Together...

This was the scene last night in the NICU.  I came downstairs feeling rather defeated, which I promptly poured out in my journal from yesterday.  The doctor had told me not to get my hopes up.  That Hope would need to be weaned off the C-Pap and, basically, jump through several hoops before she would be discharged.  It was likely she would be discharged AFTER I went home - which was so upsetting to me.  I sat on my hospital bed and shed some tears and worked on my pumping.  When I finally collected some colostrum (2mL!  Woo Hoo!) I wanted to bring it up to the NICU.

I got up to the NICU around 10:30 and was greeted by a very happy nurse who seemed very excited to see me.  "I was going to call you," she said.  "We're going to take Hope off the C-Pap.  Would you like to nurse her?"

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

In what seemed like a nanosecond, Hope turned a corner!  Ed had gone home to sleep for the night and it was just me and my iPhone to capture the moment.

Hope latched on and breastfed like a champ.  And we sat together for a long while - something I had deeply longed for.  The nurse and I arranged for me to come back to the NICU for feedings at 2 and 5am.  I had the best nurses last night - Kelly, Sara and Marianne in Post Partum that were super supportive and were sure that I was awoken 15 minutes before feeding time so they could wheel me up to Hope.  And then Maria in the NICU who helped me with my breastfeeding (I'm a little rusty!) and was so positive about Hope's progress.

By morning, everyone - including the doctor - was impressed with Hope's quick turnaround.  Soon the feeding tube was pulled... and the IV was cut in half... and next thing I knew, they told me she could graduate out of the NICU and into my hospital room.  To stay.

I couldn't wait for Ed to get to the hospital so he could see our daughter without any straps or wires or C-Pap.  He was so, so happy.

I was shocked... but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that everything changed on a dime.

Our little angel has quite an angel watching over her.

I'm overjoyed to have her with me in the room.  I placed her on my pillows to take photos of her sweet face and couldn't help noticing that she looked like she was floating on clouds.  I know tonight I will study her as she nurses...and begin to memorize every inch of her.  My daughter.  I am so lucky.

And we will leave this hospital as we entered...

...together.