The end of the NICU 77 day Marathon
The night of November 7th I went to the hospital to stay the night in hopes of bringing Kate home the next day (Friday). It was a bit of a crazy day- I took Josh to a doctor in Springville to get a vasectomy that we had already scheduled a month earlier. After the procedure was done I took him home and left him on the couch loopy on drugs so I could go be with Kate.
When I had arrived at the hospital they told me Kate had been moved to the B unit. This is where babies usually go and stay for a few weeks while they learn how to eat. I thought it was kind of funny that she was moved from the critical care A unit on her last day of staying in the NICU- she didn't even get to sleep in her new B room. I spent several hours in the B unit going over discharge papers and procedures, getting set up with all the oxygen and monitor supplies, and learning all that I needed to be aware of to take her home. Around 8 pm Kate and I moved over to the sleep room. I had to stay one night in the hospital to make sure all was well with knowing how to take care of her. The room was pretty decent, but a little too quiet and box like. It was a very long night by myself- I didn't get much sleep. The next morning we woke early and prepared to leave. The nurse practitioner, Jenny Smoot, came and did Kate's assessment to discharge her. She has taken care of Kate a lot and has done such a great job with her! Jenny and Brenda Smith(Nurse Practitioner) were probably the two over Kate's care that I got to know the most- I loved both of them and still consider them great friends. I thought it was pretty neat also that I had Karly as her nurse. Karly was the first nurse Kate had on the day she was born and also the last nurse she had at the NICU. I loved all the nurses that Kate had, but there were three that I was able to get to know really well. I will never forget them- I consider them 2nd mothers to my daughter. They did such an amazing job taking care of Kate and also me- I'm sure I wasn't easy to be around at times as I road the emotional rollercoaster! As I prepared to go home, I had such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the NICU, the people, the journey, and the ending of it! I felt like a new breathe, a new road, a new chapter was about to open. I felt like the 77 day journey was finally over- that I had finally finished running the NICU marathon! Such a peaceful day, such a relief!!
Kennadi had to try out the car seat one last time while I was cleaning it before it officially became Kates.
3 of my favorite nurses!! Kate's Primary Nurses- Cami, Karly, and Becca.
The sleep room
Kate's new best friends- the oxygen tank and apnea monitor
The fabulous hospital pump
Jenny Smoot
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