Kendall & I toured the NICU today. I almost lost it when we went in, but managed to hold it together. I had already read about it and heard about it, but oh.my.goodness. that is a lot of equipment! (and a lot of sweet babies).
The Dr. was very nice, but very serious. He said that when we deliver Isaac, Andrew & I will get to look at him and then he will go to the NICU for observation, etc. When he will "graduate" from the NICU depends onhow he does. The Dr. asked how far along I was and when I told him almost 35 weeks he started wheeling us towards the lower level of care. When I mentioned the SVT, he turned us around to tour the high level intensive care and explained that there is also a possibility of transfer to Children's if he needs surgery, but that he would have to be stabilized here first. Again, I almost lost it, but didn't. I have really been focusing on the best case scenario of Isaac recovering from SVT upon delivery.
If Isaac has to stay in the NICU we will be able to visit him during 21 hours of the day (except during rounds, which makes sense to me.) and they will work with me to nurse him. Isla won't be able to visit, but that is understandable.
Saturday RN - Martha
Saturday Tele RN - Kendall
2 comments:
I know. The first time I saw the NICU was hours after I had my c-section - they wheeled me in and I literally passed out. I was in a wheelchair and they had to take me back upstairs. All of the lights, noise, heat and wires were totally overwhelming. It gets better. The nurses are like angels. Things work out. Phoebe was 14 days in the NICU and every day got easier to bear.
Big huge hugs, my friend.
The NICU doctors and staff were some of the best people I've ever dealt with, and they usually do their best to really get to know you and make everything so personable (at our hospital, they have people who make and donate quilts, so every bassinet has a special quilt that belongs to the baby). They also had clothes that had been donated, so we could always pick out his outfit and get him dressed (I couldn't stand up for too long, so Jason got really adept at dressing and changing him around all the wires and tubes! After that, normal diaper changes are ridiculously easy!) You could bring your own clothes, but there was the chance that they'd get mixed up with the hospitals' outfits and you'd never see it again, so we just used theirs ;) They were cute little outfits, though! I didn't know any of my own nurses, but I knew (at least by sight!) all of the NICU staff, and they really got to know us too. I don't know how your hospital will do it, but the lactation consultants at my hospital were really eager to help, too - the NICU nurses would call them when I was there so they could come to the NICU to help me try to get him to latch (we were never able to wean from the nipple shield, but we wouldn't have been able to nurse as long as we did without the shield and the LC who helped us learn to use it!)
It sounds like you're in such good hands, and you and Isaac are already both so loved! This too shall pass!
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