A day in the life of Max

Well, as many of you may have heard, Anna gave birth via cesarean section to a beautiful boy today and we are so thrilled! He's had somewhat of an uphill battle since he was born at ten o'clock this morning but thanks to a professional staff of doctors and nurses he has really come around. It was really quite amazing to experience the miracle of birth first hand and we are both overcome at this time with love and gratitude to our Father in heaven for allowing this special guy to come into our lives.

Our little man, whom we have decided to name Max Steven Miller, tipped the scales at 6 pounds and 11.7 ounces. He was twenty inches long and born today, October 14, 2009 - five days prior to his scheduled due date.

The complications that arose soon after he was removed from the womb were primarily caused by a small hole in his right lung. Whether the hole was there prior to delivery or not, we are not sure. The hole allowed air breathed in to seep out and form an air pocket between his lung and inner, right rib cage. The pressure from this air pocket inhibited his right lung from fully inflating and also caused other organs, including his heart, to be partly moved over. All of these complications made it difficult for our Max to inhale the levels of oxygen he was desperately needing.

Shortly after his removal, it was apparent that Max was not breathing the way he should have been. He was working extra hard to fill his lungs with air and grunted with every labored breath. Nurses quickly attended to his needs by providing him with some positive pressure oxygen to aid his breathing. Several vitals were taken and it was ultimately decided that he would need to be moved to NICU, or Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit, to fully attend to his condition.

In the NICU, an x-ray was taken of Max's chest and the presence of an air pocket surrounding part of his right lung was discovered. It was decided by our pediatrician Dr. O'dell that Max was in need of a chest tube that would allow the build up of air in his chest to escape. A small hole was made in his rib cage and a tube inserted and the air began to flow out.

The trace amounts of air that are still escaping through the hole in his lungs are continually being removed by the chest tube. The hope is that the hole in his lungs will heal and Max will be able to breathe on his own normally sometime soon.

At this time we are so thankful for knowledgeable doctors who took quick action to stabilize our newest family member. We are grateful he is doing much better now and looks to make a sound recovery. We have felt your prayers and appreciate the calls and words of encouragement all have offered. We are so happy that Max his finally here and love him more than we ever thought possible.

With much love,
Alex and Anna Miller