Thursday, May 2, 2013

Coming home - A better Place

After almost two weeks in two different hospitals, Anthony was finally able to join his family at their modest yet humble abode.
Born with a low body temperature and slow heart rate, there was some concern and he was kept in his incubator more than he hung out with his mama. My heart sunk, things were not like this with my other “male” deliveries. The staff at the hospital did everything they could do to help him thrive.
I was discharged without him thinking what else could possibly happen? Seeing my other two little dudes with their signs and excited faces just about broke my heart.  After not being able to stabilize his temperature and heart rate, Anthony was being transferred to a pediatric hospital.

All I wanted was for my baby boy to be home and it was so hard to have to go to the NICU and see him hooked up to all these machines. Every day there were updates of his good health and great progress.
The day he was discharged, my husband and I met with Dr. Sig Pueschel, who was the doctor in charge of the Down Syndrome Program at Rhode Island Hospital. He gave the official diagnosis of Anthony having Down Syndrome and did it in such a quiet, upbeat way that I felt immediately relieved and happily relaxed about what the future would bring.

After three days at Sturdy Hospital and 5 at Women & Infants' Hospital,  he was finally able to come home. I was so happy to have him be with us and begin his life outside the walls of the hospital. His coming home brought us into a new world. It’s a beautiful, amazing, colorful, place where we have grown as a family and our world became a better place.
 


 

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