommy was recovering quickly and when Baby Ning was done, he was brought in to see everyone together. You couldn't see Camera Phones come out any quicker. Pictures were taken and flying out the window to the nearest cellular tower to places all over the country. After his first feeding, we moved everyone up to the 4th floor for our room.

We've enjoyed the visitors, prayers, and phone calls. Everyone here at the hospital commented on how calm we were and we attribute it to the blessing given, and the Spirit which calmed us and reassured us that the Lord was blessing us thru the talents of those around us. We are truly a blessed family.

Those who want to get a hold of us, we'll probably be here at least thru Sunday, possibly Monday (because of the c-section). Feel free to call our cell phones after 8am. If you want to visit, call and we'll tell you where we're located, where to park, etc.

Kelvin, Susie and Simon