My mother-in-law got her wish today. When our daughter (Briana) was born prematurely on St. Patty's Day, my mother-in-law hoped that Briana would be out of intensive care and home from the hospital before Easter. As luck would have it, Briana came home the Thursday before... just in time for the Easter Bunny.
(Speaking of the Easter Bunny, the video below is one of my favorite Easter videos.)
Needless to say, today Karen, Briana, and I celebrated Easter with my parents and my in-laws. Too bad I suck at Easter. I was actually expecting Easter to be full of stress... with my mother and my mother-in-law vying to hold Briana for hours upon hours and preventing her from getting her sleep (which is important as she needs to grow to an appropriate body weight). As it turned out, Easter went pretty well.
As Karen and I were still exhausted trying to find a routine that worked with Briana's feeding schedule, my in-laws decided to bring Easter dinner to our house. They prepared the Easter staple known as ham, complete with fixings. It was quite the delicious meal. Everyone got their chance to hold Briana for a little while. (My father even got to hold her for the first time.)
With the nice beautiful weather, we even got to take Briana out for a little stroll around the neighborhood. It was good to get out of the house for some fresh air.
I even had the luxury of just getting out on my own. And what better destination to go... than South Shore Hospital, where Briana was born. As a token of our appreciation for the quality of care that the hospital provided our daughter, Karen and I had my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) wrap two baskets of goodies containing healthy snacks from Trader Joe's. (Being married to dietitian, the snacks of course had to be healthy.)
I think the staff at the hospital were delighted that I visited, especially since I was carrying presents for them. My visit probably broke up the monotony of the day for them. Plus, with it being Easter after all, things were pretty quiet in the neonatal intensive care unit and the special care nursery.
I spent a good amount of time chatting with the staff. As a side note, there is a nurse practitioner (Amy) on the hospital staff that looks like my friend (Hot Amy). I thought it was comical that they had the same name. I guess by the mathematical transitive property, the nurse practitioner could also be called "Hot Amy". (For anyone curious, the transitive property is "if a=b and b=c, then a=c".)
There is also a nurse (Jen) who reminded me of Selma Blair. And there is a doctor who reminded me of Jenna Fischer (of The Office fame). Yes, maybe I have too much time on my hands. The only reason why I even brought up the topic was because Hot Amy, the nurse practitioner, was there today.
Anyway, following the brief visit to the hospital, I actually stopped on by Janine's for a little refreshment before heading back home. All in all, it was a good Easter.
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I Suck At Being A Parent
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Happy St. Patrick's Day! As the luck of the Irish would have it, yesterday was also the day I became a the proud parent of a baby girl. Too bad I suck at being a parent.
(The picture below is my daughter, Briana. She's actually lying down in an Isolette... a.k.a. incubator in the NICU, so you may need to tilt your head to the left.)
Briana was born yesterday, March 17 2010. She weighed in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. As well, she measured 18 inches, which is pretty comparable to a full term baby. (For anyone curious, Briana was born prematurely at 33 weeks.)
Also of note is the fact that Briana received a 9.9 Apgar score. Previous to Briana's birth, I had never heard of the Apgar score. The Apgar is a health assessment test for newborns. The maximum score is 10. So apparently Briana scored extremely well considering she was premature. I was pretty impressed.
Hearing that she scored so well was definitely a relief. After everything that happened with my son (Braden) and how he was born extremely premature which unfortunately allowed him to only survive a week, the actual stress to make it through the actual birth of Briana felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Rather than worrying about whether Karen and I would lose another child in the same fashion, we can now worry about actually taking care of our child.
Of course, Briana is not out of the woods yet. As a premature baby, she is still being monitored in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her chances of survival, however, are quite good because she was delivered further along than Braden (and she also scored so well on the Apgar.) Although Karen and I still won't be able to take her home from the hospital for several weeks, just knowing that she was born and has a great fighting chance to survive is fantastic.
But, I am hoping for the best. And I must say, Briana's birth was simply amazing. I don't mean that because she is now "Daddy's little girl". The entire experience was awesome and nothing like that movie "The Miracle of Life". After Briana's birth, I would love to be a labor coach. Of course, the other expectant mothers probably would not like that as much if I were in the room with them... but I think that would be fun.
Karen's labor was quite the ride. After her water broke, the doctor's simply kept a monitor on her to check her contractions. Since Karen was at 33 weeks, there was a decision made by the doctors to administer a steroid to help Briana's potential lung development. The steroid process consisted of two shots given 24 hours apart. (Unfortunately, Briana only received one of the two shots.)
The reason why only one steroid shot was received was because Karen started having contractions. As Karen started having contractions, the doctors soon prescribed Nubain (Nalbuphine) for the pain and discomfort. Eventually, the pain proved to be too much for Karen (even after a second dose of Nubain) and consequently, she was given her epidural.
After the epidural, it was pretty much a given that Briana would be born that day because dilation was inevitable. And so, Karen began the active portion of her labor. That was the part on television where the expecting mother generally screams and yells at the father or whoever is around because she is pushing the baby out. Interestingly enough, real life is nothing like television. Granted, Karen and I actually had dedicated hands-on training with the child birth by professionals. (We never had taken the child birthing class offered by the hospital because... well... each time we registered for the class our child was born prematurely before the class.) So nope, there was no screaming during the active labor portion.
The pushing of the baby was wild. Karen did a fantastic job. Always the curious one, I even got to see probably more than a normal person should. On television, the father generally stays by the wife's side near the top of the bed... if he doesn't pass out. At least... that's television. I got to actually help lift Karen's legs, hold her head up, hold her hands... everything.
It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. And okay, I'll admit, I even almost teared up during the whole labor portion. After three hours of pushing, Karen was simply exhausted. She simply looked spent. I could see it on her face that she looked like she wanted to give up. It was at that point that the doctor gave a little "rah-rah" type of speech to Karen about fighting through the pain and about how if she can overcome that one moment of pain, she would be forever happy that she did so.
I have no reason why it almost made me tear up. I guess because 1) I've possibly become a softy with parenthood and 2) I think the message made sense to me on a personal level. In particular, I had thought about Braden at that moment, and how losing him was extremely painful. And then now, there was this opportunity to have the world make sense again in my life with the birth of Briana. For me, the doctor's message seemed to be not only for Karen and her labor, but for me as well. And truth be told, I think the nurse (Patty) who was there with us with Braden and now also there with us for Briana somehow sensed that too because she looked at me after the doctor said those inspiring words.
Sure enough... Karen reached down deep inside and did it. She was simply amazing. Seeing Briana's head pop right out was great. I remember at the time too that while Briana was being pulled out I had thought... wow, that's a long baby. Little did I know, she would measure 18 inches.
The NICU were also on hand during Briana's birth. After all, they were there to take Briana to the NICU as soon as possible to begin their treatment for me. As they were attending to Briana, the other doctors were helping Karen pass the placenta (and all the other after birth stuff.) Everything was pretty hectic after the actual birth.
Luckily for me, the NICU allowed me the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. That was also a great experience. For anyone curious, cutting through the umbilical cord is like cutting through a rubber hose. Hopefully, Briana will end up with an "innie" instead of an "outie". And for those still curious, doctors have no control over that belly button feature. I asked. The way the cord eventually falls off determines that.
All in all, St. Patty's Day was a wild ride with the birth of our daughter Briana. Karen mentioned that Briana's 21st birthday will most likely be quite the party. I have not thought that far into the future yet, but it would definitely be quite the party for Briana.
Happy birthday Briana! And Braden, it looks like you now have a little sister to look after too!
(The picture below is my daughter, Briana. She's actually lying down in an Isolette... a.k.a. incubator in the NICU, so you may need to tilt your head to the left.)
Briana was born yesterday, March 17 2010. She weighed in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. As well, she measured 18 inches, which is pretty comparable to a full term baby. (For anyone curious, Briana was born prematurely at 33 weeks.)
Also of note is the fact that Briana received a 9.9 Apgar score. Previous to Briana's birth, I had never heard of the Apgar score. The Apgar is a health assessment test for newborns. The maximum score is 10. So apparently Briana scored extremely well considering she was premature. I was pretty impressed.
Hearing that she scored so well was definitely a relief. After everything that happened with my son (Braden) and how he was born extremely premature which unfortunately allowed him to only survive a week, the actual stress to make it through the actual birth of Briana felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Rather than worrying about whether Karen and I would lose another child in the same fashion, we can now worry about actually taking care of our child.
Of course, Briana is not out of the woods yet. As a premature baby, she is still being monitored in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her chances of survival, however, are quite good because she was delivered further along than Braden (and she also scored so well on the Apgar.) Although Karen and I still won't be able to take her home from the hospital for several weeks, just knowing that she was born and has a great fighting chance to survive is fantastic.
But, I am hoping for the best. And I must say, Briana's birth was simply amazing. I don't mean that because she is now "Daddy's little girl". The entire experience was awesome and nothing like that movie "The Miracle of Life". After Briana's birth, I would love to be a labor coach. Of course, the other expectant mothers probably would not like that as much if I were in the room with them... but I think that would be fun.
Karen's labor was quite the ride. After her water broke, the doctor's simply kept a monitor on her to check her contractions. Since Karen was at 33 weeks, there was a decision made by the doctors to administer a steroid to help Briana's potential lung development. The steroid process consisted of two shots given 24 hours apart. (Unfortunately, Briana only received one of the two shots.)
The reason why only one steroid shot was received was because Karen started having contractions. As Karen started having contractions, the doctors soon prescribed Nubain (Nalbuphine) for the pain and discomfort. Eventually, the pain proved to be too much for Karen (even after a second dose of Nubain) and consequently, she was given her epidural.
After the epidural, it was pretty much a given that Briana would be born that day because dilation was inevitable. And so, Karen began the active portion of her labor. That was the part on television where the expecting mother generally screams and yells at the father or whoever is around because she is pushing the baby out. Interestingly enough, real life is nothing like television. Granted, Karen and I actually had dedicated hands-on training with the child birth by professionals. (We never had taken the child birthing class offered by the hospital because... well... each time we registered for the class our child was born prematurely before the class.) So nope, there was no screaming during the active labor portion.
The pushing of the baby was wild. Karen did a fantastic job. Always the curious one, I even got to see probably more than a normal person should. On television, the father generally stays by the wife's side near the top of the bed... if he doesn't pass out. At least... that's television. I got to actually help lift Karen's legs, hold her head up, hold her hands... everything.
It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. And okay, I'll admit, I even almost teared up during the whole labor portion. After three hours of pushing, Karen was simply exhausted. She simply looked spent. I could see it on her face that she looked like she wanted to give up. It was at that point that the doctor gave a little "rah-rah" type of speech to Karen about fighting through the pain and about how if she can overcome that one moment of pain, she would be forever happy that she did so.
I have no reason why it almost made me tear up. I guess because 1) I've possibly become a softy with parenthood and 2) I think the message made sense to me on a personal level. In particular, I had thought about Braden at that moment, and how losing him was extremely painful. And then now, there was this opportunity to have the world make sense again in my life with the birth of Briana. For me, the doctor's message seemed to be not only for Karen and her labor, but for me as well. And truth be told, I think the nurse (Patty) who was there with us with Braden and now also there with us for Briana somehow sensed that too because she looked at me after the doctor said those inspiring words.
Sure enough... Karen reached down deep inside and did it. She was simply amazing. Seeing Briana's head pop right out was great. I remember at the time too that while Briana was being pulled out I had thought... wow, that's a long baby. Little did I know, she would measure 18 inches.
The NICU were also on hand during Briana's birth. After all, they were there to take Briana to the NICU as soon as possible to begin their treatment for me. As they were attending to Briana, the other doctors were helping Karen pass the placenta (and all the other after birth stuff.) Everything was pretty hectic after the actual birth.
Luckily for me, the NICU allowed me the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. That was also a great experience. For anyone curious, cutting through the umbilical cord is like cutting through a rubber hose. Hopefully, Briana will end up with an "innie" instead of an "outie". And for those still curious, doctors have no control over that belly button feature. I asked. The way the cord eventually falls off determines that.
All in all, St. Patty's Day was a wild ride with the birth of our daughter Briana. Karen mentioned that Briana's 21st birthday will most likely be quite the party. I have not thought that far into the future yet, but it would definitely be quite the party for Briana.
Happy birthday Briana! And Braden, it looks like you now have a little sister to look after too!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I Suck At Going To The Hospital
There are days where I wish life mirrored television. After all, in the television world, pregnancies look like a piece of cake. A woman gets pregnant. She has a few crazy cravings. Nine months later, the baby is born. Easy. Viewers rarely see the part where there are complications with the pregnancy. I think in the television world, dying children is taboo.
Needless to say, I wish yesterday were like television. Yesterday, my pregnant wife (Karen) and I went to the hospital. Now, I suck at going to the hospital. During the start of the afternoon, Karen called me while I was working at the office. Normally, I would probably be ecstatic to receive a call in the office from Karen. Heck, I would be ecstatic to receive any phone call in the office because no one ever calls me.
Unfortunately, this call was slightly anxiety-causing. Karen had mentioned how she needed to go to the hospital because she had noticed some bleeding... which for a pregnant person is not exactly good news. Of course, after receiving the news I quickly gathered my things and immediately left the office.
I probably gave myself an ulcer yesterday. I work in Marblehead, which is near Salem. For anyone curious, people in Marblehead (and Salem) drive like my grandmother... if I had a grandmother. I don't know why they drive very slowly, but they do. I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it is to drive at a snail's pace when you are trying to pick up your pregnant wife to bring her to the hospital.
Needless to say, I was not too happy until I got to the highway, in which case my lead foot basically hit the pedal to the metal. Had I been driving a Toyota, I would probably have gotten into an accident. Just kidding.
Anyway, I picked up Karen at her work and the both of us then drove to the hospital. Obviously, I had to drive a little slower than Toyota-speed now that Karen and our unborn baby (currently named Jicama) were in the car.
And naturally, at the hospital we waited... and waited... and waited for what seemed like an eternity. It's funny how that works. The things that seem so imperative to you (like my pregnant wife having bleeding issues), don't often seem so imperative to others.
This is a side note. I think one of the things that our health care system lacks (across the board) is expectation setting. The same can be said of a lot of things too, like the our awful subway system, politics, whatever. You name it, there is probably a lack of expectation setting in regards to it.
When Karen went into one of the exam rooms, the nurses simply hooked her up to a monitor. They didn't mention anything else. We just sat there for a good hour or two... watching television (and for anyone curious, we watched "The Drs"... there's not a whole lot of quality television in the afternoon). All the while, I kept thinking and worrying about... well... my bleeding pregnant wife. Had someone told us that they needed to monitor Karen for an hour or so to gather data, then I might have been a little more at ease. But by not mentioning anything, I think it only added to my already high stress level because I was just left to wonder about things. That's just my opinion.
Don't get me wrong. The medical staff is courteous and they were great when it comes to answering questions. The problem is just... the actual providing of answers. Answers are only provided when asked. That's great and all, but how is someone to know which question to ask in the first place. My first inclination is not going to ask "so how long is Karen going to be strapped to this machine". That's all I'm saying... expectation setting. (It's like our awful subway system. When a train is having switching problems, don't keep me in the dark and simply tell me the train has been disabled due to switching problems. Tell me when the next train is scheduled to arrive. Expectation setting!)
Anyway, I know I'm going off on a tangent. Heck, I'm starting to sound like a grumpy-gus. I'm simply getting old and cranky these days. And truth be told, I would not be surprised if I broke down soon... both mentally and physically. I can already feel the tenseness in my neck and back which has been building for a while. My body is breaking down and I can feel the exhaustion coming.
After losing our son (Braden) some time ago, the lack of control frustrates me. With Karen's current pregnancy, I've practically taken over most of the household chores. I've given Karen all the pillows we have to help her sleep better. I sometimes just don't know what else I can do to help with our current unborn baby. It's frustrating to have Karen experience bleeding because you know there's nothing you can do about it. The helpless feeling irks me.
Regardless, the doctor did eventually come to check out Karen... naturally while I went to grab a bite to eat. But according to the doctor, Karen and the baby are fine. So that's good news. The doctor simply thinks that the cerclage may have stretched or pulled at the cervix, thereby causing the bleeding. Apparently, that was a possibility of having a cerclage done. (Again, it would have been nice to known that ahead of time... expectation setting.)
Needless to say, it was a relief to hear that everything is good. Unfortunately, I may have been a little too wiped out when I saw my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) later that night for our usual "Lost" gathering. While Karen rested from the ordeal (doctor's orders), I went and hung out.
Marc made chili. I think it was an Alton Brown recipe. The chili was delicious. But hanging out with them was a good way to relax and unwind for a little while.
Needless to say, I wish yesterday were like television. Yesterday, my pregnant wife (Karen) and I went to the hospital. Now, I suck at going to the hospital. During the start of the afternoon, Karen called me while I was working at the office. Normally, I would probably be ecstatic to receive a call in the office from Karen. Heck, I would be ecstatic to receive any phone call in the office because no one ever calls me.
Unfortunately, this call was slightly anxiety-causing. Karen had mentioned how she needed to go to the hospital because she had noticed some bleeding... which for a pregnant person is not exactly good news. Of course, after receiving the news I quickly gathered my things and immediately left the office.
I probably gave myself an ulcer yesterday. I work in Marblehead, which is near Salem. For anyone curious, people in Marblehead (and Salem) drive like my grandmother... if I had a grandmother. I don't know why they drive very slowly, but they do. I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it is to drive at a snail's pace when you are trying to pick up your pregnant wife to bring her to the hospital.
Needless to say, I was not too happy until I got to the highway, in which case my lead foot basically hit the pedal to the metal. Had I been driving a Toyota, I would probably have gotten into an accident. Just kidding.
Anyway, I picked up Karen at her work and the both of us then drove to the hospital. Obviously, I had to drive a little slower than Toyota-speed now that Karen and our unborn baby (currently named Jicama) were in the car.
And naturally, at the hospital we waited... and waited... and waited for what seemed like an eternity. It's funny how that works. The things that seem so imperative to you (like my pregnant wife having bleeding issues), don't often seem so imperative to others.
This is a side note. I think one of the things that our health care system lacks (across the board) is expectation setting. The same can be said of a lot of things too, like the our awful subway system, politics, whatever. You name it, there is probably a lack of expectation setting in regards to it.
When Karen went into one of the exam rooms, the nurses simply hooked her up to a monitor. They didn't mention anything else. We just sat there for a good hour or two... watching television (and for anyone curious, we watched "The Drs"... there's not a whole lot of quality television in the afternoon). All the while, I kept thinking and worrying about... well... my bleeding pregnant wife. Had someone told us that they needed to monitor Karen for an hour or so to gather data, then I might have been a little more at ease. But by not mentioning anything, I think it only added to my already high stress level because I was just left to wonder about things. That's just my opinion.
Don't get me wrong. The medical staff is courteous and they were great when it comes to answering questions. The problem is just... the actual providing of answers. Answers are only provided when asked. That's great and all, but how is someone to know which question to ask in the first place. My first inclination is not going to ask "so how long is Karen going to be strapped to this machine". That's all I'm saying... expectation setting. (It's like our awful subway system. When a train is having switching problems, don't keep me in the dark and simply tell me the train has been disabled due to switching problems. Tell me when the next train is scheduled to arrive. Expectation setting!)
Anyway, I know I'm going off on a tangent. Heck, I'm starting to sound like a grumpy-gus. I'm simply getting old and cranky these days. And truth be told, I would not be surprised if I broke down soon... both mentally and physically. I can already feel the tenseness in my neck and back which has been building for a while. My body is breaking down and I can feel the exhaustion coming.
After losing our son (Braden) some time ago, the lack of control frustrates me. With Karen's current pregnancy, I've practically taken over most of the household chores. I've given Karen all the pillows we have to help her sleep better. I sometimes just don't know what else I can do to help with our current unborn baby. It's frustrating to have Karen experience bleeding because you know there's nothing you can do about it. The helpless feeling irks me.
Regardless, the doctor did eventually come to check out Karen... naturally while I went to grab a bite to eat. But according to the doctor, Karen and the baby are fine. So that's good news. The doctor simply thinks that the cerclage may have stretched or pulled at the cervix, thereby causing the bleeding. Apparently, that was a possibility of having a cerclage done. (Again, it would have been nice to known that ahead of time... expectation setting.)
Needless to say, it was a relief to hear that everything is good. Unfortunately, I may have been a little too wiped out when I saw my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) later that night for our usual "Lost" gathering. While Karen rested from the ordeal (doctor's orders), I went and hung out.
Marc made chili. I think it was an Alton Brown recipe. The chili was delicious. But hanging out with them was a good way to relax and unwind for a little while.
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