Blessed

I just found out this morning that Gabe can potentially come home before next weekend!! I knew the time was getting close. He has been taking his whole bottle on his own the past 2 days and is in a crib now! A few nurses yesterday said that it wouldn't be too much longer! I wasn't getting my hopes up then, but hearing the doctor say it makes me think it just might happen! So, so happy! Now, we're waiting for a few surgeons to come to check and see if they think he has a hernia. Our doctor and nurse practioner no longer believe that he has one. But, to be on the safe side we all agreed it's better to have them check. Better safe than sorry! I've also been working with the nurses and doctors, planning what types of follow-up appointments Gabe will need and when! This is the exciting part of being in the hospital! The part where we can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel! 


With all that being said, I wanted to share a few things with you all of what I have learned about having a preemie child and being in the hospital...

1. There is a difference between micro-preemie and preemie! What exactly is a micro-preemie? Well, according to micropreemies.com, it is defined as: a baby that is under 1 3/4 pounds (00-800 grams) and is generally born before 26 weeks gestation. Most people loosen this term up to include and baby under 3 pounds (1500 grams) or under 29 weeks gestation. Gabe was classified as a micro-preemie since he was less than 3 pounds. 
2. Isolette is the same thing as an incubator. 
3. Apnea & Bradycardia (A & B episodes) are when breathing stops and the heart rate drops. These are very common in preemie babies. It's important to remember that babies usually bring their heartrates up on their own, and they will eventually grow out of it! When Gabe first had these episodes, it scared me. Now, I just go with it, stimulate him a little, and everything is back to normal within seconds. 
4. Swaddling is VERY important, especially with preemies, again. You have to remember, these babies are supposed to still be in the womb. And like other babies, they like to feel almost like they are still in the womb. 
5. Reflux is common...more common in preemies. Be prepared for spit up every feeding! 
6. The formula with more protein in it causes their poop to smell 100x worse than normal! 
7. Bring things to your babies room to make it feel more like home. Examples: pictures, books, decorations, blankets, clothes, hats, stuffed animals, etc. Gabe's room is decorated here at Cardinal Glennon and he wears all of his clothes everyday! We usually go through about 3 outfits a day! 
8. Babies can move and wiggle more than you think. Hence the reason why we would find Gabe smashed against the side of his isolette and crib! 
9. Just because their small doesn't mean their cry isn't HUGE! I've heard the babies in this NICU cry louder than any other baby! 
10. If you have a question, Don't be scared to ask! The doctors and nurses are there to lend their support and advice! Don't worry, they understand that you have probably never experienced anything like this. They're prepared to answer ANY and ALL questions! 
11. You won't like them all! We've run into a few nurses that we weren't to crazy about. I just had to remember that they're doing the best they can and that no matter what, they would never allow anything to happen to Gabe! 
12. It's ok to cry, sometimes that's important! 
13. Always take the advice of the doctors...they're the ones with the degree...remember they put in many years and hours to become a doctor! 
14. Don't ever second guess yourself...as long as you're making the best possible decision for your child! 
15. Remember to put your child's best interest first! 
16. Most importantly, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS Remember that God is in control and everything happens for a reason. (I'll write more about this later). AND, ALWAYS remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is a very long, hard, tiring process having a baby in the NICU for so long. It will get easier. You will have ups and downs at times; and you will have scary moments and joyful moments! Embrace them all! 
17. AND...KEEP EVERYTHING. Even if you think it's silly to ask for a bottle that your baby took, ASK! It may not seem like it now, but one day you will want to have these things to show. I remember when Gabe was being flown to StL, one of the nurses who was flying with him was like, "you should try to get a picture of the helicopter...i know it may not seem like it now, but you may like to have it in the future!" And was she right! I'm keeping record of everything and anything! I'm planning to get a little box to keep everything in and one day when Gabe is older he can look at all of it and see how far he's come! :) 

Everything Happens For A Reason! How many times have we all heard that before? During this experience, especially at the beginning, I couldn't find it in myself to believe this. We had a lot of questions like...why did this happen to us? will our son be ok? we're young, we can't handle this... Finally, we just had to start praying that God would watch over Gabriel and help him and us through it all. God is Good...and you have to remember this. We don't have control over anything really. The doctor's can try their best and the nurses can too...but ultimately, everything that happens, God has already planned it out! I know that God is good, and he's proven that to me time and time again, especially in the past 2 months! I know that he has big plans for Gabriel and that one day we will look back and realize that this wasn't so bad after all! I don't feel sorry for us... because this process has made Jesse and I stronger and closer than ever! 


Well, I get a break from the hospital tonight. My mom is coming up here to stay with Gabe, that way I can go home and see Jesse and get a few more things done around home in preparation for Gabe coming home. I think I will make a big poster for him coming home as well! 

Love this song!! 

"Blessed" by Martina McBride