Let’s see: Tess got to eat again today! Her belly button nub fell off and a nurse asked me if I wanted to keep it (?!). Poor Kat had to toss 11 bottles of milk because they didn’t tell her to freeze it – sad. Dave and I got a ton of work done, but I still don’t feel ready for Monday. Lexie the night nurse was there and was hysterical as always. Sunday night they measure the baby, and Tess got longer and a bigger head. 🙂 And no one – NO ONE hears a heart murmur! Official proof is due tomorrow, but we’re pretty psyched. Other than uncomfortable-looking IV sites, the peanut is winning the NICU game this week. My favorite move lately? When Tess is pissed, she sticks her legs straight out in the air like a skinny starfish! I attempted to catch this classic move on camera – we’ll see if that worked.
Her cries sound more stable again (read: loud and persistent!), but oh! When they changed her IV today, it almost broke my heart. I ended up cupping her head and hands and promising not to watch – I just felt like a good parent would man up and suffer with her. So sad! I can’t wait for them to yank that thing again. Out!
Becca, I gave in and bought a blanket – nothing special, but Tess now has her own special fleece cover! Some homework done at any rate. So I feel like maybe we accomplished our goal today – Tess was pretty boring! Lucky us. 😀
I’m so glad you wrote about her plank position! Totally the funniest little protest ever. I so wish everyone could see it in person cause it’s too hilarious!
I could not agree more! It just took this long to catch it with the camera! 🙂
Yay for no murmur! 🙂
Good news all around!
I am a huge fan of the newborn startle reflex, so please ask her to hang on to that one for a while so I can see. Can wait to see her very own blanket! Or something besides Strawberry Shortcake. 😉
Okay, here is a belated assignment, but I’m guessing you’re doing it already anyway: The Notebook – a place where you take notes about everything you’re told, first and last names and titles of people telling you, questions you have, terms to look up. Got it? This sucker is golden. Ours is one of those essay composition books and I still use it!
Assuming that’s done, your other job is information management. Now that you’re officially in charge you have to be data backup and transfer managers. You need to be there for rounds and every shift change to make sure info about Tess is being properly relayed and transferred between shifts. I know they are charting to paper and then charting to computer and there is an incredible information management system in place, but mistakes happen. All. The. Time. One checkbox doesn’t get marked, one super tired resident mislogs a med change, one nurse doesn’t save charting notes in the system and your baby doesn’t get her next feeding or someone is putting in a new IV site when she is only supposed to have IV fluids for 15 more minutes or she ends up in level two care for three more days (and $21,000) when she could have been moved to level one. It might sound like you’d be stepping on toes and ruffling feathers, but it will be the opposite…your really excellent and confident doctors and nurses will appreciate and admire you for this. It’s a nice change from parents who show up once in a while to keep social services off their backs, or the ones who get loaded before they come over. If anybody gives you grief RUN away as fast as possible and body block them from your baby because they’ve either let their ego go before their head and heart or they are so insecure and lacking that they are afraid. One exception is residents and med students who are generally terrified of parents and usually react by being cocky and over-confident or by trembling and stuttering and acting like you might bite them. 😉 Their “orders” get reviewed through multiple channels and nurses go over them with a fine tooth comb. They’ll as soon do what the janitor says as a resident. 😉 Many factors in the NICU make you feel powerless (and I’ll bet adopting Tess makes the feeling moreso), so embrace every bit of control you can get and be involved any way you can. It sure sounds like you are already there for rounds, but shift changes might be even more important, and no you’re not being geeks or overbearing by getting involved this way – you are being parents. Awesome parents!
Mags wow I just caught up on your latest events! Congratulations on parenthood. While the premature birth and months in NICU may not be what you had ideally planned for, you’ll be able to tell Tess all about her third trimester ! I am over joyed to hear that she is doing so well. You and and David seem to be adjusting to the inevitable joys and worries that parenting brings. Such emotionally intelligent individuals you are.
I don’t know how far Murray, UT is from Salt Lake City but I am an hour flight and a free plane ride away from SLC . I would love to pay you a quick visit even if it is for just an afternoon. Oma and/or Bryan are always able to watch Carson.
Sending all my well wishes to you, David, Tess and the many healthcare providers .
Hugs, Marci
Marci,
Thanks. We would love to see you! We’re in south SLC, so that would be great! We can even pick you up. 🙂 our biggest gap tends to be 4-8:30pm – at least right now. The health care providers are amazing. You’d fit right in! Call me when you have some possible dates – our calendar is mostly up to date. 🙂