Finally!!

Today was the day I've been waiting for.....I finally was able to hold my baby for the first time and can't begin to describe to you how it felt. There is something very unnatural about having a baby and seeing him through glass but not being able to hold him.
Kangaroo care is what they call it and it is a technique used to hold premature babies. The baby is placed on the mom or dad's bare chest, tummy to tummy in between the breasts. The baby's head is turned so that his ear is above the parents heartbeat. This time together is supposed to have a major, positive impact on babies and their parents. The doctor and nurse said we could try it, but if Doug didn't tolerate it well, then we'd hold off for awhile before trying it again. I sat in a chair with my shirt unbuttoned, and the nurses did all of the work. They moved wires around and placed him gently on me, having me put my hand on his bottom to hold him up. Mind you, I've been wanting to cup that bottom in my hands from the beginning, so when they said that, I was very pleased. He cried a little at first, which was an amazing sound and then began the hiccups...every one cuter than the last. He did very well, heart rate and pulse were steady and it felt like the most natural thing in the world....I think I finally took my first deep, relaxing breaths in this moment. Of course, daddy was on hand to take lots of pictures and even record his little cry on his phone, which I now have on my phone to listen to whenever I like. Hopefully, we'll be able to do this for a little while every day and tomorrow is dad's turn.
MAW