One step back

Sunday didn't start out as well. Ana awoke with a bad headache. It was enough to keep her in bed as the doctor's were slightly concerned. Her blood pressure was still high, so she caught up on some much needed rest while I made the trip to Children's. It was also the first time I really had a chance to reflect on the past three days.

I made it to Naomi's room around nine, just before her cares. The biggest change was Naomi was on a CPAP machine! She was breathing well enough that they could remove her breathing tube. Because preterm babies are not natural breathers, they were giving Naomi caffeine, so dad and daughter enjoyed their caffeine together. The caffeine stimulates Naomi and I so we don't stop breathing.

For those of you who don't know, Ana has hook toes. Hook toes are big toes that curve up and can be used to pick up clothes, towels, or almost anything else from the floor. Combined with a Chuck Norris round-house kick, hook toes can be a deadly. Ana and I used to joke that our baby would probably have a beard and hook toes. Fortunately, Naomi doesn't have a beard and this morning I had a chance to check her toes. No hooks yet.

I also realized that most people don't know what Naomi's room looks like. It's pretty small with a fold down couch for Ana and I to stay if we would like. Naomi's incubator occupies the middle of the room and she is surround by various machines. The east wall has a sink for scrubbing and cleaning and cupboards for various supplies. There's a lot of beeping, and buzzing, and wheezy sounds. After awhile most fade into the background noise of the NICU.

When we arrive each visit, we wash our hands for two minutes from finger tips to elbows. After we rinse and dry, we rub our hands with the alcohol foam that is found everywhere in the hospital. When people come to visit, they get to wash their hands too.

After that, we are allowed to "hold" Naomi. We press a button on her incubator and open the doors. Because of Naomi's developing neurological system, we simply cup our hands around her head and feet, or place our finger in her hand. It would stress her if we were to stroke her skin because of her stage of development.

This morning, I got the opportunity to learn even more about what we can do when we visit. Around 9 am is care time which involves all of her care for the next four hours. They lump it all together so she can sleep for four hours before the next care time. Care time consists of taking a temperature, changing a diaper, cleaning her mouth, changing her CPAP mask, and checking the UV sensor. I am sure there is more that is being conducted, but those are the major items. I got to change her diaper and take her temperature! I thought changing a diaper on a one-month old was difficult, but when you throw in wires and an incubator it gets even trickier. When your daughter is a little feisty, it's a bit trickier yet. Once you are done with the diaper change you weight it. Being a new dad, the next step is bragging about how much your daughter's diaper weighed.

The highlight of care time though was getting a chance to see Naomi's whole face for the first time! No mask, no CPAP!

After care time, I went back to the room to check on Ana. We were moved the day before from the c-section/surgery wing to the postpartum wing. It was a happy and a sad change. The c-section wing is a sad place. A lot of families were as scared as we were when they arrived and some were not as fortunate as Ana and I. On the other hand, the postpartum wing was filled with families and little ones. Everyone was happy and showing off their newborns to family and friends. It was during this transition, that I tried to remember how lucky we were without being sad because Naomi wasn't nearby.

Later that evening, Ana was feeling better. Here headache had subsided and her blood pressure was considered okay for travel. She did a post c-section hop from the bed to the wheel chair and we headed off to see Naomi. A post c-section hop is a gentle slide from bed to feet to wheel chair. It's kind of the opposite of the traditional hop since it involves always being in contact with two support surfaces at once.

I didn't tell Ana, but I knew that when we got there she would be able to help out with the cares. One of which was oral care. Oral care is the precursor to feeding. The nurse and I decided it would be best for Ana to give Naomi her first taste of milk.

Since she was born on the first day of the state fair, they serve up milk on a stick for her! The milk is wiped around the gums via a long cotton swab. Ana also got to change a diaper.

...and take a temperature.

Before we left, Ana let Naomi give her a kick or two for old times sake.

So, while the day didn't start out as well as I had hoped, it ended with another wonderful trip with Ana to see Naomi.

Also, visitors are welcome! We are limited to having four people in the room at one time, including ourselves. We can rotate if needed. I'll ask you to wash your hands for two minutes and use the alcohol foam. You'll need to text or email us ahead of time so we can get a visitors pass for you at the front desk. it probably goes without saying, but if you aren't feeling well, they will not allow you into the NICU.

Thanks again for all of the support. Ana and I are very fortunate to have such a wonderful family and wonderful friends.