The NICU

Jill spent four days in the NICU at Tufts New England Medical Center. I was moved from the Maternal Special Care Unit to the regular maternity ward. The nurses set me up with a breast pump and told me how important the colostrum would be for Jill. It felt so good to be able to do something for her. I pumped every three hours around the clock to help my milk come in. When I got even a few drops I would use a syringe to suck it out of the bottle and Bryan and I would deliver it to the nurses in neonatal intensive care who would cheer for us. They were so kind and encouraging. Bryan took his usual place on the pull out chair at night and he would wake up with me almost everytime I pumped. I would spend 15 minutes pumping then he would wash the bottles so they were ready for the next time.

I was discharged from the hospital on April 5th but Jill remained in the NICU. Having a baby in the NICU was a grueling and humbling experience. It was grueling because we could only stay at the hospital overnight if there was a room available. Bryan and I would drive an hour into the hospital and we would stay for as many of Jill's feedings as possible. We were usually there for about 14 hours, then we would drive home to Seabrook. We would run in, eat, change clothes, catch some Z's, pump a couple times, and race back out. My mom again was a life saver! She kept us in meals and clean laundry so that our trips homes were really like NASCAR pit stops.

The time we spent in the NICU was humbling because there were some very sick babies there. There were approximately 12 babies in the NICU and there were two rooms available for families to use. The people who had the longest drive or the sickest child got priority, which was certainly fair. I can't imagine the stress these people were under. It made it easy to say, "No, you take the room." Some people had had their child in the NICU for months. Bryan and I felt truly blessed because Jill was so healthy. She was tiny and very bruised from the forceps, but she breathed and ate on her own right from the start. Good girl.

On April 7th, Jill was moved from Tufts to Lawrence General. Bryan and I agonized over the decision to move her. She was doing so well at Tufts and we were tempted to leave well enough alone, but the head doctor advised us to move her since Jill was doing so well. The doctor had watched a lot of families go through this and knew that the commute would begin to take its toll on us.

Moving Jill to Lawrence General made things a lot easier. A nurse named Pat took several of the first shifts when Jill moved in. She made a really big deal of Jill and gave us several little gifts like an angel figurine to watch over Jill and a disposable camera to take pictures in the day. She even decorated Jill's isolette with a hand drawn welcome sign that had flowers on it. The nurses had a great sense of camaraderie between them making the special care unit almost festive.

The nurses also did their best to get Bryan and I a room at night. I would say we got to stay overnight 2 out of 3 nights with the understanding that we would get bounced if there was a sudden baby boom. It was funny how quickly we changed our idea of what "home" was during that time. Room 209 was great because there were two beds and Bryan didn't have to sleep on the pull out chair, while the rooms in the maternity ward had only one bed, but did have showers. I was still recovering from my episiotomy so I carried a canister of Lysol sanitizing wipes with me everywhere. When we moved into a hospital room for the night I would sanitize the bathroom so that I could feel someone at home taking care of myself and doing my sitz bath.

When we stayed overnight the nurses would call me and I would walk down the hall to feed Jill at night. The commitment Bryan and I made to be there for so many feedings paid off. Jill did a great job nursing, if she didn't nurse well for a solid 15 minutes we would feed her expressed milk from a bottle. Bryan loved that because he got to help. :) I fed Jill every 3 hours and spent about an hour and half feeding her every time. I would nurse her for 45 minutes to an hour, then pump, then wash the bottles. I felt like I was bonding with her but it was surreal taking care of this funny little bundle who was our daughter. I sang to her when she nursed. If the radio was on I sang whatever was playing, she really liked "Taking Care of Business, Every Day, Taking Care of Business, Every Way..." She would perk up for that. Otherwise the only real song I knew was Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun." It's a favorite of Jacqui and Anna's and I sang it so many times.

All told Jill spent a little over two weeks in the hospital. As a first time mom, it was reassuring to have the nurses coach me through diapering her, bathing her, and breastfeeding a preemie.

Here is an excerpt from an email I wrote to Bryan's parents on April 11th.

We will let you know as soon as we get news about her discharge date. I am looking forward to that time with mixed feelings. It will be WONDERFUL to have Jill home. At the same time for now it is awfully reassuring to have her cared for and monitored by a team of nurses! I spend 10 to 14 hours with her a day, so I am comfortable taking her temperature and changing her diapers. Feedings are going very well though the name of the game is getting as much as possible into her before she goes into lock down-- jaw completely shut, tongue pinned to the roof of her mouth. She is stubborn which I blame on Bryan. :) Nonetheless she is gaining weight. Bryan and I are taking an infant safety and CPR class tomorrow night. Though I know that no amount of planning will prepare us for everything, I want us to be as comfortable as possible when Jill comes home.