Nov
2
Cole is Born!!!!
Posted by admin
On Oct 28th our new boy was born. He is 2 months early but recovering very well. Angie is a also gaining her strength from a very complicated vertical c-section. More info to follow after dad catches up on sleep!!!
Proud momma holding her little one for the first time
2 go into hospital and 3 come out! (well, one will come out in December)
First picture of Cole
This picture was taken the morning of Cole and Angie being sent to Hospital.
Pic of Cole’s mom and big sister Anna
TOO CUTE!!!
Typical day in San Diego; check out the time stamp; Pic taken on Cole’s birthday last year.
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:57 am
Cole is now breathing on his own!!!
Little Cole is in an incubator at this time and is starting to take mommas milk. This is a very good sign. We hope to feed him up to 20 cc’s a day. Right now we are at around 2.
His bypass vein closed (I will explain this if asked) with a little help of medicine and his heart is now working without any problems.
We are off to hospital now for some more skin on skin therapy.
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:29 am
Cole is the cutest! So glad he is already feeding and doing better every day!
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Just came back from a visit with Cole.
He is starting mom’s milk today at 2 cc. His heart rate and breathing are all normal. They do have to change some IVs and that could cause an infection. Nurses are amazing and are taking great care of him 24/7.
Angie is also gaining more strength today and will continue more bed rest. I am fine and adjusting to the surprise. Anna is also adjusting better now. We had some issue with her during the start of the week. This is all a lot for a little 6 year old!!!!
After seeing Cole right after his birth, I thought of Anna and wished I could have been there for hers too. She is very special.
November 4th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Cheers to the next Kicmol! And what a charmer he is. You are the luckiest parents! I’m sure the little dude will be known to bring humor and warmth into any situation just like pops. Congrats!
November 5th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Cole is keeping on track on day 8 of his life. He gained more weight and length. Social workers will be having a meeting with us on Thursday to review what hurdles he will have in first 2 years of his life. His development could be delayed in learning and motor skills or he just might be totally fine. It is all his show now.
Angie held him today for a longer period of time and the nurse said he smiled!!
Angie’s mom and dad are here to help us out and enjoying the loving donation of use of my parent’s RV.
November 6th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Linda and I are so happy for you and Angie! you are in our prayers. It’s great to hear that Cole is gaining strength daily. We can’t wait to see him when he finally comes home.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
We found out today that little Cole will be moved to another room that is looked at as a second level care type of care. He is still in intensive care, but he is able to feed and breath on his own.
His new IV was a success, meaning they did not have to poke him more than one time. His arm was swollen for most of the morning, but it subsided by afternoon.
Lee, his nurse of many and my favorite one, visited with us today and told us that he chances are very very good. He stated we should stay positive and prepare for him coming home in December. It will be a great x-mas.
Anna is also excited and waiting for her little brother. I asked her how she felt and she stated she felt nervous. She wants to be a great sister to him as she stated in her own way.
November 6th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Baby Cole is so beautiful!!!! We are so happy to hear how great he is doing. So many answers to our prayers! God is so Mighty!!!! We are all so excited and wait patiently for Cole to come home. Can’t wait to see his little toe touch the ocean some day! Anna is going to be an awesome big sister. She has so much love to give. Please tell Angie how much we love her and that she is in our thoughts and prayers. And whatever you guys might need, just know we are all here and only a second away. God bless you, we love you!
November 7th, 2007 at 11:55 am
We are so happy for your family. Clearly baby Cole has both your good looks. I wish Cole and Angie a quick recovery. Your whole family is in my good thoughts!!
November 7th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Congrats to the whole family , little Cole is absolutley perfect and precious, my thoughts and prayers are with all of you, if there is anything I can do please let me know, Angie I know being the mother of a new little one, especially a premie is a challenge, if you want to talk give me a call, otherwise I will respect your time and privacy and keep you all in my thoughts. Your friend, Frankie
November 8th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Lots of love to you all! This Blog is great since we are so far away! What a beautiful family I’m so proud of you Tom and Angie. Cole is a cutie and I’m sure Anna will make a wonderful big sister. You are in my prayers.
Sis
November 8th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Today was the first day that dad held Cole. It was a little scary. He is soooo tiny!!!!
His legs wrapped up underneath him and his hands just spread out across my chest. They recommend skin on skin contact, but I told the nurse if he tried to breast feed he was going back to Angie!!!
His weight is up again to almost 3 lbs. Nurse is hoping to take out fluid IV in 2 days. This would then just leave him with feeding tube and sensors. Huge step for Cole.
He did have some quick heart beat drops a few times. Nurse said this was normal but still didnt take the fear away from Angie and I.
He also moved his eyes around more and seemed to be smiling. Another nurse said that smiling means either he is being kissed by an Angel or he farted.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
My memories of the surgery and birth:
Day 1 - October 28, 2007
On the day of Cole’s premature birth I awoke with more energy that I had experienced in months. After breakfast, Tom, Anna and I went to the ocean with our friend Brian where Brian took pictures of our little family. We didn’t have professional photos of the family and I wanted them before Cole was born. Little did I know, Cole’s birth would occur sooner than I expected. When we returned home, I looked around at our yard. After working hard for a few hours, I sat on the couch to rest. I got up to use the bathroom and when I had used the bathroom, I looked down to find bright red blood had filled the toilet. Terrified, I yelled for Tom and began to scramble through paperwork for phone numbers. We left the house in a flustered, fearful state. I continued to search for phone numbers, while Tom drove at record speed to our hospital. Anna began to babble endlessly and aimlessly about inane topics, which I have long since learned is her way of disassociating from stressful situations.
I managed to snag the right phone number and call the perinatology number at the hospital. The nurse directed me to the second floor and proceeded to call in the needed staff before we arrived. I had been seeing a perinatologist associated with UCSD hospital because I had a high risk pregnancy, so all my records were on file already. Almost as soon as I entered the door, they put me on a bed and began to hookup lines and monitors to my body. Cole kicked the fetal monitor repeatedly and ramped up his movements in general whilst my blood pressure climbed to ridiculous heights like 160/115. At one point there were about 10 people around my bed trying to make a decision about what course to take - to deliver or not to deliver. In the end, they chose to deliver the baby. The catheter was put in, much to my horror, along with a second IV line (one on each arm), which I needed for potential blood transfusions. They explained that I had placental abruption and the surgery would potentially end in a hemorrhage because of the size and position of the fibroid. They discussed the possibility of cutting off the blood supply to the fibroid with embolization of the artery and/or hysterectomy. The list of potential complications was high and it was beginning to sink in just how high risk the situation was. I was injected with steroids for Cole’s lungs, while I signed forms with radiology and the perinatologists authorizing them to do what was necessary to save my life. So far, this was not how I had intended to send my son into the world. I knew the pregnancy was high risk, but I didn’t know it was going to lead to this.
Finally, they wheeled me into the main sergical room and I was attended by about 15 people. There were anaesthesiologists, perinatologists, one oncologist, neonatologists, and a host of unidentified people, including my nurse. Many of these people were on standby, in case something went wrong with the surgery. I later met the team who stood by waiting to take Cole to the NICU. After being wheeled in, I had to somehow transfer my semi-naked self onto a new surgical table, where I was positioned, christlike, with arms extending outward in a cross. I watched as the the enormous team readied themselves under the intense lights. I began to shiver violently and the anesthesiologists inflated heated chambers (what were they?) at my legs and arms - the rest of me was left naked and exposed, a giant workspace for the surgeons. They curtained my lower body off while I took giant breaths of oxygen in with the anaesthiologisist’s guidance. One of the anesthesiologists was very kind and comforted me until it was time to go under general. I still remember his blue eyes, the only part of him that was visible beyond the surgical garb. As shocked as I was by the situation and the possibility of losing my life, I must admit to a certain detached curiosity while I took in the dynamics of this enormous team of people. It was remarkable how quickly and uniformly they worked together. I was grateful for their competence.
When I awoke, I was in a recovery room, hooked up to oxygen and an IV. My incision was painful and they explained how I could take the pain killer by pushing on the button. Almost immediately, the painkiller set in. After a while, I was sent to a recovery room where I floated in and out of consciousness until the next day. Time seemed to stretch on forever and I frequently heard the sound of a machine, telling me that I had stopped breathing. Over the period of 24 hours, I kept forgetting to breath. Finally, they took the oxygen out and I was sent to the maternity floor.
Tom stayed with me most of time up until the 3rd day. On the 3rd floor, they would not monitor me as closely. After Tom returned from checking on Anna, we finally went to see Cole together. Tom had already seen him after he was born. Despite being only 30 weeks old, Cole was born with a tremendous cry. However, his lungs didn’t have the surfactant to sustain him and he eventually was put on a respirator for the first 3 days. We were both having trouble breathing for the first few days. The first time I saw Cole, the tiny body that had lived within me for seven months, naked and exposed with so many IV lines and tubes, I stood over him in a state of shock. The kind nurse was explaining everything to me, but I could not hear her speak, her words floated past me and I found it irritating that someone was interrupting this moment of first contact with my tiny son. The surreal fact that he had been inside me just hours ago and now he was out, was just more than I could take in during that moment. The next day I found myself dreading going back. It did not help that my formerly wonderful nurses had been replaced with a horrible nurse that delayed us from going to visit for many hours. When we finally got down to see him, Cole’s nurse asked me if I wanted to hold him. As soon as he was positioned naked on my chest, I began to cry. The difficulty of the last few days came flooding back along with a basic bodily instinct that must be at the root of motherhood. This combination created a powerful intensity of feeling - this minute and fragile creature who had once been nurtured by my own body was laying exposed in a tray. Still, I was again so grateful for the expertise and care of the staff and my fortune in getting to the hospital in time.
Since that first 24 hours of fear and shock, things have calmed down for Tom and I. Cole is out of the danger zone, and is developing normally. He has begun to regulate his own breathing, temperature and heart rate. He was a strong and content baby in the womb with an above average size and weight for 30 weeks. These factors are helping him to survive outside the womb. Tom and I visit him everyday, watching him sleep, feed and grow. Everyday I tuck him into my shirt with all his lines and tubes and he snuggles into a peaceful sleep, almost like he never left me. We are told that he will likely be ready to go home around his due date - January 4th, or earlier. It is mind boggling to think that such a beautiful and complete life could have been inside me. Hopefully, he will soon be the greatest Christmas present I could hope for.
November 9th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
November 9th - Cole is over 1 week old now - he has moved out of the critical area and has progressed well, eliminating a lot of his premie problems over the last week. He began life at 3 1/2 pounds and, after loosing some weight, is almost back to his birth weight (this is typical). Tomorrow they will take out his IVs, since he’s taking his nutrients from milk now. He has passed all his tests with flying colors - brain scans, heart murmur, heart valve, etc. All things we never thought about before - but so important now. Today, like every day, Tom and I went to visit him and laid him on my chest. He looked up at me, smiled, closed his eyes, then looked up again. A simple gesture can mean so much.
November 10th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
We got poop!!
Ok Cole, when you read this some day you will know the first time your mom or dad changed your diaper was on Nov 10th 2007. What a milestone!!!
On more serious news, Cole gained a lot of weight over the past two days. Angie and I held him today and can see him more aware of his surroundings. Sunday should be the day when he has his IV taken out.
November 12th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
IV was taken out for fluids. Cole is still has a line for his solid foods. We hope that in two weeks he will no longer need that too.
Also, today Anna rode her bike for the first time!!!!! Pics to follow. She is sooooo excited. Now I need to train her on single track mountain bike trails!!!!!
November 15th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Cole is moving forward with his weight at almost 4 pounds. He received an APGAR score of 9: more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apgar_score
He is slowly coming around to learning how to breast feed. Our favorite nurse, Lee, is helping Angie. I call him uncle Lee or our surrogate dad. He has been wonderful to us.
The goal is to have him regulate his own temperature, keep his heart and breathing steady without sudden drops ( his rate still drops a few times during a 2-3 hour session).
Our guess is he will be home around mid-December. But, it is all up to him.
Angie and I are doing much better emotionally. I am sure we have gained 20 years of maturity in the last 3 weeks.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Tom I am so glad you got poop. Glad to hear Cole is getting stronger every day. Cannot wait to hold him.
Angie, you should be a writer. Your experience brought tears Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Love MOM
November 15th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
What a journey!!That little boy has soo much waiting for him.Angie I have such empathy for you.You are my Hero.I send you thoughts of love, strength and patience.I can’t wait to see you and Cole soon.
November 16th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I am back at work now at UCSD. Angie and I drive together to see Cole. I then take a shuttle from UCSD Medical Center to the main campus. This schedule seems to be working out fine.
I only spend a few minutes with him each day. It is just enough time to see how he is progressing and what his next goals are for getting home. He is almost 4 pounds as of today.
Mom is in teaching mode for breast feeding. Mom is doing an amazing job;
November 19th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Welcome to the world, baby boy!
Welcome to the world, Cole Thomas!
Welcome to the world, Angie’s & Tom’ son!
Welcome to the world, Anna’s brother!
Cole, sometime in the future, when you are old enough to read these messages, I wanted you to know that I was at the birth of YOUR mother, Angie. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Idaho Fall, Idaho. I met your mom when she was just a few minutes old. They wheeled her directly from the delivery room - out into the waiting room - where I got my first look at her. It was such a delight to see my newborn niece! (From, Teresa)
Cole, Stuart met YOUR mother when she was three-years-old. She was full of energy and was a very pretty little girl - with lovely, violet eyes. (From, Stuart)
Cole, we wish you the very best that life has to offer!
Tom & Angie, Congratulations on this wonderful addition to your family.
Anna, Congratulations on being Cole’s big sister.
Love, Aunt Teresa & Uncle Stuart
November 21st, 2007 at 11:59 am
This is my first day back in Idaho, after having been with Angie, Tom, Anna and Cole for the past 3 weeks. I am not sure words can express all of the feelings I have inside for this special little boy, for all that Angie has been through physically and emotionally and for the care, compassion, and devotion Tom has provided. Tears well in my eyes as I write this and my heart swells. In the midst of profound joy, heart stopping worry, immense love and moments of fear is Anna. My delightful grand daughter who is in 1st grade, learning and yearning to read with such zeal, riding her bike for the first time and sharing in the joy of having a baby brother while trying to understand all that is going on around her.
I am so grateful, Angie has recovered. It is too frightening for me to think too much about what she went through the day she went into labor. We had feared something like this would happen, but I wanted to believe that it would not happen to Angie. I can only say that I am also grateful to Tom for being there and for the doctors, nurses and the hospital for their care of her and continued care of Cole. It has been nothing short of miracules.
I am so glad that I have been able to share this time with each of them. It was very difficult to leave, knowing that Cole will be changing so much in the weeks to come and Anna with her reading and her excitement about Christmas. It was difficult to leave knowing that Angie and Tom still have so much to do in managing a life at home, work and having Cole in the hospital. Life marches on and work and responsibility in Idaho was calling.
This was my first experience in a neonatal intensive care unit. Learning all the procedures, protections and rules was a bit intimidating. The unit is filled with tiny babies, each connected to their own monitors with alerts going off every few minutes. For the first week Doug was with us. We visited together and would just place our hands on his little back or heard and speak softly to him. The second week Angie and I went together to the hospital and she let me hold him. Nothing compares to holding your grand child for the first time. Maybe especially because he is so small and his life such a gift. Holding Cole, looking into his little eyes, and delighting in his smile brings such joy and happiness to my heart. He is so precious. Having said that I must also say that to hold Cole requires much work. First, you have to pick him up, within the incubator, while carefully maneuvering him, careful not to bump his head and at the same time holding all his tubes and monitors and trying to sit-down carefully so that none of the monitors get disconnected and the feeding tube does is not stretched to tight. Having done all that, it is worth it. He is absolutely beautiful, with his own little personality. I have told his nurses that I do believe that he is the cutest baby (not that I am prejudice). But the truth also is, they think he is darling too. That smile melts everyone. Can you believe he is smiling and cooing? Even though he is so tiny he is amazing! Everyday he would open his eyes more and more. He looks around and looks into your face. He is now sucking; sometimes on his finders, sometimes on a pacifier and now finding his thumb. He much prefers having his diaper changed in your lap, as opposed to his incubator. I could go on and on…. I can only smile thinking of him.
This Thanksgiving our family has much to give thanks for. I thank God for the blessing of our new grand child, for health and for this new family. This will be the first year that Angie and Tom have their own children. Anna’s adoption was final in August. It is our first Thanksgiving with grand children. I am also thankful for the staff at the University of California, San Diego hospital and for all people everywhere who spend their lives giving life to others in the many faces of contribution and love.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Angie and Tom, you have been so precious to me. Then there was Anna and now Cole to love and enjoy! I have been sooooooooo worried, having daily opportunities to learn about all the trauma that can occur as we come into being and bring our little ones into our lives. On this Thanksgiving, I am especially thankful that everyone is healing and growing and for all those who have been there to help.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Angie and Tom, we are so happy for both of you on the birth of your new baby boy, Cole Thomas. Like his middle namesake (dad and great-grandfather) he is strong and a fighter in the face of great adversity. We keep you all in our thoughts and meditations.
Lynette and Cory
Angie, it was so nice to talk with you on the phone recently. I’m hoping we can grow closer again as we progress on into our adult lives. You were always a person I admired and adored so much throughout my childhood and young adulthood. Hang in there, Ang. I love you very much.
cory