Family Man Librarian

What an interesting past week! First of all, our little girl, Brinley Grace, was born on Friday, October 4, at 4:53p. She weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz. and is 20 inches long. Michele was induced three weeks early because her doctor discovered some irregularities in Brinley’s heart during a routine exam on Wednesday of last week. Although it took awhile to get Brinley interested in coming out into the world (Michele was put on Pitocin starting early Friday a.m.), the birth went fairly smoothly. The neonatology team was present at her birth and thoroughly checked her over. It is a relief to report that her heart troubles are relatively minor. Basically, she has premature arterial contractions (PAC) plus a small hole in between the left and right atria. Today, four days later, she is doing well, although her pediatrician has ordered a special device called a biliblanket for us to use on her for the next few days as a way to help with increased levels of jaundice. Basically, this device is like a mini-tanning bed for babies ;-). It’s a small, fiber-optic pad that we wrap around her back, and when the device is on, Brinley looks like a little firefly. It’s pretty cute. Michele is doing very well, all things considered. She hasn’t even had to take anything for pain since the birth. Tristan has been fairly traumatized, though, from all the time away from his mommy and daddy during the past weekend. As a result, he is even more clingy than usual. Keegan is doing fine. He’s very proud of his new little sister. If interested in some photos, go to http://homepage.mac.com/murphymoose/photos/