So much has happened since my last post and I will do my best to cover everything.
First and foremost, our precious baby girl, Emma Grace Copeland, entered this world on August 15, 2009. She weighed 5 lb 4 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. I labored from Thursday @ 3PM till Saturday @ 2PM, when I finally told Dr. Owen, "I'm tired! How much longer will it take?", to which she answered, "It could be a long time. Things are moving really slow and you may not progress enough to deliver." That was all I needed to hear. We were exhausted and we just want to meet our sweet baby. So, off we went to the OR and at 4:08PM, Emma was born by c-section. She was 4 weeks early but they were unable to stop my labor and so she came early...probably the last time she will ever be early again since she is MY child. The c-section went just fine and was so much easier than I anticipated. People make it sound so horrific but it went amazingly well. I'll be the first to tell anyone to go for the c-section!
We came home from the hospital on Monday, with Emma weighing 4.14 and my Mom stayed with us for a week. It was so nice to have her here to help with Emma, to cook, clean, wash bottles, etc. There were nights when I was up with Emma a lot and Mom would just sit with us and keep us company through the night. On Thursday we took Emma to her pediatrician for her first office visit. Her weight was down to 4.10 and she was pretty yellow with jaundice. They drew her levels and reported to us later that afternoon that her level was 19.7. Dr. Landry said that at 20, she would need to be admitted to NICU for blood transfusions. To keep the level from increasing any more, they informed us that home health would be coming to the house to set up a bilirubin light for Emma to lay on until her levels came down to a safe level of 10 or less. When they walked in with that light, I immediately thought, "This is never going to work." Emma hates being cold and she had to be naked on the light. They also wanted her arms strapped in these sleeves and Emma's little arms move constantly up by her face. My anxiety (that was already through the roof) became much greater. I knew we had to do it to keep her home and out of the hospital but I knew the next few days were going to be hard and trying. I was right! However, it was harder and more trying on myself that ever on Emma....thank God! Emma did great on the light. She would just lay there and sleep the entire time. She had to be on the light 20 out of 24 hours a day so that meant no more holding and cuddling her, etc. As long as I live, I will never forget getting on my knees next to her pack 'n play, where the light was, and holding her hand and just crying and crying. Never had I felt so helpless in all my life. My baby was sick and I just wanted to make it better or at least hold and console her. But I couldn't do that. Mark came home from work while I sat there crying and he took one look at me and realized there was nothing he could say. I swear, that man is truly wise and knows when it is best to say nothing at all. He just put his hand on my back and kissed the top of my head and we just sat there for a long time looking at her. Before the night was over, Mark, my mom, and I, had all cried enough tears to last awhile. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about how that was the first time for me to hold her hand through a hard time BUT it would NOT be the last. I wondered what exactly would come our way in the coming years. No one knows that but God and I have to trust that He will see us through any trial he allows to happen in our lives. Thankfully, God DOES answer prayer, and two days after being on the light, Emma's level was down to 9.6 and she was allowed to come off. I failed to mention, my dad (Emma's grandpa) came to Lubbock on that Friday and decided that he needed to be here to take her on walks every couple hours to increase her exposure to sunlight. Mark's parents (Emma's MeMe and Pops) were all the way in Colorado thinking and praying for her and us. With all of us together, Emma's condition improved quickly and we were all so grateful!
My mom went home on Saturday and boy, was it hard! In that week, my mom's voice had resonated in my head saying "Kara, some day your will understand how much we love you!" She was right! I now realized and appreciated more than ever, her and my Dad's love for my brother and I. All of the things they did for us, the sacrifices they made, the life they provided, meant so much more now that I had a child of my own. So, she went home to Clovis and she cried the whole way home and I went and took a bath crying a good hour myself.
On Sunday, we went to Clovis for Mom's birthday and she was able to show her off to all their friends at church. That evening we came home and Mark's mom arrived for the next week. She was so helpful, kept my house clean, washed bottle and dishes, did laundry, and of course, held Emma Grace so much. For some reason, these grandparents can't keep their hands off of her! LOL! She left on Saturday and once again, her and I cried and Mark just looked at us like we were silly. However, I know he is so grateful and appreciative for her coming and helping us out. It's hard with MeMe & Pops being so far away. Hopefully, that'll change in the next few years.
For the 2 weeks after coming home from the hospital, our Bible class at church had signed up to bring us dinner every night. They will NEVER know how wonderful that was. Our life changed so fast and sudden and I was not really prepared at the moment so we came home to not many groceries. I had her on Saturday and on Monday, Mark began with the Lubbock Fire Dept and needed to take his lunch every day. WELL, thank goodness for left overs from dinner each night. Not only did it feed us dinner, but it fed him lunch the next day! We are so blessed to be a part of such an awesome group and I look forward to the opportunity to pay them back in the future.
First and foremost, our precious baby girl, Emma Grace Copeland, entered this world on August 15, 2009. She weighed 5 lb 4 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. I labored from Thursday @ 3PM till Saturday @ 2PM, when I finally told Dr. Owen, "I'm tired! How much longer will it take?", to which she answered, "It could be a long time. Things are moving really slow and you may not progress enough to deliver." That was all I needed to hear. We were exhausted and we just want to meet our sweet baby. So, off we went to the OR and at 4:08PM, Emma was born by c-section. She was 4 weeks early but they were unable to stop my labor and so she came early...probably the last time she will ever be early again since she is MY child. The c-section went just fine and was so much easier than I anticipated. People make it sound so horrific but it went amazingly well. I'll be the first to tell anyone to go for the c-section!
We came home from the hospital on Monday, with Emma weighing 4.14 and my Mom stayed with us for a week. It was so nice to have her here to help with Emma, to cook, clean, wash bottles, etc. There were nights when I was up with Emma a lot and Mom would just sit with us and keep us company through the night. On Thursday we took Emma to her pediatrician for her first office visit. Her weight was down to 4.10 and she was pretty yellow with jaundice. They drew her levels and reported to us later that afternoon that her level was 19.7. Dr. Landry said that at 20, she would need to be admitted to NICU for blood transfusions. To keep the level from increasing any more, they informed us that home health would be coming to the house to set up a bilirubin light for Emma to lay on until her levels came down to a safe level of 10 or less. When they walked in with that light, I immediately thought, "This is never going to work." Emma hates being cold and she had to be naked on the light. They also wanted her arms strapped in these sleeves and Emma's little arms move constantly up by her face. My anxiety (that was already through the roof) became much greater. I knew we had to do it to keep her home and out of the hospital but I knew the next few days were going to be hard and trying. I was right! However, it was harder and more trying on myself that ever on Emma....thank God! Emma did great on the light. She would just lay there and sleep the entire time. She had to be on the light 20 out of 24 hours a day so that meant no more holding and cuddling her, etc. As long as I live, I will never forget getting on my knees next to her pack 'n play, where the light was, and holding her hand and just crying and crying. Never had I felt so helpless in all my life. My baby was sick and I just wanted to make it better or at least hold and console her. But I couldn't do that. Mark came home from work while I sat there crying and he took one look at me and realized there was nothing he could say. I swear, that man is truly wise and knows when it is best to say nothing at all. He just put his hand on my back and kissed the top of my head and we just sat there for a long time looking at her. Before the night was over, Mark, my mom, and I, had all cried enough tears to last awhile. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about how that was the first time for me to hold her hand through a hard time BUT it would NOT be the last. I wondered what exactly would come our way in the coming years. No one knows that but God and I have to trust that He will see us through any trial he allows to happen in our lives. Thankfully, God DOES answer prayer, and two days after being on the light, Emma's level was down to 9.6 and she was allowed to come off. I failed to mention, my dad (Emma's grandpa) came to Lubbock on that Friday and decided that he needed to be here to take her on walks every couple hours to increase her exposure to sunlight. Mark's parents (Emma's MeMe and Pops) were all the way in Colorado thinking and praying for her and us. With all of us together, Emma's condition improved quickly and we were all so grateful!
My mom went home on Saturday and boy, was it hard! In that week, my mom's voice had resonated in my head saying "Kara, some day your will understand how much we love you!" She was right! I now realized and appreciated more than ever, her and my Dad's love for my brother and I. All of the things they did for us, the sacrifices they made, the life they provided, meant so much more now that I had a child of my own. So, she went home to Clovis and she cried the whole way home and I went and took a bath crying a good hour myself.
On Sunday, we went to Clovis for Mom's birthday and she was able to show her off to all their friends at church. That evening we came home and Mark's mom arrived for the next week. She was so helpful, kept my house clean, washed bottle and dishes, did laundry, and of course, held Emma Grace so much. For some reason, these grandparents can't keep their hands off of her! LOL! She left on Saturday and once again, her and I cried and Mark just looked at us like we were silly. However, I know he is so grateful and appreciative for her coming and helping us out. It's hard with MeMe & Pops being so far away. Hopefully, that'll change in the next few years.
For the 2 weeks after coming home from the hospital, our Bible class at church had signed up to bring us dinner every night. They will NEVER know how wonderful that was. Our life changed so fast and sudden and I was not really prepared at the moment so we came home to not many groceries. I had her on Saturday and on Monday, Mark began with the Lubbock Fire Dept and needed to take his lunch every day. WELL, thank goodness for left overs from dinner each night. Not only did it feed us dinner, but it fed him lunch the next day! We are so blessed to be a part of such an awesome group and I look forward to the opportunity to pay them back in the future.
I am just so glad I got to help and see Emma when I brought the food over!
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