BROWNies With a Side of Life: Our NICU Experience

In my post about Boston's Birth Story I mentioned that Boston was born with a fever and that she was in the NICU. I have decided that I need to write down my experience in the NICU. I have told many people about it but I haven't had the chance yet to sit down and actually explain what it is like to be a NICU parent.

DISCLAIMER: Even though Boston was sick she wasn't that sick and we never worried that she wouldn't make it through her NICU experience, and we understand that we don't fully understand what it is like to have a very sick baby in the NICU. I just wanted to get our story written for us and for Boston in the future so she knows what it was like for us.

That was the longest week of my life. The first few days were really hard for us both, but having the support of our families made it so much easier. I was happy to have my parents there because they knew exactly what it was like to have a baby in the NICU, and Devin was glad his mom was able to come down and be a support to him, both during Boston's birth and our NICU experience.

The hardest part was that Boston was attached to all kinds of cords and was under a heater because she couldn’t hold her body temperature on her own. Her daddy was scared, this was his worst fear the whole time I was pregnant and he was having a hard time with everything. The doctors quickly let us know what the plan was for Boston. She had an infection and it needed to be treated with antibiotics for at least 5 days, (it ended up being the full 7 days). They didn’t know how or what kind of infection it was so they ran some tests to try to find out. They were constantly poking her and drawing blood, so that they could figure out what it was that made her sick. On the second day in the NICU Boston was having some trouble with her reflux and she spit up enough that she started to choke and was unable to breath, they put her on oxygen, even though she didn't really need it. Things seemed like they would never get better. Devin was stressed out and really felt that we needed to give Boston a blessing that she would heal and things would start to look better. So after being at the hospital for about 3 days Devin asked his Uncle Allan, and his cousin Bryce who had just returned home from an LDS mission, to come to the hospital and help Devin give Boston a blessing. As we were sitting in the NICU waiting room eating our dinner,I was starting to feel alone, because my parents had just left that morning. I distinctly remember sitting at the table across from Devin and he looked up and kind of slightly smiled and said "Look who is here." I turned around and I could barely hold back the tears when I saw my grandma and granddad Garvis. It still makes me cry just thinking about seeing them right when I really needed my family. I instantly felt a little better and realized that I wasn't alone our families were there to support us even if they couldn't be with us the whole time. The blessing was beautiful and exactly what we needed. In Boston’s blessing Devin said that she would begin to feel better and that she would be removed from all of the cords that bound her. After that blessing we all headed up to my room and Allan and Devin gave both me and Devin blessings. Each blessing was very comforting and exactly what we both needed to hear. Devin's Uncle Allan gave Devin one of the most inspired blessings I had ever heard. It was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong. I could feel Devin starting to feel better before the blessing was even over. I don't think Allan knows how grateful I am that he was able to do that for Devin. He needed it and it was so perfect. I am so glad Allan was able to do that for him.

Things quickly started looking up. Boston was taken off of the oxygen and by the end of the next night she was no longer receiving IV sugars to keep her blood sugar up because now she was eating enough. She was finally in a regular bed instead of being under the heater bed. It was all getting better. Everyday the doctor would say that she was looking better and that soon we would be able to take her home. Things got so much easier after that. It was hard to not be at home but we worked around that. I spent every moment that I was awake down in Boston's room ( I think I annoyed the nurses), and every break Devin got from work he was right there with me. It started to seem like we would never get to go home, but finally on Tuesday September 10, 2013 we got to bring our beautiful girl home. It was so wonderful to bring her home! We love her very much and have no idea how we ever lived without her.

(the pictures are not in order I was too impatient to try to fix that)