TOP TEN: NICU Telltales
Before I get to today’s update, I have two important things to share…
Happy, Happy Birthday Nana!! Aren’t you glad we didn’t hijack your birthday? We pray you have an AWESOME day. We love you…
And, I thought a good top ten, just like the good ‘ol days a few weeks ago, might bring us all some joy. Here goes…
TOP TEN: SIGNS YOU’RE A NICU PARENT
1. You no longer have any skin left on your hands. You wash them at least 12-15 times a day with that great hospital-grade soap.
2. You find yourself saying to your kids, “Get that room cleaned up STAT.”
3. When you’re hungry, you stand at your front door waiting for your tray.
4. Everytime you change a diaper, you look for the scale to weigh it and the sheet of paper to record what the poop looks like.
5. You refer to your morning “to-do” list as “rounds.”
6. You’re impressed by your growing acronym and medical lingo vocabulary – NEC, KUB, Pulse Ox, PDA, CBC – but everyone else thinks you might need to be admitted to the nearest state hospital.
7. You try to recall every ER episode in hopes that the drama will end within the hour.
8. You hire a friend to knock on your front door every hour and say things like, “Housekeeping”, “Child Life Services”, “Social Worker” and “Dietician.”
9. You refer to mealtimes as “feeds” and require your children to eat every three hours, but don’t let them linger any longer than 30 minutes.
10. Just when your kids get good and settled at night, you flip on the lights, strip them down to their underwear, weigh them and then tell them to sleep well.
We are friend of the Phipps at St. Helen's and Donna asked for prayers for your family. I have read your blog about Luke today with a few tears and smiles also! I am a pediatrician and work only in the hospital now seeing newborns. From a medical standpoint I know how ill Luke is. As a mom (of 3) I can only imagine how scared you all are. I will be saying prayers for Luke's quick recover in the upcoming weeks!
Dana (class of '91)
Through it all, you still have your sense of humor… another blessing!
Dana, thanks for your words of encouragement and understanding of just how sick Luke really is. Nec is horrible – but we're hanging in there…