Nunu had a bad cough over the weekend and so we visited our family doctor who immediately directed us to the hospital. We were admitted on Monday and Nunu was diagnosed with RSV which led to pneumonia. He is in isolation in high care.
What have I learnt so far?
1) NICU is very different from the paed ward. In NICU, you aren't allowed to stay with baba and go home each evening. It's hard leaving your baba, but you get a full night's rest and are ready to tackle the next day's challenges. In high care, you stay with baba all day and night.
2) Someone's kid is always screaming. If it isn't yours, it's someone else's. There is no "quiet" time.
3) Don't feed your kid directly after being nebulised. You WILL be covered in puke.
4) Don't expect your husband to know what "leggings you're talking about". Be as specific as you can, otherwise you will end up having to wear a pair of grey ribbed stockings that should most definitely be worn with a skirt.Â
5) If your mom is close by, USE HER. Mom came to the rescue and brought appropriate clothing so I wasn't kicked out the hospital for showing off too much skin.
6) Duron is a champ. There have been moments where I have felt I can't take it anymore. Hearing Nunu's screams down the passage while they inserted his drip and later the feeding tube was soul shattering. Duron was there for me and Nunu throughout it all.
7) DON'T order the eggs florentine. No matter how well they sell it on the menu. Ice cold poached eggs and sloppy spinach is not the way you want to start your morning after limited sleep.
8) Nebulisers are amazing things. So is oxygen. Nunu's oxygen saturation was super low and the O2 worked miracles and he is now breathing on his own again!
9) They don't sell wine at the hospital café.
10) Be nice to the nurses. 12 hour shifts are horrible. And at the end of the day, they are looking after your baba.Â
