Monday, July 9, 2012

Recent appointments: We will start with the tour of the NICU & PICU

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the delay but about 1-1/2 weeks ago we had A LOT of appointments (emotional and very detailed) so I just needed a mental break before writing or talking about them.  So I will start with our NICU/ PICU visit:  

The NICU is where our baby will go very quickly if not immediately after birth:  
"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an intensive care unit specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants.  A NICU is typically directed by one or more neonatologists and staffed by nurses[1]nurse practitionerspharmacistsphysician assistantsresident physicians, and respiratory therapists."   


The PICU is where she will go after her first open heart surgery:  
"pediatric intensive care unit , is an area within a hospital specializing in the care of critically ill infants, children, and teenagers. A PICU is typically directed by one or more pediatric intensivists or PICUconsultants[1] and staffed by doctorsnurses, and respiratory therapists who are specially trained and experienced in pediatric intensive care. The unit may also have nurse practitionersphysician assistantsphysiotherapistssocial workerschild life specialists, and clerks on staff although this varies widely depending on geographic location. The ratio of professionals to patients is generally higher than in other areas of the hospital, reflecting the acuity of PICU patients and the risk of life-threatening complications.[2]Complex technology and equipment is often in use, particularly mechanical ventilators and patient monitoring systems."


The PICU is where she will go after her first open heart surgery.  So she will be in the NICU for around the first 5-7 days of life and then her length of stay in the PICU will depend on how she is doing after surgery.  After the PICU she will transition back to the NICU until she is discharged to go home.  We were advised to expect her to stay in the hospital for at least the first four weeks after she is born.  Some babies go home after around 4 weeks while others can have a lot of complications and stay months.  

The manager giving the tour was so nice and helpful.  She was very thorough and made sure we understood everything.  She gave us a NICU binder to keep and we are supposed to bring it when she is born.  We can keep information in there and they will give us educational topics about her condition to add to the binder throughout her stay.  The binder has a lot of helpful information and it covers almost every topic imaginable about the NICU- visits, rules, what to expect, etc.  


So I was strong and handling it just fine until she so kindly hands me a "Snoedel".  This is an aromatherapy blanket/toy for the baby and it holds the scent of the Mom.  So I am supposed to sleep with it for a few nights before I deliver so she can have the scent with me at all times.  So I was still not crying yet but that did make me somewhat emotional on the inside.  She then showed me where I will breastfeed, where the waiting areas are, where we will sign in, where we will wash our hands (scrub up), etc.  Then she took us into the Cardiac room of the NICU.  
This is where I became emotional... I just couldn't help it.  There were about 6 babies in this room with all having visitors (a Dad holding a baby with no wires/tubes on them, another person standing over a baby- unable to hold them, a baby that had a curtain around them with examinations/ tests, doctors, x-rays, etc starting, and so forth).  The room is not very big so it is not like I expected.  


I was introduced to one of the nurses who will help my baby and she hugged me.. I started to cry.  I said "sorry.." and they said "oh no, this is emotional and tough".  I was told the nurse was a hugger so she came over and hugged me.  She said that she will be there for many more hugs when I need her.  :)  


We were told that our kids can color pictures that will be hung by her spot, toys can be brought as long as they can be sanitized/ washed, pictures of us can be brought to be near her, etc.  It looked like there was one rocking chair and one regular chair that stayed by the baby.  There is no more than 2 visitors at one time for each baby (except for siblings).  So all of our kids are allowed to visit at the same time because they don't want the family to be separated any more than we have to be.  (Of course the visits from the younger ones won't be very long because there are a lot of rules).  :)  It was just nice to hear that they would be able to meet her while she is there because I was worried that they may not be allowed to visit her while she is on the hospital (which would mean they wouldn't meet their new sister for almost one month).  We do know that we may not get to hold her until after her first surgery so who knows when this will be allowed.  That will be hard. 


I will write more soon- I need to tell you about the two high risk appointments w/ ultrasounds, the first appointment with the pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, and the meeting with the Neonatologist (doctors who will take care of her while she is in the NICU).  


I can't tell you how nice everyone has been which has been so helpful.  At least the people who will be providing our baby care is loving and caring so that gives us comfort.  Of course you always hope they will be but we didn't know until we met them so that was reassuring.  


Thanks for reading.. more to come soon!  

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