She's here...

Yep, she arrived last night, very suddenly and unexpectedly. We made it to 29 weeks exactly, and hoped to get a few more weeks, but fate had another plan for us. Angie had been having stronger and more frequent contractions for the last day, and they couldn't stop them for very long with drugs to halt labor. She wasn't very dialated, but after running a blood sample through the lab they discovered that Angie's white blood cell count was extremely high, indicating she was fighting an infection despite the lack of a fever. The doctor took one look at the white blood cell count and ordered an immediate c-section.

That's when the scary part happened. We knew her lungs would be small and it might be touch and go. To make a long story short, it was VERY touch and go, but the neonatologist and his team were absolutely incredible. By the end of the evening, the baby was stable in neonatal ICU. She has a long, long way to go before she is out of the woods, and if she does make it she won't get out of NICU for weeks, if not months. She is on a ventilator that gives her 420 breaths per minute. It is crazy what technology can do these days. We are cautiously optimistic that she will work her way through all the hurdles she will encounter. Her name is Laney Renae, she weighs 2lb. 9oz., and she has both of us wrapped around her tiny little fingers. Angie is recovering very well from her surgery, at which time we can both turn our entire focus on Laney.

So, the 8 weeks of bedrest are now over, and the hardest part has begun. Thank you all so much for your encouragement, prayers, meals, visits, and well-wishes. We need them now more than ever. Our new goal is to get Laney through her first couple weeks, and hopefully get her off the ventilator. When that happens, we will be the happiest of parents.

The Meyers