These next few days begin to blur together as we adjust to the new realities of life:
Little Julie strutted her stuff for the nurses today – both pee and poop. She fussed about being changed, too. She continues to get stronger and is breathing partially on her own. The machine isn’t doing everything for her.
The plan is for Sarah to come home Weds AM. She slept pretty good last night, but has lots of boo-boos and owies.
I’m home for a few hours to clean, email and pick up some things for Sarah.
Continue to pray for Julie. These 1st couple of days are the honeymoon period, she still has rough days ahead.
After Sarah and I made a quick visit with Julie in the morning, I slipped away again to our apartment. We never had a chance to clean up the bathroom from the previous morning’s pre-birth problems. (I found messes in places I would have never guessed.) Also, Sarah came up with a more expanded list of things for the hospital now that she could think more clearly.
So, I spent some hours at home – rather than minutes – cleaning, packing, emailing and doing laundry. Our cat – Rachael – appreciated the company and I appreciated the peace.
Sarah balanced hosting visitors, nurses, doctors, and therapists with much needed sleep. With all the interruptions, opportunities for sleep rarely lasted. I may have gotten more rest than Sarah.
The most stress came from breastfeeding. Since Julie couldn’t breastfeed with breathing tubes down her throat, Sarah had to use the pump. The hospital provided a machine almost immediately after Sarah came into her room. We learned the process and talked while the machine groaned and puffed. I delivered the precious product to the NICU after each session. I learned more about lactation than I ever wanted and participated in the process more than mortal man should.
Despite the early delivery, Sarah’s milk came in as expected. She became very sensitive to the quantity she produced each session. Consistency and quantity become increasingly difficult without the bonding between mother and baby. The separation between Julie and Sarah – due to Julie’s fragile condition – become a constant source of frustration.
As I mentioned in the update, Julie completed both #1 and #2. This confirmed to everyone that she had fully cooked inside – no problems with the vital organs except for the lungs. So, we just needed to focus on the fluid buildup while the lungs completed development and she gained her strength. Since Julie had a breathing tube run past her vocal cords, she couldn’t make any sounds. Her fussing consisted of silent movements – thrashing and stretching. Her reactions also confirmed a fully developed brain.