Be glad you don't get the NICU experience every day. It's an interesting place. You go through a double set of security doors (you have to call the nurse's desk to get them to open) and walk into a large family waiting room. It has lots of couches, a kitchen area, lockers, a bathroom and even a play area for children. You have to get buzzed in through another set of security doors to get into the actual NICU. Once checked in, you go to a washroom and scrub down (like the docs do on TV before a surgery). Currently, there are 48 babies in the NICU. It holds nearly 70.
There are typically 2 babies per room. Kean's roommate (I have to guess because the nurses aren't allowed to say anything about the other patients) is pretty healthy and about ready to go home. Just call me Sherlock. He spent an hour and a half being monitored today as he sat in his car seat. When we first got in there, I overheard one of the nurses asking when "Xavier's mom was coming home from vacation"... It was one week before I ever saw this baby have any visitors. His mom has come in for a short visit (10 to 15 minutes) both yesterday and today. I am cursed with my ol' reporter background-- I find the other babies "back stories" fascinating.
I met another mom (she seemed really normal) while I was eating my lunch today in the family waiting room. Kelly is from Hailey (about 3 hours drive). She had twins 8 weeks ago. One of her girls only lived a week. The other girl is fighting and surviving the ups and downs in NICU. Kelly is living in a motor home in the hospital's parking lot-- with her husband coming to join her on weekends. While we were talking, a family of about eleven (very young mom and dad and lots of relatives) walked out of the NICU and into the waiting area-- all sobbing. Ug. It seems everybody is struggling in there. Yet, I know Kean is in the best of hands and he will always be our little miracle baby. The NICU can be horrifically depressing on one hand and the most peaceful, quiet place on the other. My cousin Leah (who had her twins spend a long, long time in there) put it perfectly-- in the NICU, Heaven has never felt so close and yet so far away.
Friday, August 21, 2009
The NICU Experience
Posted by Lonni at 8:28 PM
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1 comments:
Wow. It's so interesting to hear the stories of other families. It's so sad, though, to hear that some of those precious babies don't have many visitors. I'm so glad to hear that Kean's infection is clearing up and that he is latching on longer and longer each time. My kids loved being at your house, even for just a short time. All the way home Ryker kept saying, "Me want to go to Barker's house!" Your girls were so welcoming. I need to see if they can come play at our house sometime.
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