February 3, 2010 -- One Month in the NICU

One month ago today, Tracy and I were in the dark about what could possibly be wrong with Lily. We heard words like Atresia, Fistula, VACTERL . . . And when I say we were in the "dark", I mean it. It was truly the darkest moment in either of our lives. We didn't understand how or why this could be happening to our sweet little baby! Days and nights were filled with tears and hugs that lasted for hours.

30 days later, here we are. A fixture in the NICU. It's like Cheers when we walk in because everyone knows our names. Doctors, Physicians Assitants, Nurses, Cleaning People. They know we sit by Lily's side all day every day and only leave her side when she goes to sleep. Heck, they probably have a pool going on which sweater I'm gonna where tomorrow.

There have been horrible days, good days and days in between. If you have been reading this blog daily (or more appropriately, every third day when I actually update it), you know what I mean. As you read today's entry, you will more than likely also know what I mean when I say that today was a GREAT day!

I'll start with some pictures of Lily from early this morning. We arrived at about 8am and as usual, we took some pictures of Lily for her story.

At 8:30am we fed Lily and she did great! 2 ounces and she gulped it down like she's been eating for longer than just a day. At about 9:30am, Dr. Pierre (from Dr. Caty's team) came in and said, "Are you ready for her replogle to come out?" We were shocked. Yesterday we were told it would be another day or two for the replogle. But Dr. Pierre said she's been eating very well and there's no need for it anymore.

I was actually nervous. Tracy got the tape remover and was working feverishly to remove the tape from her face. Once that was done, Dr. Pierre grabbed hold of the replogle and just yanked it out! Lily gagged a little bit, caught her breath, and became just as peaceful as ever! Tracy and I couldn't stop staring at her. It was so amazing to finally have the tube out of her nose and the tape off her face. The emotions were unbearable. We were so happy, we both cried and hugged Lily.

About 5 minutes later, the pediatric doctors came in to do their rounds. They said they were ready to take the PICC Line out. One of the nurses pulled the tape off Lily's arm, grabbed the PICC Line and yanked it out. She didn't make a peep.

It was like a brand new Lily. No tube in the nose, no tubes in her arm. The only thing she still has are the leads (heart rate) and the pulse ox monitor. So much less restrictive than in the past.

Immediately, we put Lily in her crib and gor her dressed (this time, no need to keep her arm with the PICC Line out of the sleeve!)

There are no words to express how we felt today. For Lily to finally be free of those tubes and wires. No tape strapped across her face!

Unbelievably, it gets better . . .

After the PICC Line was removed, one of the Physician's Assistants told us to bring a car seat in tomorrow. A Car Seat!! One of the final steps before sending a patient with airway issues to the zoo (Never say the H-word in the NICU!) is a Car Seat Test. They need to make sure a baby can tolerate sitting in a Car Seat for 90 minutes. If they can, it usually is only a short time later that they are released to go "to the zoo."

Really!! It's possible that Lily MAY be sleeping in her own bassonette this weekend!

See!? Isn't this a great day!!!