In the NICU

In the IU Hospital NICU, Sayla and Brynna were slowly gaining weight. We waited at their bedside for them to grow. Allan took off the first week, then for the next week I overworked myself, waddling my way over to the shuttle bus and through hospital just to spend time with my babies. It was so important for me to bond with them then, not only for them but for me. It was hard for me to absorb that they were my children...that I was responsible for two little fragile lives. I think I was still in disbelief that they were alive and well, especially after hearing that they might not even be born alive. Sometimes I just sat and stared a them, holding their little tiny hands. I fed them, changed their diapers, and checked their temperatures. It was like I was playing with little live baby dolls.




The three weeks they were in the hospital seemed like forever. One day a neo-natologist came to me and asked us if we would be interested in transferring to a hospital half an hour north of there, the same hospital where I had my prenatal care. At the time we were staying at the Ronald McDonald House, and we thought it would be harder to make the drive between home and the hospital if we moved. Then we came to a realization. Sayla would be released before Brynna, meaning I couldn't bring Sayla back to the nursery. I wouldn't be able to see Brynna all day or nurse her. So Clarian North offered a private room for us where we could stay the night AND keep Sayla at the same time. I told the neo-natologist "yes" and an hour later the Riley Lifeline team packed up the girls and we were all gone. Since the reasoning for the move was overcrowding, the hospital paid for the transport so they could have two more beds. That was thousands of dollars.




During our second hospital stay, we were able to sleep in a private parent room. Sayla was a patient there for three days, and she stayed the night with us every night after that. In the meantime, Brynna was still gaining weight very slowly. We expected her to be in the NICU for at least one more week. She was still in an isolette, but no feeding tube. She pulled it out the first day and we decided to leave it out. She had to breast/bottle feed for three days without a tube in order for her to go home. She also had to reach four lbs. The next day after Sayla was released, we came into the room and Brynna was in an open crib, the last bed stage. It meant she was able to regulate her temp on her own. They said she grew so quickly that she was ready to go home the next day! August 3rd, we brought both of our little girls home...finally.