33 Week Miracle

Colt Warner Moss was born 11-14-11 at 1:22 am. He was 4lbs, 15 oz and 17.75 inches long. He was a pretty hefty little sucker to be born at 33 weeks, to which his Daddy and I are very thankful. I also thank his Daddy for all those chocolate chip cookies he fixed me every night :) We were in Henderson for our last baby shower and were staying Sunday night because we had some things to do there on Monday. By the way, we NEVER stay in Henderson on Sunday nights. My water broke around 7pm, but we didn't go to the hospital until 10pm. I had no idea my water had actually broken, it was a slow leak and I hadn't had any pain whatsoever. Once we got to the hospital I learned that it had indeed broken and I was already 2.5 cm. We explained Colt's heart condition to the doctor and nurses and they pretty much were just as scared as we were because they were not capable of dealing with a baby being born at 33 weeks and with a heart condition. They tried to have me life flighted either to Duke or Pitt, but my labor was progressing extremely fast no matter what they did to try to stall it. I was petrified. I obviously didn't plan on having him come so early, much less in a hospital where no one was familiar with his condition. Once they realized there was no time to move me anywhere, they were able to have a NICU team flown in from Duke to be there for his birth. By 1am I was already at 8cm and since he was still breech they had to do an emergency C-Section. Thankfully the NICU team's helicopter landed just as they wheeled me into the OR. After he was born and cleaned up they brought him over just long enough for me to kiss him and then whisked him away to Duke. Drew was able to go to Duke to be with him but I had to wait to be transferred. I didn't get there until Monday night at 7:30. It was the longest day of my life.

The days that followed have been a blur. I wish I had the time to blog sooner, so that I could remember what has happened each day. I will try to sum it up as best as I can. Since we live so far away from Duke, we are able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house here in Durham. We can't say how much of a blessing it is to be able to stay here, so close to him. Colt stayed in the ICU until Wednesday night. He was then moved into the Transitional Care Nursery. Still an ICU but sort of like a step down unit. All of his doctors and nurses have been amazed at how well he is doing. They can't believe he was born at 33 weeks and with a heart defect. On Wednesday of this week he was moved out of the TCN and into his own room! Drew and I were scared to death. We were afraid something would happen because he wouldn't be monitored as closely as when he was in the NICU/TCN. But, we were able to stay with him in the room. So finally we were able to be with him 24/7. We were able to take over as his parents, and the nurses were just there for support and of course to monitor him. This morning when changing his diaper we noticed blood in his poop so we pointed it out to his nurse. After an X-Ray they determined he has a mild case of NEC or Necrotizing Enterocolitis. This means there is not enough blood flow to his gut/bowels. The doctor said it was not uncommon in preemies and babies with his heart condition. So, we had to stop his feedings and he will have to get fluids and nourishment via an IV to let his bowels rest. He also has to take antibiotics for 7 days. The cardiologist had actually scheduled his first surgery for Tuesday, but since this has happened he has to finish his antibiotics before surgery, so we aren't sure when it will be now. He was also transferred back into the NICU just to be monitored more closely.

We usually try to visit him twice a day. We go in the morning and again late afternoon or either dinner time. We of course would like to be there all the time, but we know he needs to rest as much as possible, and so do we. We still get up every 3-4 hours for me to pump. We now live by the pump. Everything we do revolves around what time I have to pump again, haha. I'm sure a lot of you out there can relate, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Once he has his surgery if all goes well, we can expect to be here another 3-4 weeks afterwards for him to recover. My goal was for us to be home by Christmas, but with this delay in surgery it may be closer to New Years.

We miss our doggies very much. My mom has the two small ones and our great neighbors have been taking care of our lab. Hopefully they know we haven't abandoned them. We managed to go home last Sunday and get as much stuff as we thought we may need. Even though nothing went as planned with his birth, we feel it was all in God's plan. Being here in Durham has put us so close to our family. Someone has been able to visit us each day, which would have been much harder for them if we would have been in Greenville. We have been very happy with all of his doctors and nurses, and the care he has received. Because he was doing so well in the beginning, we did have the option to be transferred back to Greenville, but decided against it. Like I said, we feel it happened the way it did for a reason. We want to thank everyone for all the prayers, texts, calls, emails, cards and gifts. We can't tell you how much it all means to us. We have received so many, please do not think less of us if we have not responded to some of them yet. It is hard to believe our little miracle baby is already 11 days old. He still has a very hard and long road ahead. Please continue to pray for him and us, as we will need it more and more in the days and weeks to come.

A lot of people have asked for an address for us here. If any of you would like it, you can use:

Andrew and Kristen Moss
c/o RMH of Durham
506 Alexander Ave
Durham NC 27705

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight."-Proverbs 3:5-6