Today is the happiest day of our lives so far. At 9:02pm Laura gave birth to our son Sebastian Alexander Josephus Hos.

As some of you are aware, this is way too early. Let me explain:

Last Tuesday November 8th, Laura and I went to see the doctor for her 6 month checkup. The doctor was a little surprised at her bloodpressure reading and told us to go to the hospital to get a proper reading with more advanced equipment. Once there, she was diagnosed with pre-eclemsia. They did not tell us how bad things were, but told us that they were not qualified to treat her there. She was transferred by ambulance to the Academic Medical Center in Rotterdam. There she was admitted into the intensive care unit of the prenatal care department. They told me that she had a bloodpressure reading of 210 over 180. If we had waited another day she would more then likely have suffered a stroke. She was immediately heavily medicated and continuously monitored around the clock. She responded very well and her blood pressure started dropping to more normal levels. The doctors told us that Laura would probably have to undergo a C-section within the next couple of days in order to keep her save. They did say that they would wait as long as possible, because the baby was only 27 weeks and 2 days at that time.

Over the next couple of days Laura started feeling better and she managed to pull through without too much pain, however last Sunday night her blood pressure started rising again and her liver and kidneys started acting up. This was causing her severe pain, which even the codine they were giving her would not touch. Last night the doctors decided that they could not wait any longer without jeopardizing Laura’s safety. At 8:30pm Laura was put under general anestesia and at 9:02pm our son was born after a term of 28 weeks and 2 days. His weight is 875 grams, which is less than 2 pounds. His birth was nothing short of a miracle since he apparently managed to start breathing without the aid of a resparator. This is the best any of us could have hoped for.

Laura is now recovering in the intensive care unit, were they are keeping a close watch on her bloodpressure and vital organs. I am extremely proud of my wife, and am amazed at how selfless and tough she handled herself. Sebastian is now slowly being prepped such that his vital organs will function on their own as soon as possible. The battle of the lungs is going very well, so he has had no shortage of oxygen to the brain. Next up is his digestive system. Hopefully he will be able to start feeding on breast milk as fast as possible.

More Later