Monday, November 27, 2017

WEEK 1 : NICU


Lennox Eleese was born at 9:28PM on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 weighing in at 4 lbs 12 oz and measuring 17 inches long. She was immediately taken to the NICU due to her gestation age of 33 weeks and 3 days. She was placed on a CPAP to help her with her breathing. I was able to visit on my way back from the OR. She was the absolute most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I wasn't able to stay long before I was taken to my own room. I could not wait to get back to see her. However, I had to wait until I was able to walk on my own before I could go down to the NICU again. The next day at 6AM I was able to walk to the wheel chair and make my way to the NICU. Due to her condition and being on the CPAP, we were unable to hold her. We could touch her though and that provided some relief. I visited multiple times that day. It was hard to understand all of the monitors and what they meant and what we wanted them to read.



The next day at 1AM we received a phone call that Lennox was being intubated due to her not responding well to the CPAP. Her breathing was too fast and too labored for the CPAP. It was incredibly scary. In addition to her breathing issues, a chest X-ray also revealed cloudy lungs, which they said could be pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics for that. Later that day a doctor detected a heart murmur, so an echocardiogram was ordered. We were told this is pretty normal in premies and not to worry about it.



That evening I was finally able to hold Lennox and have skin to skin time with her. It was amazing and the tears flowed freely. It finally felt like I was a Mom. After a couple hours though, our time was cut short by Lennox extubating herself on me. It was incredibly scary, but ended up being a blessing in disguise. The doctor's and respiratory therapists decided to try her back on the CPAP, before intubating her again. One day on the ventilator apparently worked some magic because she was able to tolerate the CPAP.



The rest of the first week was a blur of watching monitors, praying for continued health, and trying to keep my mind off my sick baby. Fortunately, after a week on the CPAP, they were able to remove the CPAP and she was moved to the special care unit. She is still monitored 24/7, but she has her own room and the nurses stay in the hallway for their shifts, except when they are preparing bottles or checking vitals. My husband and I are also able to stay the night with her. It's also one step closer to going home!



-Julie

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