Thank you to all of you for sharing our excitement with the arrival of our newest chambana baby, Neena Rose.
She has barely been here for a fortnight, but it feels like she was always a part of the family.
Not that she has made it easy for her parents. We were faced with more than a few bumps in the road during the pregnancy, culminating in the news three days before our scheduled induction that she would be arriving via c-section.
But all that was small potatoes compared to what we faced the morning of our planned departure from the hospital. As the pediatrician examined her, she turned blue. And he was very concerned about blood in her stool. That, along with a few other factors, earned us admission into the NICU (the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
It was the scariest thing we have been through as parents. Walking into that facility and seeing the tiny babies (most of the NICU babies are preemies), machines, and all that is involved in their care — we were completely unprepared for what awaited us behind those doors.
After many tears and tissues, we “settled” into the NICU routine. Neena, although attached to various monitors, was in a warmer or a crib the entire time. We could love on her and touch her almost whenever we wanted.
But we couldn’t take her home. After several more episodes of bright red blood in her stool and a few tests, we still had no answers.
As our baby received care – feedings and changings were highly regimented – we couldn’t help but notice all the other babies around us. We found ourselves wondering about their stories. We learned several came from the most unfortunate of circumstances — some forcibly removed from the care of their parents due to addiction or other reasons. Some were from communities many miles away, as Carle is the only hospital in the region to provide Level III Perinatal services.
We marveled at how hard it must be, day in and day out, for those parents who have to leave their babies behind in the hospital. What an ordeal for the mothers who spend so much time pumping and delivering the milk back to the unit. How taxing it is to go in and out of the hospital for days on end, especially for those parents who have other children at home.
The bloody episodes eventually stopped, and the doctors had no answers for us. Maybe it’s a reaction to the formula we were using to supplement was the eventual “answer.” The baby was checked out by a specialist who recommended that I stay away from dairy and that we change to a different formula.
To this day, we don’t know what caused it, and since we left the NICU, she has not had any more episodes. We have been able to nurse exclusively, which may or may not be a factor. We return for a follow-up visit with the specialist this week.
We know that we are the lucky ones who were able to take our baby home after a few short days (although it felt like weeks). We almost felt guilty as we walked away with our get-out-of-NICU card in our back pocket.
Although our stay was short, it left an imprint on our hearts. We were so impressed by the nursing staff. Rebecca, Sara, Sara, Sheila, Kris, and Carey were wonderful to work with and the dedication, professionalism and love they showed each child – regardless of tenure, health status or background – went beyond our expectations.
As I glance at Neena as she dozes in the swing, I think about our journey together over the past nine-plus months. And as rocky as it might have been, our NICU stay made us all the more acutely aware of just how fortunate we are to have her –– right where she belongs.
Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the co-founder and editor of chambanamoms.com. You can reach her at laura@chambanamoms(dot)com.