6 Days of Natahn ..... NICU

 This NICU is not an easy place to spend the first few days with your baby.  It's hard to bond with your baby, it's hard to not let the nurses and DR's do everything, it's a hard place to find your voice, and to advocate for your child, not to mention seeing and knowing about the sad deaths of babies in the NICU, that is the worst.  But it makes you sit back and realize what a blessing every single day is.

This was my second time in the NICU and Dennis' first.  He walked in, totally out of his element and I walked in like it was my second home.... because 5 years before, it had been.

The nurses who knew me walked in and laughed, said they didn't need to do anything, I could do it all.  They let me walk Dennis through Nathan's first diaper change done by us.  It's hard to touch that tiny baby for the first time, but once you do, and you know they won't break ... you become accustom to it.

They discovered that Nathan had some heart issues, but nothing that needed immediate attention.  That he has a HIGH SOFT CLOSED CLEFT PALATE which means that he has the mucus membrane at the top of the roof of his mouth, but none of the muscle and structure on the other side.  The roof of his mouth also has a very high arch.  He also has a Bifid Uvula, which means the dangle in the back of his mouth has two dangles that look like an upside down heart instead of just one that looks like a tear drop.  (We've been told it's a gorgeous one too) ...he was also very low birth weight at 36 1/2 weeks - born at 3lbs 4oz ... and he was 15 3/4 inches tall... Hyperbillirubinism (severe jaundice)... and he had a hypospadious and natural circumcision.  They confirmed the "Dandy Walker Variant" also.

This was different .... even for me.  I had to learn to place an NG Tube which was the worse part.  In order for us to go home, which we really wanted to go home, we had to learn to tube feed him by placing a tube down his nose and into his belly.  Both Dennis and I learned, and Nathan learned how to yank it out ... 

Our Favorite Photos from the NICU

 Same pic as above minus the blanket ... he was sleeping...

 Daddy, Mommy & Lil Nathan, nick named Tator

 This is one of my favorite photos, wish it hadn't been so grainy ...

The photo above, with the boys peeking in.... I had a copy of this photo on the shelf in his little area, and it was gone one day.  I found out the head nurse for the NICU had taken it, she loved it so much, she asked my permission to use it in a following news letter or teaching material when talking about the siblings visiting ... 

 Kangaroo Care is extremely important - it has been known to stabilize very sick babies, not to mention that it helps parent and child bond.  It was something that I told the NICU (both times) that I wanted to do right away.

This series of Bili-Light photos are some of my favorite also....

 Little Man in Preemie Clothes...

 Cuddled in ....

 He looks good in red and blue ....

 Tiny feet...

 More alert in the last few days in the NICU

Trying to get Nathan to nipple feed...

Before actually going home, we had to spend the night in a "Rooming In Room" which meant that we were on our own, but down the hall from the NICU incase any questions came up or we had any problems.

 Going Home Outfit!

GOING HOME!!!!