“When my water broke at 32 weeks, I went to the Emergency Department nearby. Because I was so far from my due date, I was immediately transferred by ambulance to UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital — with Noah following in the car behind us.
I had never been to UPMC Magee. When we arrived on Oct. 4, I was immediately reassured that everything was going to be fine — but that I needed to be admitted. Ezra was born on Friday, Oct. 8. He was 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and 17 inches long. His birth experience was a little bit odd. I didn’t have to push or anything. It happened so fast — he just kind of came out.
Noah and I were told to expect a silent birth, which means the baby doesn’t cry. But Ezra was crying, so that was a very good sign. My doctor and the pediatrics team came in immediately to check him and reassure me. I got to hold Ezra briefly — long enough to get a quick picture of us together — before he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Ezra was in the NICU for 29 days. We were told he might be on oxygen for a while, but he only needed it for about a day. Like most preemie babies, he had problems swallowing so he was fed through a tube in his nose. It took longer than we expected for him to learn how to feed. The NICU team was really good about working with him.
Noah and I couldn’t stay with him in Pittsburgh. We had two children at home and Magee is about a 90-minute drive each way. For the next four weeks, I went to Magee every day to give Ezra his noon feeding. I would leave right after his 3 p.m. feeding to get home in time to give my other boys their dinner and put them to bed.
Magee’s NICU team was really awesome. We would get calls from them every day at 7 a.m. and again around 7 p.m. They encouraged us to call any time to ask questions. They were so good at calming us, keeping us updated, and making sure Ezra’s baby camera was on so we could watch him from home.
In the NICU, the nurses would give him a bottle and cuddle with him to make sure he felt safe and happy. On one of his last days at Magee, I overheard his nurse tell him, ‘I really love holding you, Ezra. But more than that, I would love for you to be able to go home with your brothers.’ I understood exactly what she meant. Magee’s NICU team loves caring for the babies. But it’s so much more exciting for them to see the babies go home where they’re supposed to be.” – Morgan
Preterm babies can deliver more quickly, particularly if the patient has had prior full-term deliveries, but in most cases, there is time to prepare for a vaginal delivery. However, some conditions may lead to a C-section instead of a vaginal delivery.
