I’m thrilled to (belatedly) announce the birth of our baby!
On February 22, Ginny and I welcomed Logan Patrick Edwards to the world. First, the stats: Logan was born at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center at 12:39 PM, weighing an impressive 3 lbs. 14 oz. (he arrived a few weeks early, but not to worry, he’s doing just fine), and measuring 17 in. from bow to stern. He is, of course, perfect in every way. I’ll have pictures up on the site as soon as possible, but considering it’s taken me 2 weeks to get the blog updated, don’t hold your breath.
Logan Patrick Edwards
And now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. When I accompanied Ginny to her routine OB visit on February 16, we had no idea what the universe had in store for us. The doctor diagnosed her with pregnancy induced hypertension (also known as preeclampsia), and "sentenced" her to hospital bed rest for the 8-week remainder of the pregnancy. Ginny was none too thrilled at the prospect, but we decided it was doable. That’s exactly the kind of hubris that the gods love to smite.
For Ginny, the next few days involved a lot of lying on her left side. Although she carefully avoided any hijinks, shenanigans, or general tomfoolery, the situation progressed from bad to worse. Finally, the following Thursday morning, the doctor decided to move things along…STAT. Within moments, Ginny was facing the business end of a very large (and very sharp) needle full of epidural juice, and I was fitting paper scrubs over my clothes. The rest is history, right? Of course not, foolish optimists.
The epidural didn’t work, so they tried a spinal block, to no avail. I was about inquire if the hospital pharmacy stocked any elephant tranqulizers, but they opted for general anesthesia instead, which prevented me from being in attendance. I’ve never seen an anesthetist sweat so much in my life. You really don’t want to hear your healthcare professional mutter under his breath, "hmm, that’s weird."
An hour later, Ginny was wheeled into recovery one baby lighter. Delivery is apparently the perfect antidote for PIH; Ginny’s blood pressure is returning to normal and her related health issues are subsiding. She’s back home and recovering from her surgery nicely (although, if you’re from our insurance company and reading this, she’s barely clinging to life…cough, cough).
The baby was doing well, but of course, there are health concerns with any premature baby. He was taken to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where he could receive the round-the-clock monitoring and TLC he needed. Although he was on a ventilator for the first few hours of life, he soon opted to breathe the free air, and promptly yanked out his own tube. Highlights of his stay at the Preemie Hilton have included: UV lamp therapy, meals courtesy of a nasogastric tube, cardiac monitors, O2 monitoring, and diaper valet service.
As for me, I’m hanging in there. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of being somebody’s dad. I have an acute case of Proud Papa Syndrome, and symptoms include boring friends, colleagues, and errant passers-by with unending slide shows of baby pictures and harrowing tales of our ordeal. I find myself humming lullaby tunes all day long. Yesterday, I had to stop myself from praising a guy in the next bathroom stall for making such a big poop.
What a wild ride, and it’s just the beginning.
– Greg
gregsedwards 
CONGRATULATIONS!
I hope Ginny is feeling better and you guys are going to be awesome parents! Just please don’t let him grow up to be a hippy…
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Saw the title and wondered "What on earth is Greg on about!" Saw the blog and thought "Oh, what a beautiful story and a lovely little boy." You must both be so thrilled:-)
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Thanks for your comments. Logan is almost 2 years old now, and I have lots more pictures with which to annoy people. Check out my Logan folder in my SkyDrive photos library.
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WOW I bet you are very happy:0 Congrats on the new little bundle of joy.
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As the proud owner (sorry, mother) of a 4 mnth old son, i know all about the pride associated with big poops…
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