NICU Day #3: June 17th, 2011

Our little boy had finally picked up on the whole eating thing! Thank goodness! Not only had he picked up on it, but he took it very seriously! If his eyes were open, he made sure we knew that he wanted food in his belly! Even though Wes started off having obstacles, we were amazed at how fast he overcame each one. Chad would laugh at me, because anytime the slightest thing went wrong, I would be hysterical over it and then an hour later Wes had figured it out. You can call me a crazy mom, I know I am and I don't think I will stop being one anytime soon...or ever!

After cleaning up, Chad and I got to the NICU and I was so happy to see that Wes had the sweetest nurse EVER! Jill is such a wonderful nurse and her smiling face is just what this mommy needed to brighten her day! Jill gave us the wonderful news that Wes's blood culture was negative, so they would be discontinuing his antibiotics and since he had been eating so well, they were discontinuing his IV fluids as well! Finally no more IVs!!! The doctor came in and told us that as long as Wes continued to eat well, that he could go home with us tomorrow (Saturday, June 18th). We were SO happy to hear such fantastic news!! The only challenge was that I was having to be discharged that day (Friday). I absolutely refused to go home without my baby, so my plan was to stay in my room until midnight and then sleep in the NICU with Wes until he was discharged. Shortly after we came up with this plan the doctor came back into the room and said "nevermind, he can come down to your room now!" I could have kissed this man on his lips! The "new" plan was to let Wes come down to our room, and as long as the mother/baby unit did not need my room for a new patient, they would let us stay in the room until Wes was discharged on Saturday!!

Jill brought Wes to us around 2:00 pm. I can't tell you how amazing it was to hold our baby without wires, machines, and IV's! Shortly after he was brought to our room, the mother baby nurse came in to do a quick assessment on him. She thought he looked jaundiced, so she took him to the nursery to draw his bilirubin level. I told the doctor's I thought he looked jaundiced in the NICU, but they did a transcutaneous bili on him and said it was fine. The mother/baby nurse said it was high, so the doctor came into our room and said they were going to start him on a bili blanket. UGH! Can't my poor baby catch a break! Even though a bili blanket is no big deal, I was just sick of my poor baby being poked and prodded!

I would have to say that day #3 in the NICU was by far the BEST day, because it was DISCHARGE day! The rest of the day was spent in our room, holding our baby, taking tons of pictures, and visiting with family and friends! The next morning, poor Wes was circumcised and given his hepatitis B vaccine. He got his hospital pictures taken, we were given a bili blanket to go, and then it was FINALLY time to take our baby home! Even though it felt like an eternity, Wes's two and a half days in the NICU were very uneventful! There is nothing worse than not being able to have your baby with you after he is born, but he was so well taken care of and now it is all a distant memory!

Chad and I cannot find words to express our extreme gratitude to the the Bethesda North SCN staff and the Good Sam nurses who took such good care of Wes. Each and every one of them are angels on this earth and they made our nightmare so much more bearable! I can now say that I know what it is like to be in a NICU parent's shoes. I empathize with these parents and I truly believe this experience will better me as a nurse to the sick babies that I care for in the NICU. Thank you all from the very bottom of our hearts!! We would especially like to thank Johnni, Miranda, and Jill! I don't know what I would have done without you guys! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU a million times over!!