Email Eric sent out this afternoon

Hey all...
First, thank you all for the many good wishes on the arrival of Ethan. I want to fill everyone in as to what is going on because I am not sure that i am going to be able to call everyone individually.

Last night Jayme started having contractions around 8pm. She called her Dr, and they told us to measure them, and call back if they got stronger or closer together. By midnight they were getting worse, so we called again, and they told us to come to the hospital. At 2am Jayme was slightly dilated, so they told us to walk around the halls for a bit, to see what happened over the next 2 hours. By 4am, Jayme was much more dilated, and they admitted us to Labor and Delivery. hings progressed quickly from there, and at 11:14 this morning, Ethan was born.

Unfortunately, him being only 37 weeks along, his lungs are not yet fully developed, and he has a condition known as RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome). When he is calm he is fine, but when he starts to cry he stops breathing. He has been admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit here at the hospital for the next few days. They have him on a breathing machine, and they are hoping that this will exercise his lungs and aid in their continued development. In addition they may inject him with surfactant, which will also help with his continued development.

At this point it looks as if he is going to be in the NICU for at least five days or so, but possibly more. This means when they release Jayme on Sunday, we will be heading home without our son. Many of you have called or emailed asking when you can visit. We appreciate the concern, but for tonight at least, Jayme and I want to spend time together and with Loryn. For those of you who want to come visit, feel free to come on by anytime after 9am tomorrow. Again, we appreciate your concern, but we are both a bit scared right now, and we feel like some time together is what we need.

As things change, I will keep you all informed. Thanks again, for all the thoughts, prayers, and encouragements.

Eric, Jayme, and Loryn Steinbach