The "Home Stretch"

Before you get too excited about the title of this point, I want to give you a running analogy.  For those of you who don't know, I got into running about 2 years ago and love it!  It is very addictive I think!  I need to get back out there, because I would love to run a half marathon sometime this fall.  Alright, digressing...

Anyways, different races have different kinds of home stretches.  Let's talk about 3 different kinds.

1. Some races you run and run and run, then all of a sudden the finish line is there.  You couldn't really see it coming, it just sort of pops up out of nowhere.  Then you're finished.
2. Other races you can see it for miles until you finally finish it.  Those aren't nice because you can tasted the finish, but it feels like it's being kept from you like candy on a string attached to your hat. No matter how far you go, it just never feels like it gets closer.
3. Then there's even meaner races (right now I am thinking of the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon I did last summer).  In that race (while I was in a lot of pain because my knee hurt like crazy) you could see the finish around mile 22sh I believe, but then you had to run around this peninsula/island thing and you couldn't see it for a few miles.  So cruel!  It was sooo close, you could see it not that far away, then you had to run where you couldn't see it....

So, how does any of that have to do with Samuel going home (some day)?  Basically I say we are on the home stretch because we have now been given the orders to feed orally whenever he is awake (on Friday we could feed him orally twice a shift and that went very well).  Remember how one of the big things is that he has to be on 100% oral feedings with 2 days of weight gain?  Yeah, we are getting really close.

The problem is, even though we are getting really close we really don't know what close means...  Does that mean he will start eating orally and gaining weight well and we'll be home within a week?  Maybe!  Or is his energy not quite up to snuff and after eating more he will be sleepy more, thus keeping us here past Easter?  Maybe!  We just don't know at this point, it is too early to tell.

Oh and remember how I mentioned that his oxygen levels haven't been as spectacular as before?  Yeah, we got to get that more under control too.  How long will that take?  I have no idea.  Maybe within a week or maybe not until after Easter.  So, yes, we are in the home stretch and we could be going home very soon (note to self, get that car seat installed!), but we could also be here for several more weeks.

What I do know, is that we want him healthy and strong so that he can handle what life at home means.  That's a life without monitors to make sure he's breathing and has his heart rate where he needs it.  It's also a life where being too tired to eat is not an option, there will be no more tube feeding (which is not a favorite of his anyways).  We are simply thankful for the excellent progress he has made so far and we just pray that he will continue moving forward no matter how quickly.... or slowly!

Samuel means "God heard" and we surely know that God hears all our prayers, including the ones about Samuel!  We have definitely been blessed with an amazing staff at this NICU, which is one way that God has heard our prayers!

NICU Misconceptions

Ok, so I decided to depart from the usual posts that I write and write a post about things I have found that people think to be true about the NICU, but actually aren't.  Really it's just 2 main things.

1. "So how what weight does he have to achieve to be allowed to go home?"

There is actually NO weight goal for babies in the NICU to achieve to be allowed to go home.  So if he doesn't have to gain weight, what DOES he have to do to be allowed home?

• He has to be taking his feedings orally.  Right now he has a tube that goes straight to his stomach and that is how he gets my milk, he does not actually go through the whole intake, swallow, digest process we do at this point.  When he can do that, he is one step closer to coming home!
• He has to be able to regulate his own body temperature.  Right now the incubator (actually called an isolette) aids him greatly in regulating his body temperature.  His has a temperature probe that gives the isolette information and when he stops to drop his temp too much or raise it too much the isolette adjusts to get his body temp back to where it should be.  When he can do that, he is one step closer to coming home!
• He has to be able to breathe pretty much on his own.  Some babies get sent home with a little bit of oxygen, but most go home being completely independently stable.  Right now he is on the CPAP and is receiving a little bit of oxygen, when he no longer needs oxygen, he is one step closer to coming home.
• He has to be able to keep a steady heart rate.  Currently he will drop his heart rate on occasion.  Now almost 100% of the time he brings it back up on his own with no stimulation, but we want him to not be dropping it at all.  When he can do this, he will be one step closer to coming home.
• He also has to show weight gain.  This does not come in a specific magic goal number.  Babies used to have to reach a certain weight to leave, this is no longer the case.  Simply showing that he is gaining weight is enough.  When he does this, he is one step closer to coming home.

     2.  "I didn't think I would actually get to SEE him!" - Said when visiting me at the NICU.

Yes, if you visit me at the NICU you actually get to SEE Samuel!  In fact, at St. Luke's, all the NICU babies have their own private room that the parents have access to 24/7, complete with a couch, sheets and pillows.  This means when you visit the NICU you actually enter into the family own personal space and where I get to spend time pumping around the clock!  No, I don't have to stay at night to pump, that's why I have one at home (with the help of health insurance covering part of that cost).  As this space is the private space for each family in the NICU to have with their baby, when people come to visit a call in advance is preferred.

Think about if you were to visit someone at their house, most of the time you would let that person know in advance that you want to stop by.  Same idea here.  In fact it is almost more important here because I have to pump around the clock.  That is why if you drop by unexpectedly you will probably not be let up to the NICU, especially if I am here by myself.  When a person visits, they have to stop by the front desk down stairs and let them know who they want to visit.  They call up to the babies room and make sure that Mom or Dad is there with the baby.  Then they get a sticker with Samuel's room number on it.  Next they go into the elevator, which upon entering the lady at the front desk hits a button and you may now go upstairs to the NICU.  Without her hitting that button you are can't get to the floor that has the NICU.

Other amenities for the family of a NICU baby include free wifi, a whirlpool tub, showers, washer and dryer, refrigerator, microwave, and 3 meals a day down on the labor and delivery floor.  It is because of the 3 meals a day down there that snacks are probably more helpful to families at the St. Luke's NICU than meals.

I hope this helped clarify some misconceptions you and others might have had about the NICU.  This has been quite the learning experience for Ben and myself and through reading my blog about the experience I am sure it is for you too!