Our stay in NICU

Being a NICU nurse was my calling. I know that God led me there for a reason and a greater purpose. I have been touched so many times in the past by babies I have cared for. I love the feeling of getting a card or picture in the mail of a little preemie that I have taken care of, that got to go home with thier parents. While there are happy times in the NICU, there are also lots of sad times as well. I have seen many infants fight for so long, and then be released from their earthly struggle to go home to be in the arms of Jesus. I never imagined that I could appreciate my job more, but when you have a infant in the NICU your perspective can change really quick.
Karli was born at 34 weeks 0 days on June 26, 2008. She weighed in at 5lbs 6oz. However, she also came out grunting, flaring and retracting, basically meaning that she was having difficulty breathing. Because of her gestational age, she was an automatic admit to NICU, but becuase of her breathing problems she was an automatic infection rule out.. Mandatory 3-5 day stay. Well she was placed on NCPAP(nasal continuos positive airway pressure), started on antibiotics and IV fluids. She stayed on NCPAP until the next afternoon, and they put her on a high flow nasal cannula. She only lasted for about 4 hours before she started breathing too hard, so they put the NCPAP back on, We finally got to hold her for the first time since birth before they put her back on the NCPAP though. She stayed on that until the next afternoon, and they started alternating between the NCPAP and the cannula. By day 3 we were getting breastmilk, only 0.5mL by mouth, and her blood cultures were negative, so they stopped her antibiotics. Day 4 we were totally on cannula and weaning our oxygen. By midnight on Day 4 we were off the oxygen totally, but we were on bili lights. Her jaundice level went skyhigh and she was on triple therapy at one point. Her jaundice level slowly came down. She came off the therapy on Day 6, but went back under it on Day 7. We got to bring her home on The 4th of July, her 8th day in the NICU. They made us stay until that afternoon because she was still under the lights. I was just so glad that she was finally home.