Tuesday, November 25, 2008

She's here!!!

This afternoon at 2:22 pm our little baby Jersey Anderson was born. She was 5 lbs, 9 oz, 18 inches long and tons of dark hair. Heidi's labor was long, but towards the end it went very quickly. Heidi handled it like a champ and everything went smoothly.

Jersey had a more difficult time. When she was born there was an army of people around. She was having a very hard time breathing so she was immediately hooked up to a ventilator. Once the team had stabilized her she was moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Unfortunately for Heidi she didn't get to see Jersey for more than 5 seconds before she was rushed away with the doctors. A terrible thing for a new mother.

Upon her arrival in the NICU a series of tests were run. Heidi and I weren't allowed to be with her so we had to sit and wait in our hospital room until our cardiologist came in to tell us how everything was going. He explained that her pulmonary arteries are dilated to the point that it is blocking her airway (this is why she couldn't breathe when she was born). He also said that her right ventricle wasn't working properly. Because of this she will be monitored for the next 7 to 10 days. After that they will have a more definite answer on when they will do surgery. Either way she will have surgery, it’s just a matter of when. Ideally we would like to wait until she is a little bigger and stronger, but there is a possibility that the surgery needs to be done sooner rather than later.

At this point Jersey is stable and seems to be responding well to her treatment and meds. She is adorable and has Tucker's mouth and Tatum's nose. She's perfect!!! Heidi has been a trooper throughout this whole ordeal. She didn't get to see her newborn daughter for almost 4 hours and handled it very well. We are grateful for everyone's support and hope to keep everyone updated.
Below are some pictures of our day...





















































































25 comments:

The Foster Family said...

So much better than a bead party! Congratulations Chris and Heidi- I'm glad everything is going well, she is beautiful and I love her dark hair!

Heather said...

Congratulations! I am glad to hear she is stable and hope her little body can hold out for the surgery.

Pam Jorgensen said...

She looks so round and squishy! What a doll! Congrats and Prayers to you guys! She's a fighter...I can tell! Her power is in those cheeks!

Crystal Caldwell said...

Congrats. She is perfect. Our prayers are with you. Take care.

The Allen's said...

look at her sweet cheekies! I am sorry that you didn't get to see her for so long. I hope everything will continue to go well though and she will be able to be with you guys soon. Love you tons. Let me know if you need the kids to come over for a play date.

Mike and Vicki said...

She is Beautiful! What a precious heaven-sent baby! Just know that we will all be praying for you and your sweet little angel.

Love ya,
Vicki

ammon & Kim Riggs said...

She's a cutie, and you look awesome, as usual Heidi. Keep us updated & we look forward to meeting miss jersey. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. kim & shanda riggs

The Smith's said...

We are glad she is here and doing ok. We will be thinking about you guys.

Eve said...

We loved spending time with sweet Jersey last night. We're praying she'll improve every day. She's strong like her Mom and Dad. You guys both did great on a very stressful day. We love you both.

snydersinc. said...

Congrats you guys! She looks so much bigger and stronger than 5lbs! She is absolutely beautiful! Hang in there Heidi, our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family everyday!!! At least she'll be bigger and stronger for Christmas! We love you guys!
Penny

Mandi said...

What a sweet little beautiful person she is! Congratulations! I am pretty sure I checked your blog like every hour until I finally went to bed last night at almost 11. I am so happy that she's here now! What a tiny little princess! I wish I could be of more help to you guys. Let me know if Tatum and Tucker need a hangout spot because you know that we are always good for it. We will be praying for that little girl. We will also be praying for you. What a hard thing for you and Chris to be going through. Good luck my friend! Keep us posted because I can't help but check your blog all day long now!!! Congratulations again!!!!

Kristin said...

Yea! She is here. I can't believe how amazing you have all been through this. I'm so excited to meet this sweet little girl, and hear all the details. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. She is beautfiul, she looks like a fighter already! Hang in there, our prayers are with you. I will be bringing chocolate by as soon as we return from our Thanksgiving holiday! Luvs.

Kerri said...

Congratulations!! We are so excited for you and your family. MS. Jersey is beautiful! Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your baby girl.

Angie Whitman said...

I love the name Jersey! It is the cutest name I have heard in a long time and better yet, I don't know anyone who has it!:) I am glad to see her cute face and all of that dark hair, so precious! I hope you recover okay and you are so upbeat and positive, that is so inspiring!

Morris Mama said...

So happy to hear everything went well! Love that hair too! We'll be praying for you!

Jewelia Eagar said...

Horray! she's here! and sooo early. i was shocked to get the email that you were being induced. i am very curious to know why. i want to come by with dinner or something when the dust settles. i will call you. she has so much hair lucky girl!!!

Jewelia Eagar said...

ok i just read why u were induced...never mind!

Shanen said...

We are go happy for you guys. She is beautiful and a pretty chunky
5+ pounder. She is one tough girl, and will probably surprise us all.

Hang in there Heidi. Remember we are all praying for YOU and Jersey. You can do this even when it is hard. I know tonight wasn't easy for you, hang in there. She will be just great.

The McKnights said...

I got tears in my eyes when I got my e mail about the canceled bead party! So happy to hear everything went smoothly. We are so happy for you guys and proud of you for staying so strong. Don't know if I could be that strong in that situation. Heidi is a champ! Jersey is beautiful! She is in our thoughts and prayers for strength! Keep updates coming! We are anxious to see how everything is coming along! We love you guys!

Alisa Larson said...

Congrats Heidi! I hope everything turns out okay with the surgery - I'll add her to my prayers.
On a differnt note, I know just how it feels not to get to see your newborn for hours after they're born. I had Annalise c-sec and didn't get to see her for about 3 hours and it still makes me sad! Hang in there!

Jennie Nichols said...

Yeah! She's so beautiful and, wow, dark hair! Did T and T have dark hair when they were born? Sooooo special you guys. I hope everything continues to go uphill and we will be praying for all of you. See you soon hopefully. Hope you have a good recovery.

MommyRohner said...

Oh, Sweet CHUNKY baby girl. She's got some beautiful cheeks for being so itty bitty.
We're thinking of you, and we're praying for that baby.

Avery said...

She's absolutley beautiful you guys.. I think about you Heidi constantly right now...I hope you're holding up okay.. Are you guys up on the floor yet? We'd like to come visit as soon as you felt comfortable with that.. We're anxious to hear more news of what the doctors are thinking.. I need to get your cell from Chris, but please let me know if theres anything I can do or if you ever have any questions I might be able to answer.. We've added Jersey to our list of heart friends in our prayers..

Bowman Family said...

She is beautiful! We are praying for you guys and hope all goes well. We would love to come visit you. I will have Travis set up a time. See you soon and enjoy your little Jersey.

The Kemptons said...

She is beautiful. I am so glad she is here and getting the help that she needs.