The Birth Story of Luke Gaboriault: Part 5 (The End)

The first day and night in the hospital we were both still very excited and needing some sleep.  Jared stayed with me that night and suffered through sleeping in a hard chair.  He brought a fan from home, which made the heat more tolerable, and he brought me food since the nurses didn’t quite understand what a gluten allergy was (no one in Thailand really understands this). 

The next day began with an early visit from Luke.  Jared left for a while to try to get some paperwork done.  This would be what he really focused on for the next week or so.  They ended up taking out my IV, so I was now able to walk around and go to visit Luke by myself.  This day went by pretty fast. A huge highlight of my day was when the Vickers brought me a homemade meal of ham and scalloped potatoes.  It tasted better than I had ever had it in my entire life! Perhaps I was just tired of eating rice.

That night, my mom flew in to Thailand!  She would not be able to be in Udon until the next day, Saturday, but my excitement kept me awake that night.  Since Jared was unable to really sleep the night before, he decided to stay at a nearby hotel that night.  He would also be better able to help communicate with my mom about her travel plans from the hotel, as the hospital had no Wifi.

        When Saturday arrived, I was told I would be able to go home.  I was so excited to be leaving the hospital and to be able to go home and take a shower in a clean bathroom!  I was upset because I would have to leave Luke behind, but I knew that he had just had his feeding tube removed that morning and still needed to learn to eat.  I couldn’t take home a baby who couldn’t eat on his own.  A nurse mentioned to me that morning that Luke could now come stay with me by my bed, but he couldn’t go home yet.  This made me sad, since I was now leaving and would be missing that opportunity.  Soon we got all the paperwork finished for me and just Jared and I went home.

Mimi meeting Luke for the first time. 

When I arrived home, my mom was waiting at our house!  Our friends had picked her up at the airport, and it all worked out so perfectly so that she was there and able to welcome me home.  I got a shower, we ate a quick lunch, and then Jared, my mom, and I went back to the hospital.  The NICU had given me a schedule of times to come feed Luke.  We would make the trip every three hours to go feed him.  This would quickly take a toll on us physically and emotionally. 

I was really excited that the nurses let my mom in to meet Luke.  She was able to hold him and we had a really special time of introduction.  I fed him, and then we went back home.  Three hours later, we were back.  We did this every day until he left the hospital.  About the time we would get home and doze off or eat a quick meal, it would be time to go back.  I became so exhausted these days, and I really did a lot more than I should have physically.  But my baby needed me to do all that traveling and make the trek to the second floor to see him every three hours!

Jared feeding Luke, who has on a mask for the jaundice lights. 

When we went to visit Sunday, we were sad to find that Luke was now being kept under lights because he had developed a light case of jaundice.  He was so sad with his little mask.  I had to even feed him under the lights.  He was so warm under there and I think we both kind of liked the warmth!  By now he was beginning to eat a lot better.  I was trying to breastfeed, and became frustrated when I’d come in for a feeding and see that they had already stuck a bottle in his mouth.  But, I realized if he was hungry, I’d rather them feed him a bottle than him have to wait for me while screaming.

Overall, our experience with the NICU was really good.  The nurses really took care of Luke and made sure to keep us informed.  They even allowed several of our friends to come in and visit Luke.  The nurses gave Luke a nickname, “Lazy Boy”, because he constantly fell asleep while feeding and slept so soundly. 

Waiting to talk to Luke's doctor. 

On Monday, I made a point to make sure I was there during Luke’s doctor visit to talk with her about his jaundice.  The doctor was running later than normal, but that was okay since Jared needed to meet with some people to finish Luke’s paperwork.  When it came time for the doctor to examine Luke, I was feeding him, but that was fine.  I didn’t know she had been in earlier in the day to see him and check his jaundice levels.  She let me know they were now in normal range, and we could take him home that day.  This was a total shock to me, and I began to cry.  I assumed he would need to be treated and monitored for several days.  It took us awhile to finish all the paperwork, but on a very rainy Monday, we were able to bring Luke home.

With Luke's nurses.

I was so excited to bring him in the door and put him in his bed.  We had a very busy night getting adjusted and trying to get everything prepared for him, since I was not able to finish before he came.

Our tiny baby on his first night home. 

The next day I began to not feel well, and ended up going to see my regular doctor.  I had an infection and an apparent allergic reaction to something they used at the other hospital, and would need several prescriptions and 5 days of IV antibiotics to heal.  These days were full of high fevers and sickness, and I felt guilty and sad that I was unable to take care of my baby right off.  Jared and my mom were doing great; I just wanted to be able to do everything for him.  It took a few weeks, but eventually I healed. 

My mom left to go home July 24, and then we began our life in Thailand, just the three of us.  This was a very exciting and difficult time with a lot of surprises and unknowns, but I know God worked everything out the way He wanted it.  I am so thankful for a fast and generally easy birth, and especially a healthy baby boy.

Luke on the car ride home.

*Afterword: Of course, this is not really the ending to this story! Luke is now four months old, and is the light of our lives. I can't wait to see the rest of his story unfold, and see what God has prepared for him.