nicu baby
It never even crossed my mind that there could be anything wrong with the sweet baby growing inside me. I just imagined she would come out ready to take on the world, I suppose. Even when they carted her off to the NICU just a few hours after she was born, I somehow was under the impression that she would only be there for 24 hours. However, 24 hours turned into 16 very long days.
Why did she need intensive care?
When Ada was born, her blood sugar was very low. Apparently this is common for babies of diabetic mothers: Their pancreas learns to work overtime while inside mom since there is lots of extra sugar from mom, but as soon as baby is out, the sugar supply is cut off while the pancreas still works in overdrive.
At first they just wanted her blood sugar to be above a certain level before feedings and they wanted her to take 15 mL of milk. After a day or two, she was consistently doing this, so I thought we'd get to take her home! However, then the doctors seemed to do a 180 -- all of a sudden they were concerned that she wasn't eating enough for her large size. They said she should be eating at least 75 mL per feeding. At this point, she was maybe doing 30.
To get her to eat more, they put a tube in her nose, and following feedings, they would top her off through the tube, increasing how much they gave her by 3 mL per feeding until the amount they gave her was up to 75 mL. The idea was to expand her stomach so that she would want to eat more. Then, once they were up to 75 through the tube, the goal was to get her to consistently take about that much orally (since obviously they wouldn't be sending her home with a feeding tube).
It was a very long process, and throughout the whole thing, nobody would give us a timeline of when she might be ready to come home. Everyone just said, "That's completely dependent on her!" This got really annoying when I was just asking for an average. I mean, AVERAGE means that some babies will take less time than that and some babies will take more. I just wanted a ballpark idea!
It was an exciting day when they decided to see how she did without the tube. Every tube out was a step closer to coming home! Her first day without the tube was pretty good, but not quite up to what they wanted. She would have to try again.
The next day, they took her off oxygen. Her O2 levels had often dropped during feedings, so that's why she was on oxygen, but the levels had been pretty consistent so again, they decided to see how she'd do without it. Another tube gone!
It was around this time that people actually started giving us timeframes . . . unfortunately, she ended up staying longer than the first two estimated days out (Friday, then Saturday), which was really hard for me. So hard, in fact, that when the doctor came to talk to me on Saturday, I just cried the whole time, which is perhaps why they discharged Ada on Sunday. Usually, babies have to consistently be doing what the doctors want for two days in a row, but Ada did not. She did well on Thursday, not so well on Friday, and well again on Saturday, so they released her on Sunday. I really just think the doc felt bad for me haha. She even teared up a bit when we were talking. But whatever the reason, I was just glad we finally got to take her home!
What our days looked like while Ada was in the NICU
During Russ's paternity leave, we got into a pattern of going to the NICU for two feedings each day -- usually one at 10:30am and another at 7:30pm. When we went, we'd be at the hospital for about 2 hours, sometimes longer. I would breastfeed her and then Russ would bottlefeed her while I pumped. When we went in the evening, we would also each spend 30 minutes doing skin-to-skin with her. Sometimes we'd stay for two feedings in a row since the next feeding was so close, but it was kind of taxing to stay for two in a row . . . it was just such a long process and it made us tired.
When Russ went back to work, I would go to one morning feeding (7:30am or 10:30am), Russ would use his lunch hour to go to her 1:30pm feeding, and then we'd both go to her 7:30pm feeding together. We'd still do skin-to-skin each evening. A big part of what made it possible to go to her 7:30pm feedings was that my mom made or bought us dinner every night during that second week. That way, Russ and I didn't have to go home to Springville, figure out dinner, and turn immediately back around to go to the hospital in Orem. Instead, we got to eat a dinner we didn't have to think about in Orem, which is where Russ works, where my parents live, and where the hospital is. It made things a lot easier, so I was so grateful to my mom for being willing to do that for us.
When I wasn't at the NICU, I was mostly at home trying to finish up all the things I had wanted to finish up before Ada got home anyway -- mostly stuff for her nursery. My mom came over on a few different days to help me make things, clean up the house, and basically just check things off my list. Again, I was very grateful for her help.
Ada's final day in the NICU was a taxing day because we had thought we were going to get to bring her home but then we didn't get to. I shed a lot of tears around a lot of nurses. My favorite nurse (Christina) told me that I needed to do something for me that day. What I really wanted was just to get more done in Ada's nursery, so that was my "thing for me." When Russ went without me a little later, she told him the same thing, so he asked me if I wanted to go to a movie that night. In all honesty, I didn't want to go. I felt sad, and while I don't mind Star Trek movies, I didn't really feel the need to see them, either. But I knew that Russ wanted to go, and I wanted him to get to do something for him, too, so I said yes. I didn't even let him know that I didn't really feel like it; I just pretended like it sounded great.
And then . . . it was great! Russ and I held hands and snuggled during the movie like we were teenagers, which I loved. We also laughed a lot because the movie had good lines. It just felt really good to feel happy with my love after we had had two emotionally taxing weeks. After the movie, we went to see Ada, and it was the perfect ending to the evening. We got our great date together, and then we got to see our cute daughter. It was happy :)
And now, pictures
If you got through all those words, here is your reward! A zillion adorable pics of my adorable daughter that were all taken during her time in the NICU.
Why did she need intensive care?
When Ada was born, her blood sugar was very low. Apparently this is common for babies of diabetic mothers: Their pancreas learns to work overtime while inside mom since there is lots of extra sugar from mom, but as soon as baby is out, the sugar supply is cut off while the pancreas still works in overdrive.
At first they just wanted her blood sugar to be above a certain level before feedings and they wanted her to take 15 mL of milk. After a day or two, she was consistently doing this, so I thought we'd get to take her home! However, then the doctors seemed to do a 180 -- all of a sudden they were concerned that she wasn't eating enough for her large size. They said she should be eating at least 75 mL per feeding. At this point, she was maybe doing 30.
To get her to eat more, they put a tube in her nose, and following feedings, they would top her off through the tube, increasing how much they gave her by 3 mL per feeding until the amount they gave her was up to 75 mL. The idea was to expand her stomach so that she would want to eat more. Then, once they were up to 75 through the tube, the goal was to get her to consistently take about that much orally (since obviously they wouldn't be sending her home with a feeding tube).
It was a very long process, and throughout the whole thing, nobody would give us a timeline of when she might be ready to come home. Everyone just said, "That's completely dependent on her!" This got really annoying when I was just asking for an average. I mean, AVERAGE means that some babies will take less time than that and some babies will take more. I just wanted a ballpark idea!
It was an exciting day when they decided to see how she did without the tube. Every tube out was a step closer to coming home! Her first day without the tube was pretty good, but not quite up to what they wanted. She would have to try again.
The next day, they took her off oxygen. Her O2 levels had often dropped during feedings, so that's why she was on oxygen, but the levels had been pretty consistent so again, they decided to see how she'd do without it. Another tube gone!
It was around this time that people actually started giving us timeframes . . . unfortunately, she ended up staying longer than the first two estimated days out (Friday, then Saturday), which was really hard for me. So hard, in fact, that when the doctor came to talk to me on Saturday, I just cried the whole time, which is perhaps why they discharged Ada on Sunday. Usually, babies have to consistently be doing what the doctors want for two days in a row, but Ada did not. She did well on Thursday, not so well on Friday, and well again on Saturday, so they released her on Sunday. I really just think the doc felt bad for me haha. She even teared up a bit when we were talking. But whatever the reason, I was just glad we finally got to take her home!
What our days looked like while Ada was in the NICU
During Russ's paternity leave, we got into a pattern of going to the NICU for two feedings each day -- usually one at 10:30am and another at 7:30pm. When we went, we'd be at the hospital for about 2 hours, sometimes longer. I would breastfeed her and then Russ would bottlefeed her while I pumped. When we went in the evening, we would also each spend 30 minutes doing skin-to-skin with her. Sometimes we'd stay for two feedings in a row since the next feeding was so close, but it was kind of taxing to stay for two in a row . . . it was just such a long process and it made us tired.
When Russ went back to work, I would go to one morning feeding (7:30am or 10:30am), Russ would use his lunch hour to go to her 1:30pm feeding, and then we'd both go to her 7:30pm feeding together. We'd still do skin-to-skin each evening. A big part of what made it possible to go to her 7:30pm feedings was that my mom made or bought us dinner every night during that second week. That way, Russ and I didn't have to go home to Springville, figure out dinner, and turn immediately back around to go to the hospital in Orem. Instead, we got to eat a dinner we didn't have to think about in Orem, which is where Russ works, where my parents live, and where the hospital is. It made things a lot easier, so I was so grateful to my mom for being willing to do that for us.
When I wasn't at the NICU, I was mostly at home trying to finish up all the things I had wanted to finish up before Ada got home anyway -- mostly stuff for her nursery. My mom came over on a few different days to help me make things, clean up the house, and basically just check things off my list. Again, I was very grateful for her help.
Ada's final day in the NICU was a taxing day because we had thought we were going to get to bring her home but then we didn't get to. I shed a lot of tears around a lot of nurses. My favorite nurse (Christina) told me that I needed to do something for me that day. What I really wanted was just to get more done in Ada's nursery, so that was my "thing for me." When Russ went without me a little later, she told him the same thing, so he asked me if I wanted to go to a movie that night. In all honesty, I didn't want to go. I felt sad, and while I don't mind Star Trek movies, I didn't really feel the need to see them, either. But I knew that Russ wanted to go, and I wanted him to get to do something for him, too, so I said yes. I didn't even let him know that I didn't really feel like it; I just pretended like it sounded great.
And then . . . it was great! Russ and I held hands and snuggled during the movie like we were teenagers, which I loved. We also laughed a lot because the movie had good lines. It just felt really good to feel happy with my love after we had had two emotionally taxing weeks. After the movie, we went to see Ada, and it was the perfect ending to the evening. We got our great date together, and then we got to see our cute daughter. It was happy :)
And now, pictures
If you got through all those words, here is your reward! A zillion adorable pics of my adorable daughter that were all taken during her time in the NICU.
 |
| first family selfie! |
 |
| ada's first time falling asleep during general conference -- but not her last, i'm sure ;) |
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| first manicure |
 |
| that smile! |
**ashleynicole
Thanks for sharing your story. It is so interesting to read how another mom dealt with a baby in the NICU. Hudson had the same low blood sugar issue. We were told once he had three good readings in a row we could go home with him. It ended taking 3.5 days. It was such a roller coaster of emotions each time they took his blood sugar. I'd have such hope that this would be the time that he'd have a good reading and it was a crushing blow when it wasn't. It really drains you emotionally. I am so glad you got to bring Ada home and that she is doing well. Now the real fun can begin!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cutie and I am so glad she is finally at home with you and Russ! And oh my goodness - I totally cringed when you wrote about wanting a ballpark timeframe and no one would give it to you... I absolutely hate that!!! Like, I know it may be longer or shorter, but come on, just give me an idea!!! Are we talking a week or a month?!
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