My Friend's Baby...

A close friend of mine gave birth at 28 weeks (almost 3 months early) yesterday. Rauri weighed in at a whopping 1 pound, 7 ounces, which is small for her age. Rauri is doing well in the NICU and already showing a strong personality.

This family is going to be spending the next 8+ weeks traveling to see their daughter on a daily basis and I'd like to make their load lighter by feeding them on a regular basis.

Will you please comment with links to your favorite fail-proof, somewhat-healthy, freezable entrees/casseroles/meals? I seem to have about 4 that I make over and over again and I'm sure they'll quickly get tired of them! ;-)

Thanks!

Day of Hope

Working in a NICU, I do my fair share of grief and loss tending. It is so important to remember the littlest souls are truly members of the family: very much loved and very much missed.

Don't be a part of the taboo or add to the stigma. It is ok to talk about the deceased and to ask how the family is doing. They want to know that you care and are sticking by them through their (and your) shared time of sadness.

Today, my heart goes out to all of you who have suffered infertility, miscarriage, infant loss, still birth, death of a small child: sibling, friend, child, grandchild. That soul was loved and is truly missed.

"I Will Carry You"

Angie Smith's new book I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy is being offered as a free download today from Barnes and Noble.

Just download B&N's free PC/MAC reader, then download the book by clicking the above book title link.

Thank you, Angie, for sharing Audrey's story.

March for Babies!

My region's March of Dimes walk "March for Babies" is today. I really wanted to participate this year, but have to work. Boo! Looks like it's going to be a nice day for it, and I have to stay inside sleeping. (Yes, I have to miss watching the Kentucky Derby too.)

Many of our graduates and their families turn out for the event, so it's like "old home week," but better. It is just so awesome to see our little itty-bitty 24 weekers running around as 4 year olds!

Not being able to go walking today makes me really want to see the new movie, BABIES.

Enjoy the trailer! The baby/goat bath made me giggle!



Happy May Day!

Be Spicy

I hope to be a Mommy, someday. But not in the near future... if that is God's Will for us.
I babysat my way through high school and nannied my way through college.
My career is focused on babies.

(catching my drift here?)

I have a thing for babies and their gear. I can tell you lots about the different features (safety, cool, and not-so-great) of various carseats, strollers, carriers, wraps, etc.

Someday, my kid is going to have the coolest, stylish, safest stuff! Major emphasis on the Someday!

But, um, is it ok if I get this NOW?

Ju-Ju-Be "Be Spicy" in Purple Paisley. Lotus Lullaby is a very close second pattern choice though...

It's a pretty sweet bag, I'm just saying...

If I can't have a Spicy, then maybe I can have a BeTween?

I know a few people who have Ju-Ju-Be's and they love them. I think I would too. The Spicy would be a great beach/overnight/spa/gym/work bag.

My Birthday is coming, maybe it'll be my present to myself...

Do you guys ever buy yourselves Birthday presents? Does your husband mind?

(and no, Ju-Ju-Be did not sponsor this post)

A Night in the Life of a NICU Nurse

5-6 pm- wake up. Cross my fingers that we have something I can throw together for dinner. Do a happy-dance when I remember that I put something in the crock-pot at 7:45 this morning when I got home from work.

6-10:45 pm- spend time with J. Clean up the place, watch some tv, shower, prepare for work.

10:45 pm- leave for work. Pray there is parking available in the employee garage at the hospital.

10:56 pm- clock in, begin 3 minute finger-tip to elbow scrub, lop off any nails that are too long. Find out assignment: am I in the NICU or the Intermediate Care Nursery? 2 babies or 3? Tonight: NICU & 2 babies.

11-11:30 pm- receive report from evening shift. Get interrupted umpteen times and answer a bazillion alarms. (Well, it just seems like it...)

11:30 pm- safety checks: Are monitor limits correct?, Ventilator settings correct? (if vented), Bag & mask at bedside?, Bulb syringe at bedside?, When are leads & feeding tube due to be changed?, When is crib due to be changed?, Is suction working?
Quickly chart safety checks and scan most recent notes in chart-MD, NNP (neonatal nurse practitioner), Social Work, etc for pertinant information. Answer alarms.

11:45 pm- head to "milk station" and mix up the formula or breast milk concoctions needed for my shift. Our recipes often look like this: MBM + HMF = 24 + 1/4 tsp BP/100 ml = 24 cal/oz. This translated is: Mother's Breast Milk (20 cal/oz) + Human Milk Fortifier = 24 cal/oz + 1/4 tsp BeneProtein = 24 cal/oz. Essentially, preemies need extra calories and protein when compared to healthy term infants. So we fortify MBM to give them the extra needed calories to grow. Stop 4 times to go answer alarms.

12:00 am- begin "care time" on baby #1, if parents are present teach/assist them. Wash hands. Assess IV (if has one). Draw labs, get blood pressure, take temperature, feel skull for fontanel (soft spot) and suture lines, listen to heart, breath sounds, bowel sounds, listen for placement of feeding tube in stomach. Is belly soft & pink? Check residual (how much undigested food is in the stomach from the feeding 3 hours prior). Look over skin for any rashes, bruising (from birth), pustules, area of breakdown (diaper rash, tape removal). Change diaper, weigh diaper. Wash hands. Redress, swaddle, & comfortably position baby. "Drop" feed via feeding tube (for a baby too little/weak to suck from a nipple). Wash hands. Turn off lights. Chart about baby. Answer alarms.

1:00 am- begin "care time" on baby #2. See above.

2-4:00 am- Go to break for an hour at some point in this time period. Catch up on reading the charts. Help other nurses with their babies if necessary-- help with linen changes, assist with an IV start, draw labs, fold laundry, track down formula that we're almost out of from distribution, hold babies still for ultrasounds, rock babies that need some extra loving, re-stock supplies. Answer alarms.

3-4 am- if  baby #1 eats every 3 hours, do care at 3 am. If they eat every 4 hours or do not eat at all, do care at 4 am. Ditto with baby # 2 except at 4/5 am.

5 am- get MBM from freezer out to thaw for day shift. Work on updating each baby's care plan. Give updates on babies to Team Leader (charge nurse overseeing both NICU & ICN). Answer more alarms.

6 am- Baby #1 has care time again if 3 hour feeder. Otherwise, X-Ray is here! Don fashionable lead dress, do x-rays on own babies and babies of pregnant co-workers.

6:30 am- last minute "clean-up" for day shift. Enough diapers at the bedside for the next shift? Is the MBM thawed enough for me to fortify it for day shift? Did I get everything charted? Do I need to leave a note for the MD or NNP about anything?

7:00 am- Thank God day shift is here! Give report, while answering many alarms. (Babies really like to alarm, plus our alarms are very sensitive and we get lots of "false" alarms.)

7:30 am- clock out, scrub out, get out!

Future Nursery

I often stop by my favorite nursery/greenhouse/gift shop/home decor store
1) because "The Flower Pot Cafe" makes the BEST nonfat, 1/2 caramel, 1/2 vanilla lattes around, and 2) because I love to browse around and "dream decorate" my future house.

Last week, I made Fiance stop for my caffeine fix and we stumbled upon this display:








Ummmm...I want it all!? This display may have just instilled the "baby boy bug" in me! (Sorry, Honey!) I also often dislike boy's nursery sets as they are too cutesy and they grow out of them too quickly. I totally want to do a nursery similar to this in 5-10 years when I (hopefully!) have a little boy of my own!