Not only had we been able to plan our day, but the plan actually occurred! We felt so good at this time.
Just came back from the hospital…
Julie is doing fabulously. I was there for three hours while Sarah went to her OB follow-up appointment and then visited Julie for a while.
Sarah changed Julie’s rather full diaper, put lotion on her back and took her temperature. Julie already understands the diaper routine. She stretches her legs out to make the procedure easier.
Julie’s feeding is up to 15 cc every 3 hours. She was on room air (no oxygen) and they reduced the other settings while we were there.
Julie still has the drainage tube from surgery, but exchanged the big central line for a small IV line. The central line was stitched in place. As the doctor removed the stitches, she called it a harpoon. We expect the drainage tube to be removed later today.
Julie’s weight is down to about 5 lbs. She gained a little overnight, but lost quite a bit from Sunday. Her face, legs, arms and neck are so much better (less puffy). The back of her head still has a little fluid. She still has gauze on her abdomen and chest, so it’s a little hard to see how much fluid is still there. I’m estimating that she has less than 8 oz of fluid left.
Julie opened her eyes for us for quite a while today. I’m attaching a couple pictures of her. The one with her eyes closed is from Sunday. The other picture is from today.
Another meal was just delivered. Sarah wanted me to tell you that we couldn’t have made it through without your prayers and hospitality.
Thank you all!
Andy and Sarah Horn
Sarah had more interaction with Julie on this visit than all previous visits put together. She started feeling more like a mother than a NICU parent.
The nurses would let us know what we could/should do and what we should avoid. Sometimes this caused some hurt feelings – especially when we had to sit through the nurse’s favorite speech. Usually once we got past that initial interaction, the nurses would grant us more leeway.
The NICU employs some 70 nurses who work 12 hour shifts usually three days in a row followed by a couple days off. We had our favorite nurses of course, but eventually we learned that each new nurse became another favorite. Some took longer than others.
While we visited, Julie’s doctor removed the stitches for the tube used to drain the surgical wound. The NICU has four doctors who work the same 12 hour shifts as the nurses. The day shift doctors tend to do most of the procedures while the night shift emphasizes monitoring and preventative tasks. The doctors rotate between day and night in regular pattern – grueling work but rewarding. Although the doctors work as a team, somewhere along the way a new doctor took on more of the responsibility for Julie. We rarely saw the on-duty doctor because of the overwhelming workload. So, this visit was a double treat to talk freely and see her at work.
Julie’s weight and fluid seemed to be under control. I would get the weight from the duty nurse each time I visited. The minor fluctuations caused me some disappointment – it was more like rooting for a favorite team than worry for Julie. We were very happy to see the steady progress.
Another positive was the food delivery from our adult class at our church. They jumped in and really made our lives easier. Looking back, I can see that neither Sarah nor I really knew what we needed. I’m still very grateful for their help.