background... and first touch

Story is long, pictures at the bottom if you want to skip it.

Baby boy came at 28 weeks. We had been so happy with how this pregnancy was going. Up until 25 weeks there had been no issues at all. Even after that there wasn't anything huge or terribly serious that would have had us thinking our baby would not have made it full term or at least a whole lot farther along than he did.

I was 27wks 2d on the Sunday my water broke. I hadn't had a good night the night before and just hadn't felt well, no contracting really but back pain and just my whole body felt awful. I was staying home from church since the night had been so bad and I wasn't feeling well along with Ashtyn and Melany not feeling well either, Ryan and Haylie were the only ones heading to church that morning.
I had only been up for a about half an hour and had curled Haylie's under quickly said good bye as they left for church and give the other girls their breakfast, when I headed to the couch to lay down and felt my water break. Ashtyn could see it happening and  asked "mommy, why are you peeing on the floor?", I wish that had been the case.
Ashtyn was so helpful and got me towels as I laid on the tile trying to find the church's building number online (Ryan's phone was dead) and trying to call people who I thought may have their phone on them at church. I got a hold of Ryan's parents so they could watch the girls.  Fortunately Becky called me back and was able to let Ryan know to come home.
Ryan took me to Banner Estrella, I was dilated to a 1, they gave me a steroid shot to help develop baby's lungs and started Magnesium to stop any contractions and then transferred me to Thunderbird because I was less than 28 weeks pregnant. I wasn't happy about the move since Melany was only 1 day farther along when I delivered her at Estrella but her situation was different and they couldn't delay delivery.. I was hoping to come back after reaching 28 weeks but found later that very unlikely.
Ryan went home to spend time with the girls when I was transferred. I wasn't contracting and my dad arrived at Thunderbird not long after I got there and stayed until Ryan came back for the night.
I had an ultrasound and 2nd steroid shot on Monday. Twenty four hours after the 2nd shot is when the baby would have received the benefits of the steroids. The ultrasound showed him weighing about 2lbs 3oz and looking happy hand healthy in there with the fluid measuring 7.4 which isn't great but not awful after a gross rupture.  He was breech which which meant I had to pay attention in case the cord prolapsed (cam out before baby). Ryan brought the girls to visit that evening and we ate dinner as a family and started a movie.
I was moved out of L&D and into and ante-partum room on Tuesday once inside the steroid window. I had some visitors over the next couple days and Ryan brought the girls again. The baby was monitored 2 a day and continued to look great and I wasn't having any consistent contractions or showing signs of infection.
They did another u/s Thursday because I had one hard contraction and the baby didn't react well to it. I had also continued leaking fluid every day, which is expected but the combination warranted a scan.
Baby still looked happy and was doing everything he should in there but there the fluid level had dropped significantly to 1.4 at most. Baby was still complete breech, bum down and legs crossed with feet down, still posing the risk of prolapse. I would be 28 weeks Friday and would not be able to transfer back because the new factors putting baby at higher risk.
I had some girl friends visit that night and was feeling well when I went to bed and actually got more sleep than I had been.
Friday morning I woke up and layed around for a while before getting up to use the restroom and finding what I assumed to be the cord had come out when I stood up. I panicked and pushed it back in as I called the nurse. All I could think about was the prolapse cord meaning the baby could die. Fortunately the nurse found good heart tones and the doctor was called. I was in pain and they wanted to know what was going on, within about 20mins an u/s tech showed up and found the baby in the same position with the cord in his lap, some underneath, I was more dilated and the cord was down in my cervix.
I would be having an emergency c-section. I was very scared for the baby especially when he moved and was hard to find on the monitor. I'd called Ryan as soon as all this started but he had to drop the girls off and we live almost an hour away. He wouldn't make it in time. I was in the OR when I called Jeanine a close friend who was near by hoping someone would be there during part of the surgery and when he was born since I would be knocked out. I was extremely upset and scared for our baby boy, but before I went to sleep I was calmed some when they found his heart rate and it was good.
Ryan was there when I woke up and I was told our baby boy cried when he was born but was content as they assessed and attended to him. His apgar scores were 8 & 9 which is good. He was on a vent to get special medicine in his lungs but they were going to extubate him and put him on vapotherm in a few hours. I am pretty sure at that point I started to feel the pain medication and went back to sleep for a little while.
I am not sure why but I was not taken by the NICU on my way back to my room from recovery, consequently I was exhausted in my room but not willing to rest because I hadn't seen my baby yet.

About 5 and a half hours after he was born, Ryan wheeled me over to the NICU to meet our baby boy.

I was so relieved when he held on to my finger..  I was so grateful to see he was doing well

He loved the binky and sucked so hard on it. Held his hand there like he didn't want to lose it

Doctors orders for me to go back and rest. Sadly kissed my boy goodbye for the first of many times, made sure he was comfy and left him to rest as well.