Our new little boy was born on Nov.18th at 7:45am. He was 6 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long with tons and tons of the most gorgeous black hair. He looks so much like his daddy and so we’ve named him Noah Nathaniel Muirhead. The delivery was extremely difficult, I went in to be induced at 8:30 am on the 17th and he wasn’t born until the next morning. The contractions this time were excruciating and the epidural didn’t work (in fact they had to try it 3 times and it still didn’t take). Unfortunately when they did the second attempt the anesthesiologist went too far into my spine and got what’s called a wet tap where the needle goes past the nerve and into the spinal fluid causing a leak. I started to experience dizziness, vomiting and a “wet tap” headache that they refer to as the “headache from hell” because it’s so debilitating. I tried very hard to get through with pain medication but ending up having to have a procedure called a “blood patch” which is in fact yet another epidural but this time they took a bunch of my own blood and put it into the hole that they make in the spine. This blood patch causes the pressure to re-stabilize by clotting the hole where the fluid had been leaking out. I have never had so much pain in my entire life as I went through these past few days and it all paled in comparison when our Noah came out and it was decided that he would have to go to Neo-Natal Intensive Care and be but on a ventilator. His little lungs weren’t working quite right and so I only held him for a minute or two before he was whisked away and when I finally saw him again I couldn’t hold him as he was attached to so many machines and tubes. I have been literally heartbroken at seeing my precious little boy in the incubator with so many tubes and wires. It’s been an exhausting weekend and then on Sunday I was released from the hospital without my baby. I have never cried so hard, prayed so hard or been so upset.

The wonderful news now is that Noah is responding so well to his treatment, he’s off the tubes and wires, he’s eating full feeds through a bottle, and just this afternoon I was told that I can bring him home tomorrow!! Thank you so much for your loving prayers, sweet emails, and your support - Our family is truly blessed and our new little guy will be home with us very soon. Our other children are thrilled and excited as they haven’t even been allowed to see their new brother yet in NICU so I’m sure that it will be a wonderful evening with all of our children safe and sound together at home.

Love to all of you!
Daria & Nathan
And of course little Noah as well :0)