For today’s post, we thought it would be interesting to document what life in the NICU is like. Neither Sarah or I had ever been in a NICU before all of this and it is truly a world of its own. To begin with, you can’t just walk into the NICU. You have to check in at the front desk at Children’s Hospital, call in to the NICU for them to open the doors, and then check in with the NICU front desk. I actually really appreciate the security, but just didn’t anticipate it.
When you first walk into the NICU, the thing I notice is the smell. It isn’t a particularly strong smell, but it smells like disinfectant. There are bottles of foamy disinfectant everywhere, and the NICU is awash with the fragrance. They say that smell is one of the most powerful drivers of memory. For the rest of my life, if I ever smell this type of disinfectant foam again, I will be instantly transported back to the NICU.
Once we get to Elora’s room, the next major sense to get a workout is our hearing. Elora is hooked up to all kinds of monitors and alarms that are gauging things like blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, etc. At first they all seemed a bit overwhelming, but now we know that for example the high pitched beeps with long pauses in between means that her IV is done, whereas a series of 5 medium pitched beeps in staccato means that her breathing may need to be checked. The rule of thumb though is that we don’t need to be nervous unless the nurse gets nervous. So far, none of them have really freaked out. J
Of course, there is a lot to see in the NICU, but the lights are usually dim because preemies’ eyes are sensitive to light. In the middle of the room is Elora’s incubator. Rightly so! She is the center of attention and so is in the center of the room. Along the wall behind her incubator is a series of monitors and displays that keep track of her vital signs. These are the culprits for most of the noise. At the foot of the incubator is a stand that holds all of the IVs and fluids that she receives consistently. Along the wall at the side of her incubator is a couch and chair. This is where we spend most of our time. Now, for any of you who ever come to visit, the last part of the tour is where you will start…the sink. The first thing we do when we walk into Elora’s room is to take off our rings and watches, and then wash our hands and forearms for 2 minutes. They are sticklers for clean hands and I am really happy about that.
Elora continues to be stable. Right now we are waiting for her to stool after her surgery over the weekend so that we can begin feeding her. That will be a good day when that happens!
When you first walk into the NICU, the thing I notice is the smell. It isn’t a particularly strong smell, but it smells like disinfectant. There are bottles of foamy disinfectant everywhere, and the NICU is awash with the fragrance. They say that smell is one of the most powerful drivers of memory. For the rest of my life, if I ever smell this type of disinfectant foam again, I will be instantly transported back to the NICU.
Once we get to Elora’s room, the next major sense to get a workout is our hearing. Elora is hooked up to all kinds of monitors and alarms that are gauging things like blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, etc. At first they all seemed a bit overwhelming, but now we know that for example the high pitched beeps with long pauses in between means that her IV is done, whereas a series of 5 medium pitched beeps in staccato means that her breathing may need to be checked. The rule of thumb though is that we don’t need to be nervous unless the nurse gets nervous. So far, none of them have really freaked out. J
Of course, there is a lot to see in the NICU, but the lights are usually dim because preemies’ eyes are sensitive to light. In the middle of the room is Elora’s incubator. Rightly so! She is the center of attention and so is in the center of the room. Along the wall behind her incubator is a series of monitors and displays that keep track of her vital signs. These are the culprits for most of the noise. At the foot of the incubator is a stand that holds all of the IVs and fluids that she receives consistently. Along the wall at the side of her incubator is a couch and chair. This is where we spend most of our time. Now, for any of you who ever come to visit, the last part of the tour is where you will start…the sink. The first thing we do when we walk into Elora’s room is to take off our rings and watches, and then wash our hands and forearms for 2 minutes. They are sticklers for clean hands and I am really happy about that.
Elora continues to be stable. Right now we are waiting for her to stool after her surgery over the weekend so that we can begin feeding her. That will be a good day when that happens!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI heard about your blog from Nathan F we attend the same church. I am definitely praying for your family and your new bundle of joy. I can soooo relate to your story. My son was born at 25 weeks and spent 135 days in NICU! I have sweet memories of holding my son for the first time & kangaroo care. My son is now 8 yrs old...Praise Jesus! You can read about the first days of his life here -http://carynsthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/10/hardest-33-days-of-my-life.html.
Many Blessings to your family,
~Caryn