Annika Has Arrived!

Annika Tipton Archer was born on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 8:15 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and was just shy of 20 inches. She is gorgeous, strong, and healthy, with a full head of dark hair and a very sweet face.

Annika, unfortunately, aspirated some meconium in utero, and has suffered from some lung problems since she was born two days ago. Her breathing rate is 2-3 faster than it should be, and she has some fluid in her lungs. She is in a breathing hood in the NICU at the hospital and will be treated for pneumonia for the next 6 days.

The hood is dreadful, with a collar that is going to make my daughter loathe turtlenecks, chokers, and doublets. It's also terrible to see a monitor on a foot and an IV in her hand, and little sensors all over her chest.

But the good news is that she is strong and healthy, and is already showing signs of improvement. She had a small collapse in her lung, which happens in about 1 in 10 kids (and more so if meconium is involved). Fortunately, it resolved itself overnight. The doctor is going to begin to wean Annika off the oxygen in the hood and down to a nasal tube so I can nurse her.

Annika should be home on Friday. In the meantime, I will be going back and forth alot between home and hospital. I was discharged this afternoon and I'm back home with Aaron and the cats.

To those who have called or texted, I'm sorry I've not been in touch. The prognosis is very good for Annika, but I'm going to be occupied. I love you all. I'll keep updating the blog with her progress. Aaron took some pictures, so I'll definitely get those posted soon.