Welcome to the world

Cayden Ferguson Inzer came into the world 15 weeks early on November 19th, 2010.  I've never done one of these blog thingies, so I'm not sure how much information is appropriate to share, but there have been so many people concerned and wanting to know updates that I figured I'd give this a try.

For those who may not have heard the story, my water broke on Thursday, November 18th while I was simply sitting on the stairs talking on the phone.  After a trip to my doctor's office, we were sent to the hospital where I was admitted.  An amniocentesis determined that I had an infection - chorioamnionitis - which meant they had to deliver the baby right away.  They induced me and we were on our way . . .

By 8 a.m. the next morning,  my labor was progressing satisfactorily.  Dr. Guggenheim came by on her way into the office just to check to see how far I was dilated and that's when the craziness ensued.  She felt a hand . . . and then the umbilical cord.  A prolapsed cord as it's known is about as serious of a complication as you can have, one that requires immediate action and delivery of the baby.  The umbilical cord is the baby's life line - if it's compressed for any amount of time, the baby has no oxygen and can die within minutes.

Before I could absorb what was happening, there were countless people in the room.  Dr. Guggenheim was literally on top of me in the bed trying to hold the cord up out of the way while doctors and nurses disconnected IVs and prepared to take me to the operating room.  In all of the frenzy, I lost sight of Jason.  Turns out he was at the head of the bed, helping to push as we rolled through the hallway to the OR.  The only way to describe the scene and what I was feeling was organized professional chaos.

The next thing I knew, a drape was put up in front of my face and Jason was by my side as they cut me open and pulled out our baby.  There was a team of neonatologist standing by who took over working to get the baby's airway secured and checking his other vital statistics.  It seemed like forever, but they finally rolled him by my head so I could get a look at him before they whisked him off to his new home in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). 

From the beginning, all of the doctors and nurses have been amazed at how well he was doing.  He never had to rely on a ventilator to breathe.  His weight was more than expected for his gestational age.  He was a fighter, feisty.  All of these were positive things for him despite the fact that he was 25 weeks and a few days old. 

I was in the hospital four days recovering from the C-section and it took us all of those four days to come up with the perfect name for this little guy.  We wanted a name with significance, something that defined him and the situation he was thrust into.  We also thought it would be nice if he had my initials - our first son, Jamison, has Jason's initials.  After much searching, we decided on Cayden Ferguson.  "Cayden" is thought to be derived from a Gaelic surname meaning "battle".  "Ferguson" means "man of strength".

They tell us it's going to be a roller coaster, a long road ahead, and to be prepared for setbacks along the way.  It's the most difficult thing I've ever experienced in my life.  Cayden is just over two weeks old as I type this first entry and it's been positive steps forward so far:  he had been tolerating breast milk and gaining weight (albeit we're talking grams, but it's better than losing!).  He had a head ultrasound a couple days ago - one of the big concerns for preemies is bleeding in the head during the first ten days, but his ultrasound came back normal.  He's been back and forth between CPAP, SIPAP, and high-flow oxygen (all different types and levels of assistance to help him breathe), but still breathing on his own nonetheless. 

But we just got that phone call we've been dreading - one with our first round of bad news and setbacks.