The NICU.......

If you're like me, I had really never given much thought to what the NICU was all about. I knew what it's purpose was, and I had known a few people whose babies had been there, but I had never been in one, let alone seen the inside of one. I thought I would write this post...as a way to give everyone an insight as to what that world is like. ( Aside from scary as hell !!! )
The NICU is broken down into 3 levels of care. A level 1 nursery is usually for babies born between 35-37 weeks, who do not require any special monitoring. A level 2, is usually for babies 32 weeks or more, who may need a little more advanced care, and a level 3 ( which is where Liam was ) is for the sickest and smallest of babies, generally babies under 1000gr , that require ventilation.
The doctors in the NICU are called Neonatologists...specifically trained to look after premature infants. I remember being told by one of the other parents, after I had mentioned how we hadn't met many of the doctors...that was exactly the way we wanted it !!! The less you saw a doctor, the better !!!! The Respiratory Therapists are also a vital part of the team, as they are the ones who can intubate a baby, and assess any problems with the lungs and breathing.....BUT in my opinion .....the nurses are generally the most amazing part of the team in the NICU. I sometimes felt as if they knew more than the doctors....they were the ones who spent the most time assessing and taking care of the babies. In Liam's case, he was assigned a Primary nurse and a Core nurse. These 2 AMAZING women followed us through each level of the NICU, all the way until it was time to go home. I will be forever grateful to them....they looked after Liam, like he was one of their own, and we still to this day remain in touch with them.
I remember thinking the NICU was such a strange little world. In the main part of the unit hung this sign, that read QUIET PLEASE...yet it was anything BUT quiet. It's not as if nurses and doctors wandered from baby to baby whispering directions....and never mind the constant beeping of alarms and monitors !!! Babies in the NICU, are generally in incubators. The challenge for the very small babies is to maintain a temperature warm enough for them, and to be able to monitor all vital signs at the same time...so until they can maintain their own temperature, and be at a certain weight, you will see them in these incubators. From there, they will go into small cots and cribs.
When we were first brought to Liam's bedside...I couldn't believe the amount of equipment and how scary all the monitors were. My heart would stop everytime something would beep or an alarm would go off. There has even been an occasion since being out of the NICU that Liam needed to be hooked up to a monitor...and when I heard all the familiar sounds..I burst into tears !!! ( The nurse must of though I was a real whack job !! ) These machines monitor the oxygen level, the heart rate, the blood pressure, the temperature, the respiratory weight...and I'm sure I've missed more ....the other stuff I'll save for my next post.....now that you know ALMOST all about the NICU....