Finally...breathing...easier...

Maryn Hope has arrived!! It was not easy as she gave us a real scare. It all started at 4:30am on Friday when Marisa started having contractions. We began timing them, I could feel them, and we got ready to go. We called the hospital, they said come on in. Well, it's baby month in Corvallis and they were swamped. We got there around 8am and were sent out of our tiny room around 9:30, despite having contractions only two or three minutes apart. We live 45 minutes from the hospital! Good thing Grammie Kay and Papa Lauran have an RV! We sat in the RV for an hour as the contractions grew in strength and Marisa was NOT enjoying herself. They readmitted us around 10:30. It was much better room situtation though. Marisa was having a textbook labor - contractions every two minutes, more and more painful, dialating, etc. She was at 6 or 7cm (en route to 10cm for my single buddies) around 1pm, at 3pm she was at 9cm and we were ready to go.

Then the world changed, drastically. Maryn's heartrate was clipping right along at 140 bpm. Then around 3:15, it dropped to around 60 bpm. Next thing we know, Marisa has an army of nurses and doctors around her and they rush her off for an emergency c-section. I was not allowed in the room. Needless, to say this not a fun time for the family and me.

Maryn was quickly delivered from Mom at 3:35pm. They rushed her down to the nursery and I was finally able to see her. She was crying, which was comforting. Tears filled my eyes at the sight of her, and knowing she was not out of the woods yet. And, Marisa was completely under. I watched and waited in the nursery as the pediatrician, respiratory therapist, and nurses evaluated and worked on her. Maryn's lungs were struggling with fluid in them and had to be put on oxygen. She was also breathing very rapidly, more so than the doctors like to see in newborns. Her heartrate was a bit fast, but that wasn't a big worry. Her oxygen and respitory were the concerns. The good sign was that she would cry and would fidget when being messed with. Poor Maryn had been poked and tested countless times in her first hours of life.

After about 48 hours of very slight improvement, which was really her just staying the same, the pediatrician decided they had done all they could and she needed to go to a Neonatal-ICU. A transport came down from Emanuel Hospital in Portland, they took Maryn (and Marisa) in an ambulance to Salem's NICU. Maryn must have enjoyed her first car ride, with the lights on coming up I-5 as cars moved out of her way! Maryn began to improve in Salem's ICU within the first 30 minutes. She was not immediately put back on the oxygen, after being on it in the ambulance. Maryn's respiratory slowed to a much more ideal rate, her oxygen was good without any help! This was all very relieving to her parents and grandparents! After 48 hours of life, Maryn was finally able to be held by her mother! It was a great moment! She'll spend more time at the NICU and we can't bring her home yet. But, we can rest a little now, which is good, because I don't think I've slept since Friday morning taking care of my girls. I'm just happy everyone is doing well!

Sorry! I don't have pictures yet, but I'll try to get them up tomorrow (Monday) sometime. Maryn was 7 pounds, 8 oz., 19.5 inches long. She has a ton of brown hair and dark blue eyes - which is common. She is flawlessly beautiful and the most amazing thing that has ever happened in our lives. We love her very much! And, she better never do this to us again! Mom is recovering well, but is understandably sore. I apologize for not getting word out to each of you sooner, but things were pretty intense for a couple days. Hope all is well with you and we'll get pictures up soon!
-Darin

A special thanks to our parents for all their help and support!