Cautiously Optimistic

Nora ripped through 8 feedings yesterday. Over 80% by mouth. So, today she is on her own. She will eat as much as she wants when she wants it. As long as her 24 hour total meets the doctor's minimum, she passes. Once she does this for 48 hours - she is home.



Usually the parents have to come in the night before the baby is discharged for a practice night in a little room off the NICU. I am not sure we will have to do this though. Since we have not had any domestic disputes in the NICU, we may have secretly passed this test without knowing. I have overheard many of these while sitting here. Yesterday, I heard a mom totally cussing out the Dad on her cell phone since he did not make it to the hospital for the baby's hernia surgery. I think the RNs hear all this too and they make notes about it in the baby's chart. The neighbor in the next room went home yesterday and there was a lot of discussion about how to get the baby home (with a portable ventilator, feeding tube and apnea monitor) on the bus. I think that finally the parents found or borrowed a car. We are lucky that we do not have these sorts of stresses and both have jobs that are flexible and provide a comfortable life for Nora.