Day 32 - September 14, 2014
LoLa’s doctor calls with the daily update and casually drops a tentative discharge plan for sometime this week. Wait, what??? Really?? We had no idea this was impending. A million questions are swirling around my head as I start to realize that we may be bringing this child home sometime soon. I plan to do an extended visit today where I will stay for some consecutive feeds to practice breastfeeding and also to really get to know LoLa. I have been unable to really become familiar with her. There has always been so much between us, whether it is breathing apparatus, tubing, wires, IVs, distance, medical staff…
During my visit, shifts change, so I have the attention of two different nurses and pick their brains about the discharge process, requirements, sequence of events, recommendations. They concur that LoLa is having too many apneic events to go home right now. Another nurse says that no matter what, if a baby has an episode, they stay for 72 hours after.
There has always been so much between us, whether it is breathing apparatus, tubing, wires, IVs, distance, medical staff…
They tell me about the overnight room where the parents and baby can stay together as a family while the staff monitors the baby from just outside the room. But they recommend we wait to stay overnight until just before discharge in order to get a true feel for how she will be at home. The nurses feel pretty confident LoLa will be here until her follow up eye appointment which is the middle of next week. I am not sure if I am leaving today with more clarity or more confusion about how soon our baby will be joining us at home. It still feels like there is so much keeping us apart…
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