NICU

This entire week has been surreal. First off, we have a baby girl. Secondly, she came 5 weeks early. Thirdly, she lost weight from the beginning, like all babies tend to do. It's hard to imagine we are caring for a baby under 5 lbs. Her average weight has been about 4 lbs 14 oz. Fourthly, we never once thought we'd have a baby in the NICU. Every waking  moment has basically been spent at the hospital with her. And when we're not here, we are home tending to the critters, maybe throwing a load of laundry in and sleeping. We are true mothers...we feel guilty when she's at the hospital and we're not. It's hard to not be there for every move she makes and every feed and diaper change she gets. I mean, that's our job!

Brielle arrived as a late pre-term baby. A late pre-term baby is born between 34 & 36 weeks which means they are more prone to health problems. They can include difficulty controlling body temp, greater risk of respiratory problems, feeding difficulties that can lead to dehydration, low blood sugar and malnutrition, poor sleeping patterns, more vulnerability to infections, more likely to develop jaundice, possible behavioural and learning difficulties in childhood and high rates of admission into the NICU. Just so everyone can understand what has happened during Brielle's NICU stay this week, I'll try to talk about all of the things I've just mentioned.

Regulating body temperature: Brielle was immediately put in an isolette (incubator) and wrapped in blankets because she would be unable to regulate her own body temperature. After day 2 they took the top off (yup, she got her first convertible) and from there a couple of days later she was moved to a bassinet. Regulating her own body temperature was something she learned quickly. Her temperature is taken before every feeding so we know for sure she's been consistent and we should have no worries with her.

Respiratory Issues: As soon as Brielle was born she was whisked away by the NICU staff to ensure her breathing was were it needed to be. They had a bit of difficulty cleaning her lungs and getting her to cry so they worked with her, bugged her, bothered her and made her angry enough to let out a good cry. A mask was put on her face to assist her but they assured me it was not that she was in any sort of breathing danger. It was only on for a quick minute and she was under way. Not once in the NICU did she need assistance with breathing and thus far, everything seems well. Of course, routine doctors visits and a close watch from by her mommies will ensure that if anything at all arises, she will get immediate care!

Feeding difficulties: For the first 16 hours, Brielle wasn't given any feedings other than what she received from her IV. We were told the IV (which was the bubble looking thing on the top of her head) would keep her blood sugar levels in check and ensure she didn't have the hunger feeling. Once she began feeding (both breast feeding attempts & formula feeds from a bottle), it wasn't long before the IV could come out. But of course, during the first night she was feeding, she decided to not eat for the nurses so they had to tube feed her (through her nose). The tube stayed in just in case and they needed it the second night as well. But since then she's been a pretty good eater and thankfully by day 3, the tube came out. It bothered her so much and every time it wiggled in her nose, she would try to sneeze it out. Baby sneezes are so cute!

We were waking her up every 3 hours for feeds but she was then switched to demand feeding, which we've continued. Demand feeding means we wait for her to wake up on her own, asking for food. The key is to not let her go past 5 hours between feedings, but she has been very consistent with waking herself up every 4 hours. Smart girl!

She isn't very good on the breast yet and we've been told it's due to a number of factors. First off, she's new to this and so is mommy. Rhonda has been amazing with her though! She's very calm, relaxed and never gets frustrated with any of their attempts. They are to the point of Brielle latching well and getting some really good sucks. But because she shouldn't have been born yet, she has so maturing to do and it may take a few weeks for her to get the hang of it. If mom is consistent and persistent, they will get there. So for now, she gets about 10-15 minutes of good breast time and then we move on to pumped milk or formula. In the beginning she was eating 25-30 ml during a feeding but that has gone up to 50 ml most feedings, and a whopping 84 ml during one of our last nights feeds.

More vulnerability to infections: A great precautionary to keep her away from sick people which is why my mom hasn't been to see her. She's been very sick with the flu and wants to stay away until she knows she won't pass anything along to her little grandbaby.

Jaundice: We have all heard of jaundice and have known many babies who have had it, but when Brielle had it, we asked what it actually is. So here's the quick low-down. Jaundice is the yellow color seen in the skin of newborns when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in baby's blood. Bilirubin is the normal product breakdown of red blood cells. It is usually removed from the body by the liver. However, because baby's liver is not fully developed and cannot yet remove all of the bilirubin from the system, the baby becomes jaundiced on the second or third day of life.

To find out Brielle had it, they did a blood test that was taken from the bottom of her foot. Her levels were low but they were above the line which meant treatment was necessary. She was put on a bili blanket which is a special pad filled with ultraviolet light. The key is to be on it at all times, naked, and with her eyes covered to protect them from the light. While this is perfect for jaundice treatment, it is not so perfect for feeding, burping and such. The bili blanket is like a big water bottle shaped pad, filled with the blue lights and connected to a stand by a giant blue, glowing umbilical cord looking thing. Awkward to work with, but I'll tell you, if you can learn to feed, burp, cuddle and change a baby on this, you can do anything!

For 2 long days, Brielle was with the bili blanket and we were never so happy to have her off and see her beautiful eyes. Her jaundice levels were dramatically lower which meant treatment was a huge success.

Possible behavioural and learning difficulties in childhood: This is something we won't know until she starts to grow, mature, learn and develop. But for now, I can safely say that we believe she is a smart girl. She is super alert when she's awake, knows both of her mommies voices well, responds well to touch and she is forever turning her head to look directly at us when either of us talks. She wants to hold her head up on her own (crazy!), even for short periods of time and for a little girl, she is so strong. At this point, we can't imagine her having any learning difficulties.

NICU admission: It was a given that a preemie baby would end up in the NICU, but for how long would depend on her. They initially told us to expect her to be here until close to her due date, just because they had no idea about her abilities and how she would respond to the real world. Here we are on day 6 and she is going home. No major issues. She's a pretty healthy girl.

Both Rhonda & I believe that our NICU experience has been a blessed one...one that we have actually become grateful for. We have got to spend so much quality time with our daughter, we know what to watch for, we have learned how she works, what's normal for her, what's not and in general, we know our baby. We would have been happy to have brought her home the day after birth, but we can both admit we wouldn't know her as well as we do now. At home we would have been itching to find a new normal life but this has forced us to take 6 days and dedicate them to her! I think it has also taught us to take time together, just the 3 of us, to just sit and watch each other, talk, sing and spend time getting to know each other as a family.

Yesterday morning we were told that Brielle would be coming off of all monitors and the bili blanket....and best of all, they would be gearing her up to go home the next day (Friday). The hospital has a transition family room which is like a mini hotel room for parents to spend their first night alone with their baby. The nurse still comes in to check vitals before each feed but we are alone and in charge of everything. She is an awesome baby so she doesn't cause any stink (well, bum stinks!!), sleeps well and eats well....and of course she snuggles with mommies well. Our first night together was perfect and this morning, she did a half feed off of the breast, which is amazing! Smart girl!

We just finished up rounds with the doctor and nurses and everyone is confident with the decision to send her home today. She just ate, we'll let her have a little nap while Rhonda pumps and I pack up our stuff to leave our hospital hotel room. We'll spend some time with the discharge nurse, get our walking papers and head home.

Today is such an amazing day!!!