NICU

Well, try to my character this one is late and I'm still trying to catch up!

I'll try to make this one short.

A few days after we brought our baby home he developed a high fever. We were really concerned because it seemed as if this was the second time he had had one (the first one was at night and didn't last long). This time he was really upset and it was heart-breaking for us to see him that way. My husband gave him yet another blessing and then we rushed off to the ER.

Unfortunately, the ER was a terrible experience. After we arrived and the doctor was visiting with us, our baby no longer had a fever and he was not crying hysterically like when we left home. We believe this was due to his blessing. But the doctor was not convinced. He was skeptical of our story (which was a little frustrating...but we were positive about what we had witnessed: we had used three different thermometers correctly under the armpit to be sure). But, he assured us that fevers were not to be messed around with in a newborn.

So, right then and there he ordered some tests be done. This was very hard for us as new parents. The nurses in the ER (as wonderful as they are) were not experienced in dealing with little tiny veins. Or little tiny anything for that matter! They were terrible at drawing a blood sample. It was heart-breaking to see them prick our precious little guy over and over again. At one point, they completely missed the mark and the needle went in one way and out the other in his little hand. I was emotionally distraught and I could tell that my husband was getting upset with them. We were about to demand that someone from upstairs should be called down to do it.

When the pediatrician that was called in arrived, he told us our baby should be admitted to the NICU and put on antibiotics until the test results showed up. But we couldn't delay because the tests took days and it was not worth the risk to wait.  I did not like putting our little guy on antibiotics at such a young age, but realized it probably was the best choice.

My husband stayed with him while I went home to get medication and pack our bags--we intented to stay with our little son as much as we could.

And we did. The next week or so, we stayed in the NICU in the "contamination" room because they did not whatever our baby had to spread to the other infants. So this worked to our advantage! We could stay with him the whole time. The hospital took really good care of us. They gave me a meals and let me use a breast pump. And the nurses were amazing! They answered our questions and gave us cool parenting tips.

Aside from the worry, probably the worst part of the NICU was the fact that the nearest bathroom was actually outside the labor and delivery unit. So every time I had to go (which seemed to still be often) I had to waddle down the hall with my bag of tricks. It hurt. But maybe it was actually to my benefit in the healing process to do a little exercise like that.

We had some cool experiences while there. For one, we got to observe the monitors while coupling what they said to our son's behavior. I think we got to know him in a way that few parents do. We also took the sacrament in the NICU. It was one of our better spiritual experiences together.

Funny how challenging experiences will bring us closer together. We were tired and stressed. But we learned there that we love each other more than we did before. I got to know my husband in a way I hadn't before. Through the experience I learned that he is willing to do things for me that I thought I would never ask of someone.  He is an amazing patriarch of our family that has fulfilled so many roles. I also re-learned that Christ can offer us amazing comfort that we do not understand. Through our trial we had help from family, ward members, and the power of the priesthood. We felt so privileged to be blessed the way we were. We are Never Alone because one way or another, God fulfills our needs--weather it be through other people or uncanny circumstances.