First Week of Calfgrit7’s Life

Our first Calfgrit was a week and a half over due. He was supposed to come on Christmas Eve, but came 4 days into the new year. His first day in the world was normal, but his second day started down a very worrisome path.

The nurses had given Cowgrit and me a break from newborn duty over night and when they wheeled his little bassinet into Cowgrit’s room, we were ready for our first full day of parenthood. After a few minutes, though, we noticed the tiny little guy was breathing strangely. He was breathing very fast.

I didn’t know if that was normal or not for a newborn, but it just looked wrong. Cowgrit (with newborn and pediatric medical experience) knew it was, indeed, very wrong. We called the nurses to our room.

Over the next few hours, the nurses and a doctor watched and examined Calfgrit. They didn’t know what the problem was. The doctor talked with us and gave some very disturbing possibilities. We called our parents to tell them what was happening, and our mothers came rushing back to us.

In the next couple of days, Cowgrit was released from the hospital, but Calfgrit was staying in the newborn intensive care. He had a dozen wires and tubes attached to him — it was a heart-breaking thing to see. He was a big (8 pounds 11 ounces), healthy-looking baby, especially compared to the couple of premies also in the intensive care unit. But he was very sick, and for the first few days we didn’t know why. He just was breathing very rapidly.

We were allowed to visit him as often and as long as we wanted. Cowgrit was at the hospital for several hours every day, and I was there for a couple or so hours after work every day. Eventually, they found the problem on an x-ray.

When we were both in the intensive care unit, the doctor showed us the x-ray and explained the problem. He had pneumonia. “Thank God,” we both said.

I know the other parents in the nursery thought we were terrible for having that reaction, and we laugh at it now. But of all the potential problems we were told the fast breathing could be, pneumonia was the least troublesome — it was completely curable, and would have no lasting effects on Calfgrit.

After seven days in intensive care, Calfgrit came home with us for the first time. He was completely healthy and we were so very happy.

Bullgrit