It’s been one week…

     Jake spent the first six days of his life in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).  The doctor told us before Jake was born that he would be taken to NICU right away after he was born since he was premature.  We were very fortunate to know before Jake was taken away that his heart and lungs were good.  The NICU doctor came and gave us a full report on Jake after he was fully examined.  Everything was good on Jake except his blood sugar level was a little high so that meant that Jake would have to stay in NICU for more tests later.   

The nurses told me that I could go see Jake after I had used the bathroom three times.  I quickly drank several glasses of water so I could go see him.  I was excited to go see Jake, but the nurses told me that I would still have to wait to get some more tests done on me first.  Finally about seven hours after delivering Jake, I was able to go see him.  Brian pushed me down the hall in a wheelchair to NICU.  We scrubbed in, and then headed in to see our little guy. 

NICU was a surreal atmosphere.  The lights are kept low and it is quiet in there.  It was so great to see Jacob and hold him.  Jacob was hooked up to several machines and had an IV in his hand so we had to be very careful when we held him.  I wanted to nurse Jake, so we started that process as well. 

The lactation specialist came to our room to give us some information and pointers and delivered a pump.  We had taken a breastfeeding class just the week before so we were familiar with the lactation specialist ~ Lactation Linda we called her.  She gave us some good laughs as she was quite passionate about her job.  Brian’s favorite advice from her was that when trying to nurse she compared it to squeezing a cheeseburger!  All of the doctors and nurses were so positive and encouraging us to breastfeed.  Even when I pumped the first couple days and only got a drop, they told us how wonderful it was and wanted us to bring that drop down to NICU and they would give it to Jake through a syringe.

                We enjoyed several visitors as well at the hospital.  We were only to have 4 visitors allowed to go in NICU to see Jake, but we were able to sneak in our family members throughout that first evening.  

  

                That night the nurses told us to get a good night’s sleep and not to worry about trying to pump or nurse in the middle of the night.  They told us that we should get sleep while we had the chance!  I was sleeping great until the nurse came in and woke me up to give me a Motrin.  I wasn’t even in pain or anything and was sound asleep.  After that, I could not fall back to sleep, so I headed down to hold Jake for a little while until I got sleepy again.  I headed back to our room and slept for a couple more hours.  Brian and I then woke up early to go see our little guy.  We were told his bilirubin (jaundice) level was a little high so he would have to be under special lights.  This would limit the amount of time we could hold him because he would need to be under those lights as long as possible.  Brian and I worked out a system to maximize our time with Jake and allowed for both of us to hold him.  I nursed Jake, and then Brian would feed him a bottle while I pumped.  We would do this routine every three hours. 

The days at the hospital seemed to run together and it seemed like Groundhog Day ~ the same schedule over and over: go to NICU, change Jake’s diaper (Brian took care of this ~ I didn’t change any diapers until we got home.  Impressive since Brian had never changed a diaper before!) , nurse Jake, and then I would pump.  In between our visits to NICU, Brian and I just hung out in my hospital room. 

Thanksgiving Day came and it was time for me to be discharged.  This was bittersweet ~ it would be nice for Brian and I to be at our own house but very sad that we would not be bringing our little man home with us. 

We said our goodbyes to Jake and told him we would be back in three hours, and we went and met Brian’s mom who had packed up Thanksgiving food for us.  We were so appreciative for that food!  My parents and sister, Jen and her family (who just happened to be visiting from Germany) came over that evening as well.  They brought us Thanksgiving leftovers as well.  It was nice to have company for a few hours to take our mind off having just left Jake. 

After they left, Brian and I headed back to the hospital for the 9pm feeding.  This was our last visit for the night as we were not going for the midnight or 3am feeding ~ the doctor and nurses told us to skip two feedings to get some rest ~ we figured those times were the best ones to skip. 

The next few days were very tough and tiring.  Going to the hospital every 3 hours and staying for an hour and a half made the days go by so fast.  We could not get much done at home as it always seemed like it was time to head back to the hospital.  We were always so anxious and excited to see Jake, we were never late!

                The entire staff at Eastside Medical Center ~ from the cleaning ladies to the nurses to the doctors~ were awesome!  It made the first week of Jake’s life so much better knowing he was in such good hands! 

Sunday ~ Brandon, Lindsay, and Kylie came to the hospital to visit Jake and then we all went back to our house to watch the Falcons game.  We can't wait for Jake to join us to watch a game!