When Given a Break, Take It!

Saturday, February 20, 2010 3:25 PM, EST

MG turned 36 weeks gestational age on Friday and 7 weeks after her birth. It has taken me this long to learn that when you are given a break, TAKE IT! Don't fill it with more anxiety of what is to come. (This is a life lesson I hope I remember forever!) We are thankful that MG is still working on the IMV-CPAP. She's been working hard the last two days as the nurses try to get the right fit of the nasal prongs and help her create a seal with nostrils and mouth to more effectively use the pressure and oxygen it is giving her. Her doctor will be in tomorrow and will think about weaning her down from the vent settings she has been on since she was extubated on Wednesday.

W

e've been balancing our relief these past few days with discouraging news from our other hospital. Our friends and parents of Jayden have not received good news. Columbia and Cornell would not take on their case, probably because he was born so young at 22.5weeks before developing his complications. St. Vincent's has agreed to try what they qualified as an experimental drug for a baby his size for 2 weeks. This is all they can do for him. As of yesterday it was working but this weekend is crucial.
Please pray for Jayden and his family.

I went to pray with Carlos on Thursday night when they first received the news and learned of how bad it is gotten at St. Vincent's too. The NICU and hospital felt like a ghost town (granted it was 8:30PM). Only 2 nurses were working for only 4 babies. They reported that 300 workers were laid off and the pediatric floor closed. Because of the nurses' union, our NICU nurses might be replaced by pediatric nurses who've worked there longer. This concerned us for pediatrics is different than the specialized intensive care that premature infants (particularly ours) needs. The anxiety is high in the unit as people, even the doctors, aren't sure of their future in 2 months. We are very concerned for these amazing people who are devoted to the mission of the hospital and care for their patients not just to their employment. It looks like we will be at Columbia uptown for a while as it may take another 1-2months to stabilize MG on CPAP, but we would like for St Vincent's to continue to serve our neighborhood and all of downtown Manhattan and would benefit from returning when MG's care is just about learning to feed and grow on a little bit of additional oxygen. At that point, Columbia urges a transfer out to make room for more acute cases and having her closer to home makes it easier to give her the kind of constant bonding that full-term babies need.

If you could sign this online petiton to help save the hospital we would appreciate it. Only 7500 signed it the first time. This is the link: http://council.nyc.gov/html/action_center/stvincents.shtml

Since the schools had midwinter break, I took James with me to visit yesterday. I let him touch MG's hand. "It's soft." He said he didn't want to sing, "I just want to talk to her." So he told her about the monster on his shirt and how she shouldn't be scared because he'd protect her.

Thank you kindly,
Beth