It was a terrible way to start the day - the tests for jaundice had been rising and the decision had been taken to treat Bubs with Phototherapy, by putting her under UV lights for as much time as possible. The poor little mite hates it - she needs to be naked so that she can get the light on her skin and ends up crying and crying because she is cold and alone. And we have to just sit there and let her, because to touch her or cuddle her would be to interrupt the treatment - heartbreaking!! And to add to the problems, she used up all her energy crying so that when it came to feeding time she fell asleep without taking a drop. This means that her dehydration problem is getting worse and is just being exacerbated by being under the bright lights all the time - a viscous circle.Nicole is already feeling hormonal & tired, and having all this stress of a crying baby that she can't comfort is making everything seem 10 times worse than they actually are - a low point was reached this afternoon when Bubs was so exhausted that she was almost comatose - not even pricking her heel to take blood for blood-sugar measurements got much of a rise out of her! Since then things have improved - she had a good feed later in the afternoon and Chris and Sam came and prayed with us, and we feel a lot calmer and more able to cope with it all.
The doctors reviewed her case in the early evening and decided that she should be moved to the specialist care unit so that she could be fed through a tube directly to her stomach - the only way to break the not feeding/too tired cycle! It means that she will be in a different ward from Nicole, but it is a short walk away, and is going to be a good thing on a number of levels. It will take the responsibility of feeding off Nix for a while so she will be able to sleep, they have the means to keep her warm but still under the UV light and by pumping the right amount of food into her tummy they will be able to build up her strength so that she can feed on her own. It will mean a longer stay in hospital, but we're willing to do whatever it takes for her to be well.
The joy came as we finally settled on a name - Janel!!! And No, it's not a made-up name, we "discovered" it on a Canadian friend who was at University with Nicole - and it's the name of one of the actresses on The West Wing (Janel Moloney who plays Donna) which is when we started talking about it as a possibility - according to various websites, so take it with a pinch of salt, it is from the Gaelic meaning "Darling", or it means "God is Gracious" or it means "Jehovah has been gracious; has shown favor." All of which is quite apposite!! It was one of many things that we thought we had plenty of time to decide on before Bubs arrived - but she had other plans!!!
Anyway, its late, so I will post now and continue the adventure another day...
Graeme (and for Nicole and Janel)
2 comments:
Dear Graeme and Nicole,
Congratulations on a beautiful baby!!
Love Nikki and Frank Durban-Jackson
Janel :)
Sweet name. I met a young Canadian lady called Janel a year or so ago, and she glowed with the grace of God.
So welcome Janel.
God gave you your name before your parents thought of their version :) but here on early you will be full of God's favour
To the parents.
You've had a rough start :( and I'm so sorry about that.
Jaundice IS rather common unfortunately, but I hope that the hosptial will allow you to pick Janel and cuddle and comfort her more. As she gains strength, and sleeps better, she can benefit from the light therapy.
Nicole hormones are horrid at this stage and IMHO hospitals bring out the worse in all of us mums. You WILL be tired and the fact the Janel was premature means that this is much more of a shock to your system than 'normal' if there is a normal.
Praying for you all. Wish I were close by to help with practical things, like preparing meals for when Nicole and Janel are home. But I send my love and my prayers for your well being and for you to bond more and more as a wonderful family, loved and cherished by God
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