Sunday, July 15, 2012

The road goes on forever but this party is coming to an end!


It looks like Wednesday will be our big day!  Caroline is in the process of doing a sleep study to make sure she is breathing correctly.  The study goes for 10 hours and then she does a 1.5 hour car seat study also looking for the same thing.  She has already gone up to 8 bottles a day (Fast I know, she decided she was done with the NICU).  We are planning to do what the NICU calls rooming in on Tuesday night.  Basically we stay the night and do all of her care but we have a nurse there for any questions we have.  Then Wednesday is our big day provided she passes all of her tests and keeps up the hard work of taking all of her bottles.  Just a reminder of how hard all of this is for her babies don't develop the suck, swallow, breathe technique until 36-37 weeks gestation.  She is 36.3 currently so she's not even supposed to be able to do all of this yet.  It's like exercising 8 times a day.  She's pooped!  Then again so are we.  We are READY to have her home!  Below is something that we got from an organization called Hand to Hold.  They are a support program for NICU parents and have offered some great suggestions for now that she's coming home.  Please take the time to read it... I know it's a little long but it really is exactly what we need.  Thank you all for the support and I will keep our blog going as our road is just really getting to start!  Now we get to be full time parents!  I can't wait!  The girls went home today too so we are going to get to have her all to ourselves.

For the other fun news.  Laura will be doing my shower do over on August 4th.  We will be sending out the invites this week.  So keep your calendars free as there will be a short guest appearance by our sweet girl!

We may need some time alone at first.

Any NICU stay is rough. Ours may have been harder than others. Now that our baby is home with us we need time to adjust to our new roles as parents of a medically fragile child. Please understand that while we want to spend as much time with you as possible we also need a few days to settle into our routine and get some much needed rest.

We’re on a schedule.

While our baby is now home with us, we are still following the routine they got used to at the hospital. We are on a round-the-clock schedule of breastfeeding, pumping, fortifying feeds and administering medicine. Our baby is still adjusting to life outside of the womb. We’re trying to give our baby a safe, quiet environment to rest, grow and develop while still trying to manage multiple specialist and therapist visits. We encourage you to call, text or email us before coming over. And don’t be surprised if we ask you to pick something up from the store or pharmacy when you come!

Please respect our need to be “germaphobes”!

While some newborns may seem to acclimate to the world of germs and colds quite easily, that is not the case for our child. They are especially vulnerable and are susceptible to severe complications and even re-hospitalizations from what might be a minor cold or slight sniffle to you or me. Our baby’s immune system needs time to develop. The most important thing you can do to protect our baby is to WASH YOUR HANDS! We need you to do this every time you come to visit and especially before holding or touching the baby.

Understand that cold, flu and RSV seasons are serious threats.

We need to do everything we can to prevent our baby from contracting any of these illnesses. If you aren’t feeling well or are even slightly worried you might be coming down with something, please wait and visit another time. One thing you can do to show you care is to get your vaccinations, especially for influenza and whooping cough. And please don’t smoke. If you do, please don’t be offended if we ask you to bathe and change your clothes before visiting.

Know that while we may be quarantined, we’re still craving interaction.

After an isolating NICU stay and an extended quarantine upon arriving home, we feel alone. Even though we might not be able to see you as much as we’d like, we want to stay connected to you. Please call, email and write. Send us photos or videos of your family and we will, too. We can share our love without sharing our germs!

We still need help taking care of our most basic needs.

It’s true, but it may still be hard for us to say. We need your help now more than ever, but we’re still uncomfortable asking. Please continue to bring us meals and run errands.

When you offer to help please be specific.

We all appreciate hearing, “Let me know if you need anything,” but the reality is we are often unprepared to really know and ask for what we need. You may have to be very direct. Go ahead and bring by that casserole. Do a load of laundry when you visit. Pick up a bag of diapers on your trip to the store. Offer to drive the car pool. Mow our lawn or wash our car. We will appreciate it, and we’ll return the favor when we can.

Thank you as always for your help, prayers, shoulders and love during all of this.  It has truly been life changing.  I can speak for all of our family when I say that we could not have made it through this with out all of you.

xoxo,
Casey, Tom and Our Sweet Caroline