A Good Fit....

The last few weeks have been a myriad of new information, new doctors and new nurses in the NICU. Justin and I are still learning so much. Let me explain some of what we have learned about the inner workings of NICU. The nurses work 3 days a week, 12 hour shifts. If a nurse takes an special interest in your baby, they can sign up to be his "primary" nurse. This means any day they work they have your baby. We are so lucky to have had Meredith sign up to be Cohen's primary. We adore her! She is extremely knowledgeable, but also kind and compassionate. We also have a nurse named Stacie who signed up to be Cohen's "secondary" nurse, meaning anytime Meredith is not working, then Stacie is with him. Stacie has a special place in my heart, since she was Cohen's nurse his first night in the NICU. She was so kind to Justin and I...she also has bright red hair! When they took me in on the stretcher to see Cohen the first night, ( I was still pretty out of it from surgery) I remember seeing her red hair and thinking it was a good omen! Funny, but that really comforted me that night!
Now, about the doctors. There are 6 Neonatologists that work at the hospital. They work 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off. The first week they work on the floor, rounding on all the babies already in NICU, the second week they work on new babies in the delivery room, and the third week they are on call for baby emergencies. So far, we have met 5 of the 6 doctors. We thought they all seemed fine. We had one we liked pretty well, we had one who was really negative, one who was indifferent, and one who just said "I don't know" all the time. In my mind I compare them to shoes...I have several pair that I wear and like, but they are not my favorite or most comfortable. Finally, today I felt like we found the right "fit". He gave us a new perspective on Cohen and his challenges. He was positive,yet realistic. He has been practicing for 35 years, 27 of those in this hospital. I guess the bottom line is he just encouraged us, and I think we really needed to hear it. I am so thankful for this man, and what he does. I feel like my son in safe in his care. This is a great feeling.
Cohen was doing well today, still hanging out at 6 liters of flow and room air. He did have to get another blood transfusion today (which we expected), they had to put the I.V. in his head, which was really pitiful. We are thankful for today, and all the milestones Cohen had accomplished so far. I am so proud of him already!
Thanks for taking the time to read about our little miracle boy! We can't wait for you all to meet and love him too!