We found out this week that while having a child in the NICU is extremely difficult, having them in your own home is much crazier! :) Where are the nurses when its 3 in the morning and Mr. Boy is crying?? Where are the monitors when Mr. Boy is sleeping and we want to know if he is still breathing? Where are the doctors when its time to give him his medicine or when his surgical site looks inflamed? Things are really fun, scary, stressful and wonderful all at once. heehee.
Last night, I was changing his diaper while David got his bath ready. I got him undressed only to find his medical device was coming of and there was a mess. Changing the device is quite the stressful endeavor, so it took both of us to attempt. In the middle of changing the device, and amid shrieking screams of discontent from Mr. Boy, the power went out because we had space heaters running in his room and the bathroom. Because we live in a very old apartment, we cant just go and flip the circuit breaker, we have to replace the blown fuse and of course this night we were out of them. David ran to Wal-mart for more fuses while I scrambled to affix a new device to my son and mix his blood pressure medicine into his milk using a flashlight. I don't do well under pressure, so it took double the amount of time it should have due to my stress and due to running back and forth to make sure Mr. Boy's arm had not fallen off from all the screaming. As soon as I was ready to feed him, he fell silent... he had cried himself to sleep. This would have been nice accept once the milk is mixed with the medicine and warmed up, its only good for an hour. Needless to say, it was an eventful first night. After we got through the initial kinks and worked out a system and strategy for Mr. Boy's care, we were able to breath an just enjoy our son.
 |
| Last moments in the NICU |
 |
| Empty Room! |
 |
| Goodbye NICU |
 |
| Arriving home for the first time |
 |
| Looking so small in the huge crib |
 |
| Lounging in the living room. |
Kassy,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you and Dave received more than your share of responses to your question earlier on Thursday, "What do we do now?" When I wrote that you were about to learn the answer to that question, I didn't think that you would have THAT CRAZY A NIGHT!!
But, since last Thursday's experiences you have probably already figured out that just about the time you think you have one routine going smoothly, things will change! YIKES!! It is called "parenting" and you will survive.
Prayers for good sleep~
Mike B.