another night in the rnicu!

ahhhh...finally a quiet night in the regional neonatal intensive care! after a very intense night thursday, i requested to go into our isolation room all by myself and have 2 babies. our acuity is VERY high right now! its like a zoo around here! when people think about the neonatal intensive care they automatically think of premature babies that fit in the palm of your hand, which is the majority of what we see. here at uab we have lots of cardiac babies as well! we actually get all of the cardiac babies here! they are usually bigger babies and for the most part term babies...they just have different heart defects and usually need surgery/surgeries. we also see lots of random/rare things around here! anything from conjoined twins, lots of multiple births (no octuplets though), major chromosomal defects, babies born with missing limbs or organs, lots of downs syndrome babies (they usually have a heart defect too), etc...just to name a few. my favorite are usually the preemies, although i have gotten very attached to several heart babies in the past. there was baby gabe who had a rare heart/lung defect! we became very attached. he passed away in december. baby luke was my first attachment in the rnicu! he was a heart baby and he passed away in june 2008. they both fought with all they had, but our great GOD was ready to take them home and make them perfect little angels! there have been lots of preemies! parker and madison come to mind first! they were both tiny little bundles of joy!



there is no way on earth to describe what my job is like! you have to come and see it for yourself! we see babies come and go so often. sometimes the situation is heartbreaking and unbearable to think about, but there are joyous times as well...when you get to see them go home with their mommy's and daddy's. i have the most rewarding job anyone could ask for! people make fun of me around here because i am so nice and talkative to my families and they all love me. i could not imagine being a parent and having a baby up here. it is soooo stressful!

there is no greater feeling knowing that a mom and dad can sleep at night because they know you are taking great care of their most precious gift.i absolutely love what i do even though at times it is extremely mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting all at the same time!

i think with every person and every job, you have those horrific/nightmare nights or days and you think to yourself...nights like that make me want to quit my job. i have had several, but after a little griping and complaining i put on my big girl panties and come right back into work the next night and fall in love with my job all over again.

i knew since i was 13 years old that i wanted to be a neonatal nurse. God placed a set of premature twin boys into my care, and i totally fell in love with them. i was blessed to have such clarity and assurance in what God wanted me to do with my life! i am also blessed to have such amazing parents who made my dream possible and put me through school. my mom, dad, and sister were my number one cheerleaders too! they heard a whole lot of complaining, crying, yelling, and the exhaustion in my voice. they never gave up on me and i never gave up on myself!

i am sitting here now looking at my two sick little babies wishing i could miraculously make them all better, so they could go home where they belong. no baby deserves to suffer and go through what they have to endure, BUT like me...GOD has a huge plan for their lives! i do not know how any family could survive this place and not have faith in my Jesus! He is the Great Physician!

like i said earlier...preemies are my favorite. babies are considered premature from 22 weeks to usually 36 weeks. we have to go to ALL high risk deliveries here. if they come as early as 22-24 weeks their eyes are usually still fused, their skin is gelatinous, and you can see every little vein in their body. they are sooo fragile! everything about them is premature. their lungs, heart, eyes, ears, skin, kidneys, liver, EVERYTHING! we are their lifeline...we breath for them, keep their tiny little hearts beating, keep their bellies from dying, keep them warm and moist, give them nutrition through an iv, etc...i could go on for hours. i have had babies as small as 12 ounces...they fit in the palm of my hand. all i can do is pray that God will grow and heal their bodies. i LOVE my babies! but we not only take care of the babies, we take care of their families and sometimes that is the hardest part!



i guess the point is...i love my job! God has put me here for a very special reason and He is using me in a very special way! that thought makes me very excited!