Yesterday and today have seen steady improvement, and thus a lightening of our moods. The tests kept coming back with good results, and Exie continued without any episodes. As soon as Susan was able (around 7am yesterday), she was wheeled down to feed Exie again (Exie hadn’t eaten anything since just after delivery, so it had been about 7 hours, but apparently that’s okay for newborns). After that, sometimes Susan went down herself, and sometimes carried some pumped milk down and fed Exie with a tiny syringe. Several of the nurses really pushed us to use formula to augment Susan’s milk (“Your baby is *starving*!”), but we stuck to our guns. (We figured out later that Susan’s milk was certainly sufficient, so we’re glad we stayed the course.)
Today we also got kicked out of our room since we have used up our “two midnights” of hospital stay that come standard after delivery. We were worried that we’d have to stay in a nearby hotel, but they found us an empty room (much nearer to the NICU actually), so we’ll be staying there tonight. Apparently this is a relatively common occurance and the hospital is pretty good about accomodating new parents with infants in the NICU.
hanging in the mellower NICU
As we watch Exie continue on what seems more and more like a normal course, we’re struck by how relatively good our situation is compared with the other babies in the NICU, many of whom have significantly more serious conditions than Exie (or were simply premature, from slightly to seriously). Consequently, some of the parents are in pretty rough shape since they are really worried about their babies. Several of the couples we met had quite heart-wrenching stories, and their babies have significant risk of having some long-term conditions. These other stories fill me with both relief and guilt. Relief that Exie seems to be fine, and guilt for feeling that relief with other babies struggling nearby, as well as feeling so upset previously about a problem that seems small in comparison.
steady improvement
still wired up, but in mommy’s arms
Yesterday and today have seen steady improvement, and thus a lightening of our moods. The tests kept coming back with good results, and Exie continued without any episodes. As soon as Susan was able (around 7am yesterday), she was wheeled down to feed Exie again (Exie hadn’t eaten anything since just after delivery, so it had been about 7 hours, but apparently that’s okay for newborns). After that, sometimes Susan went down herself, and sometimes carried some pumped milk down and fed Exie with a tiny syringe. Several of the nurses really pushed us to use formula to augment Susan’s milk (“Your baby is *starving*!”), but we stuck to our guns. (We figured out later that Susan’s milk was certainly sufficient, so we’re glad we stayed the course.)
Today we also got kicked out of our room since we have used up our “two midnights” of hospital stay that come standard after delivery. We were worried that we’d have to stay in a nearby hotel, but they found us an empty room (much nearer to the NICU actually), so we’ll be staying there tonight. Apparently this is a relatively common occurance and the hospital is pretty good about accomodating new parents with infants in the NICU.
hanging in the mellower NICU
As we watch Exie continue on what seems more and more like a normal course, we’re struck by how relatively good our situation is compared with the other babies in the NICU, many of whom have significantly more serious conditions than Exie (or were simply premature, from slightly to seriously). Consequently, some of the parents are in pretty rough shape since they are really worried about their babies. Several of the couples we met had quite heart-wrenching stories, and their babies have significant risk of having some long-term conditions. These other stories fill me with both relief and guilt. Relief that Exie seems to be fine, and guilt for feeling that relief with other babies struggling nearby, as well as feeling so upset previously about a problem that seems small in comparison.