The NICU (PART 3)

My stay lasted from the 22nd of March until the 26th. I had an allergic reaction to some pain meds and was very sick for 2 days with high fever and ant bite whelps all over my body. I saw a dermatologist for 4 months afterwards because the scaring was so severe. So many toxins had built up in my body I gained 21 pounds in 48 hours. I was miserable. I could barely get up and I was in such pain with the 31 staples keeping the front half of me together (literally).

I was hurting so badly for my babies and did not even get to see them the night they were born. I did however get up at 5am the next morning and was wheeled over to see them. I could not stand at all. What I saw was so heartbreaking. My two miracles were so tiny. Tiger was bruised so badly and was on a ventilator. We were not allowed to touch him. It would not comfort him, only cause him pain. He had iv's from everyplace. A g-tube up his nose to feed by. Leads coming from several different monitors and wires everywhere. Preemie diapers were too BIG for him. He was septic and had a severe brain bleed. He was on the vent for the first 10 days and that night they took him off of it and put him in my arms. I called him my little warrior from the beginning. I told him to fight. The first time he felt his Mommy's arms he crashed. I watched in disbelief as they revived him and he was then put on a c-pap (for 3 days). He developed jaundice and his counts hit the 20's. Normal is 5-6. He was under 6 Bili lights and on a Bili blanket. He had many ups and downs during his 31 day stay in the NICU but we finally got him home. He also had the most severe reflux. He went home weighing 5#, 1oz. He could not remember to suck, swallow and breath all at the same time. Trying to get him to take one ounce of formula every 3 hours was so difficult.

Monkey was a site to behold as well. He never needed anything but room oxygen through a nasal cannula, monitiors and iv's. He had a brain bleed as well. He stayed in the NICU fro 30 days and came home one day before his brother. He also had the jaundice, not as critical as his brother though. He came home weighing 5#, 3 oz.

My husband was laid off during this time. Our pick-up sustained $4000 worth of hail damage. We got it out of the shop on a Friday. On that Monday morning while on his way to work (when he still had a job) 2 deer ran out and hit his truck doing $2400 worth of more damage to it.

I thought the hardest thing I would ever do was leave them in the hospital and go home without them........boy, would I be wrong............

TO BE CONTINUED................................