Sunday, July 25, 2010

Samuel Peter Hoffman

Samuel Peter Hoffman was born at 10:21 AM on Thursday, July 22, 2010 (2 months and 2 days before his due date). Right now, I'm sitting in the NICU as Kara holds little Sammy. It has already been a crazy road to get to this point, but I am as content as possible at this moment.

Here's the story of Sammy's entry into this world:

Thursday morning Kara had a regular checkup with her OB-GYN at 8 AM. The checkup was normal and she felt fine throughout it. As she was leaving, the car wouldn't start, so she called AAA. While she was waiting for them to arrive, she starting having some strong contractions and ended up back at her doctor's office (which luckily is in the hospital). She was already fully dilated when the doctor checked her, so they rushed her to labor and delivery. He was coming out feet-first, so they then had to rush her into surgery for an emergency C-section. You're reading this right: he was born 2 hours and 21 minutes after she arrived at the doctor's! Crazy, right?

During all of this, I was home with Eleanora without a car. Here is a summary of the phone calls I received:

9:00 - Kara: the car won't start, I'm calling AAA
9:15 - Kara: feeling weird, having contractions
9:30 - Random nursing student: I'm with your wife, she's having contractions, I'm taking her back up to her doctor
9:45 - Random nurse: your wife is being taken to labor and delivery
10:00 - Kara' s doctor: Kara is going into surgery for an emergency C-section

So as you can imagine, I was freaking out. Eleanora and I were able to finally get a ride to the hospital (thanks to my Aunt Sissy's resourcefulness), but by the time we got there, Samuel had been born. I was able to see him in the NICU right away, and be with Kara shortly thereafter. When it was all said and done, it was probably the craziest day of my life.

Samuel is doing really well so far considering how early he was. He was born at a weight of 4 lbs. 2 oz., which is in the 90th percentile for his gestational age (31 weeks). He initially had to have a breathing tube down his throat to help him breathe, but they took that out this morning. He was also having trouble regulating his blood pressure, but that issue is resolved.

Kara is doing great as well. They discharged her yesterday morning, only 48 hours after giving birth by C-Section! That's right, my wife is the strongest and toughest woman I know. Kara's mom arrived last night and her sister Natalie will be arriving on Tuesday, so we will have lots of help.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts, prayers, texts, emails, etc. We can't express how much they have meant to us. We apologize for not being able to respond to many yet, as all of our time and energy right now is going into our kids. We will keep you updated on Samuel's progress, and will be posting some pictures of the little guy soon. Thanks again, we feel so blessed to have all of you in our lives!

10 comments:

Brent said...

So glad to hear everyone is doing well after an intense couple of days. We are thinking of you guys and send our love and prayers to Kara, Samuel, and the rest of the Hoffman family.

Beth said...

I've been dying for details and am so glad to hear everyone is doing well, especially little Sammy! Welcome to the world of preemie parenting. It's full of unexpected surprises and joys. We're here for you in anyway we can help!

Erin said...

We are so excited to have Sammy in this world...apparently, he was super excited to be here too! So thankful that everyone is okay, and not a bit surprised at how strong and amazing Kara has been throughout all of this. Much love to you guys!

Katy said...

Praying for you guys - I'm so thankful everyone is doing well. Our sons have the same birthday!

Anonymous said...

Praise God! What a story you will have to tell little Samuel!! We are so thankful to hear the details of his arrival and to know that he is doing so well. So glad to hear that family has arrived and will continue to arrive. We will continue to cover you all in prayer. Love you all!! Love, Kami and Ryan

Lindsay said...

Little Sam definitely knows how to make an entrance! What an incredible day - the Lord knew what he was doing when he wouldn't let Kara leave the hospital! We're so excited that everyone is doing as well as possible, and Sam has already learned what an amazing mom, dad, and big sister he has. Love to you all on this adventure!

Jenn said...

Oh Hoffmans!!!!!!!! Praise God that Samuel is healthy and Kara is recovering well. We've been praying hard for you and will continue. Wow. What an entrance, little Samuel! Congratulations, Ben and Kara on your new baby boy! May God give you the strength to do the tasks ahead of you!

the Wahlman Family said...

Welcome Samuel! Now take it easy on your folks for a while. We're so glad everyone is doing well.

Jeff said...

Ben and Kara - Congratulations and praise God for his goodness and faithfulness through all of those few hours. Since I work in the NICU full time, I can definitely say I know what you are going through - premature babies seem almost commonplace to me these days, but not when it's someone you know so well! Angie and I are both thrilled that everything went smoothly. Please feel free to get in touch if you have questions. Keeping you in our prayers...

Megan said...

That is the craziest birth story I've ever heard. Wow! Congrats to you both and glad to hear that he's doing well. We will be praying for you all!