Friday, August 24, 2012

Our NICU Story – First 48 hours

Sorry for not being so active since the girls were born, but it has been a little busier around with them here…

So going back in time to when the girls were born, and we already knew that they were heading to the NICU for further development, as they left mommy’s warm belly 6 weeks too soon… This was the best thing for both mommy and babies…

After birth they were wheeled away to the NICU with Daddy by their side as they were finishing up on Mommy. By the time I left recovery (after gaining feeling back in my legs and being able to lift my bottom up on my own) I was rolled down to NICU to see the girls, and they were soooo tiny, in their separate isolates, to regulate their temperatures. The nurse came in and said “these are great babies, they paste the APGAR and have no need for any of the regular instruments just the gavache tube for feedings” I was so happy to hear how well they were doing. They were hooked to monitors to keep track of their vitals; heart rates, and oxygen in take. I was rolled away to my new room on the 7th floor and this was crazy!! (side story)

So being on the 7th floor which is the recovery for C-sections and having left my nice cushy comfortable spoiled care in ante-partum on the 5th floor for 6 weeks, I was shocked at how they treated me up there, I could barely move because of the C-section and my best friend was the button for the pain killer to keep flowing into me as much as I needed, which was A LOT!! The nurses and techs were nice but very abrupt and a bit invasive. They would come in while sleeping to change the pads and other things and check vitals and drain the catheter and leave the light on! How I hated this!! I could not rest!! Then my nurse came in at 1:00 AM to tell me that I need to walk!! What do you mean walk?!? I just had mayor surgery?!? But in all true reality this is what helps the healing process go better, it is to get up and walk and take the pain to recover faster. It does help, it really does this is what makes you heal faster, walk and stay on top of the pain DO NOT LET IT GET TO YOU! So after a very longggg night the day came and I was looking forward to go and see MY BABIES!!, however the nurses had a different plan I was not allowed to go as I had the epidural/spinal tap thingy still in my back and I was not allowed to go down to the NICU with this in. So the anesthesiologist had to come in and take it out, well this took foreverrrr! Finally they took it out and I was wheeled away to go see MY BABIES!! YAY!!!

Reaching down to the 3rd floor and checking in with the nurse at the front, I get to go in and see my girls but before that everyone has to do a 3 minute scrub and then some hand sanitizer before going into their room, and seeing them through the isoletes. They were so precious and so tiny. We spoke to the nurse and she explained to us that Isabelle (Baby B) had a Apnea and a Bradycardia or Brady as they call, this happens since they’re brains and nervous system is not full developed they forget to breathe and this lowers their heart rate, they put a bit of oxygen and she got back to normal. We were scared to hear about this happening even though we knew that things like this would happen, being that the girls were premies. She then asked us if we wished to carry them and I didn’t hesitate at all she took the babies out of the isoletes and we got to Kangaroo them which were AMAZING! I was so happy to be able to hold them and kiss them and give them all my love and warmth. We stayed with them for a long time until we got hungry and had to go back upstairs to eat. I would go back late that night to see them again and touch them and say goodnight to them.

The next morning I was told by my nurse that I was cleared for discharged. I was shocked it had not even been 48 hours since the C-section and it was already time to go home, and then my babies are still here, I don’t want to leave them… I want to stay with them at all times… Reluctantly I went home later in the day after I spent time with the girls and felt in a good state of mind to leave them and go home calmly.
The girls were doing really great according to the nurses again I got to hold them and Kangaroo them I even got to try to see if they would latch on my breast to feed them, pumping was hard as the milk did not come through yet as it thought the babies were still in, and I had not gone into labor. Unfortunately they could not latch on yet, and I was only pumping out drops of colostrum, they would always say any little bit helps so I would send down drops of milk to mix in their formula which they were eating through the gavache tubes. After spending the day with the girls, we decided to head on home, as I was being discharged and we would come back and see them the next day.

I was very somber and quiet on the way home all I kept thinking about was the girls, and also I was in pain because of the C-section, to make matters worse, there were no pharmacies open so I could not fill my prescription for the painkillers. We ended up at Walmart and getting the most extra strength Motrin type pills they had to mend the pain until the next morning to go get the pills. My lovely adoring husband had set up the room so it will all be easy for me to be able to reach things, sleep with making mayor movements, as we have a platform bed and it takes a lot of abdominal movements getting in and out of the bed.

Will be back soon to continue with Our NICU Story as the girls were in the NICU for 17 days…
Ciaooooooo


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