Why that sweet Wilson boy of course! While we were ecstatic that our son has the distinct honor of being the healthiest baby in the PCICU, we were also very concerned about him leaving the unit. We had just gotten settled in and "comfortable" with the PCICU and their procedures.
We left the PCICU and went to get lunch while Mac was transferred. When we returned to our room, the lactation consultant stopped by to check on us. Thank goodness she did. She was able to give us a bit of a heads up about the NICU. She told us to be prepared because there was far less space and that it was a bit hectic compared to PCICU. Boy, was she right! It was quite a shock when I first walked into the NICU. The setup and rules are very different from PCICU.
After a day of changes, I was so overwhelmed with the NICU that all I could do was cry. The nurses and doctors were fantastic as usual. They spent several minutes reassuring me about the changes and making sure that we were comfortable with our new surroundings. Then I received the BEST news of the day. The attending physician looked me in the eyes and said, "Would you like to hold your baby?"
In a state of shock, I looked at her and asked if that was possible. She said, "Of course! Up here in NICU we hold!"
This made every doubt and fear about our move to NICU vanish. I was going to get to hold my son! Vince being the amazing husband he is told me to go ahead and hold him first even though he still had not had the chance to hold him. I am truly blessed to have him as my husband. We decided that after a little while we would switch off and he would take his turn next. Our nurse told us that she needed to do an admissions assessment of him, so we decided that we would make the swap after she assessed him. When she started her assessment I stepped down the hall. When I returned, I was stopped at the door by our nurse. She told me that one of the lines in his umbilical cord had been cut during the assessment and that he was stabilized now, but she wanted to warn me before I walked in. When I turned the corner, all I could see was my precious husband who had obviously been crying standing there looking at me with a dazed look on his face.
He then described to me how the line was cut. He said that PCICU and NICU do not use the same procedures for securing their umbilical lines. He told me that the nurse was being extremely cautious while removing the tape, but she could not see the line and accidentally cut it. He said that as soon as the line was cut it began to bleed. I cannot imagine standing by helplessly watching this happen. By the time I returned all was well and we found out that the cardiologists in PCICU said that he was doing so well that we didn't even have to replace the line. Mac now has one line running through his umbilical cord.
After such a traumatic moment came a wonderful one. After all of that Vince finally got to hold his son in his arms for the first time. I will never forget the look in his eye when he looked up at me with Mac in his arms. We are both so grateful for that moment.
The two of them enjoyed quite a bit of time together and then I got to enjoy a special moment of my own. When she had everything cleaned up and back in place she asked me to change his diaper. This is another special privilege of being in NICU, and YES it is a PRIVILEGE. So many times I complained about having to change diapers. After not being allowed to, this simple act has taken on new meaning. It was a special moment. One that I will not forget. Then I got to check his temperature. This was a night of many firsts for our family.
We then had to wait for the cardiac team to meet and share with us the results of their discussion. We first met with the NICU cardiologist. She shared with us that they would be doing additional ultrasound images of his heart tomorrow afternoon and giving him a PIC line. (I think that is the correct abbreviation.)
This is a port where they can draw blood or administer medication without having to do multiple sticks.Then his PCICU cardiologist met to tell us more about next week.
We learned a lot but still know nothing. That seems to be the trend with our conversations with our doctors. Don't get me wrong. This is not a negative thing. I just like definitive answers and we don't have any at this time. The doctors are taking their time in making a diagnosis to be sure that they get it right. They know what his defect is, but they are looking at the intricacies of the heart. They are trying to explore every possible solution for correcting his defect. The latest news today is that we may be looking at two separate procedures. The reason for this is to allow him time to grow and give the doctors a little more to work with when they do his most invasive surgery.
We are not sure of anything at this point, so we are just praying and waiting to find out the details. Please pray with us for his team of doctors as they continue to seek the best care for him.
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