On one hand, being a part of the Preemie club and all the wonderful fellow preemie moms I have met is something I appreciate so very much, on the other hand I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Throughout our NICU journey we learned words no parent should ever have to hear or study. For me, one of the worst things was hearing the words your son started retracting so much and working so hard to breathe that he suffered a Pneumothorax, he had to be emergency intubated, put on a Ventilator to breathe, has a spiral chest tube in his left lung and is being treated with Surfactant to make his lungs stronger. Could you imagine getting that ear full on the second day of your brittle baby's life? I just wanted to say huh? Had I not been scared for his life that might have been what came out of my mouth, though the glazed over look might have given away what I was thinking.
During Miles' stay Brian and I learned so many terms, so many procedures, we would have to google some of the things the Neo told us that day regarding our boy just so we could stay caught up. As if the NICU world isnt scarey enough you are literally in the foreign country where you don't speak the language and start grasping for any strings nearby.
Just a short list of things we heard daily.....
Monitoring.....Decel's- watching for A & B's....Bradycardia- the heart beating to slow or irregularly, Apnea - baby has stopped breathing, De stat - lack of oxygen
Procedures done.....PICC Line - a central line for meds and blood leading through the arm up to his heart, Blood Gas - countless sticks in the heel to determine the level of Carbon Dioxide in his blood. Biliruben - testing daily for Jaundice. OG Tube - through mouth to tummy to remove air, NG Tube - through nose to tummy for feeds,
Breathing aids..... CPAP - keeps pressure in the lungs to keep them open. Ventilator - breathes for him, Nasal Cannula- provided extra oxygen
Conditions.....Transient Hypotension - abnormally low blood pressure, Pneumothorax - lung collapsing, RSD - Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Sepsis - bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria, Distended Abdomen - swollen stomach,
Medication.....Dopamine - raises blood pressure, Surfactant - acts as a substance the lung needs to stay open as it has not developed yet do to prematurity. TPN -total parenteral nutrition, Fentanyl - pain medication
His Team..... Neonatologist - 2 primary doctors, Primary Nurse - when critical, Charge Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist
If your head is hurting welcome to the club, its a scary world one we are still very much a part of. The other night while putting Miles down for the night he started retracting and showing very laboured breathing, when I told the advice nurse what was going on she said "wow you know your stuff", it just made me think about the world that is now our norm. Miles settled and all was fine he just likes to give us a scare from time to time to keep up on our toes.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
What is a Preemie?
A wonderful tiny package that decided to come early? Yes in a sense but the fact that preemie babies are little is a very "tiny" part of being a Preemie.
A baby isn't Full Term until 37 weeks so any baby born before that week is considered Premature. Some of these little miracles have made it being only born at 24 weeks.
But being Premature has so many levels, so many obstacles, so many worries. I don't know when this preemie journey will truly end or if it will exactly.
To understand really what "early" means I will explain Miles in particular. Being Premature for him meant weighing less then 4 lbs, it meant having NO eyebrows or eye lashes. His little ears had no cartilage, he would get rolled over and his ear would be squished in half. His skin was so thin you could see through it in the light. He hadn't got to the stage in gestation yet where he started gaining fat so when laying on his back you could literally see every single bone in his chest. Speaking of chest, even though I got both steroid shots before he came to help mature his lungs he still struggled. Almost all preemies have some sort of issue breathing. Watching my "tiny" miracle breathe was by far the hardest thing in my life to go through and to me it defines the struggles Preemie start with.
Every time he inhaled, his ribs that were like rubber would fold so deep they would touch his back, his little tummy would cave in. His little heart rate would go up and down cause it took everything in him to do something his body just wasn't ready to do. He struggled and succeeded for every breathe he took he taught him self how to do things he wasn't ready to learn. He accomplished these huge hurdles because that is what being a Preemie is, its doing the things you shouldn't be able to do.
A baby isn't Full Term until 37 weeks so any baby born before that week is considered Premature. Some of these little miracles have made it being only born at 24 weeks.
But being Premature has so many levels, so many obstacles, so many worries. I don't know when this preemie journey will truly end or if it will exactly.
To understand really what "early" means I will explain Miles in particular. Being Premature for him meant weighing less then 4 lbs, it meant having NO eyebrows or eye lashes. His little ears had no cartilage, he would get rolled over and his ear would be squished in half. His skin was so thin you could see through it in the light. He hadn't got to the stage in gestation yet where he started gaining fat so when laying on his back you could literally see every single bone in his chest. Speaking of chest, even though I got both steroid shots before he came to help mature his lungs he still struggled. Almost all preemies have some sort of issue breathing. Watching my "tiny" miracle breathe was by far the hardest thing in my life to go through and to me it defines the struggles Preemie start with.
Every time he inhaled, his ribs that were like rubber would fold so deep they would touch his back, his little tummy would cave in. His little heart rate would go up and down cause it took everything in him to do something his body just wasn't ready to do. He struggled and succeeded for every breathe he took he taught him self how to do things he wasn't ready to learn. He accomplished these huge hurdles because that is what being a Preemie is, its doing the things you shouldn't be able to do.
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