Visit to the NICU

On Wednesday my little family went to the hospital to have a consultation with one of their Newborn intensive care doctors. My first impression of the building was that it was very clean and designed to feel much less clinical than an ordinary hospital. The lobby was blue and had a TV for watching and children's books on the table. :D Clearly, we live in Utah. (Which just means that there are lots of babies and kids are expected to come with the parents).
Anyway, we went into the Consultation room with Bentley (which actually isn't allowed. ha ha.) the staff were very nice. They brought Bentley crayons and paper to color while we waited.
The Doctor we met with was very kind. At my request he gave us a run down of how thing may unfold. We talked about what happens if Brooklyn comes still born, and what will happen if she is born alive. We mainly focused on what happens if she is born alive.
If she is born alive they will check her for signs of Trisomy 18, check her breathing and her blood pressure and then, if all is well, they will show her to me and take her to the NICU to stabilize her. An IV will be given, they will test her body to see if all her systems are in sync and they will invite those who want to see her to come back into the NICU. I will have to wait until I am stable, but then I will be able to go see her as well. Best case scenario, she will be fine for a few weeks. We will learn how to feed her with a food tube and if she needs oxygen we will learn how to give the oxygen as well as adjust it for her Oxygen levels in her body. They will give us an oxygen monitor for her foot so we can watch her oxygen and then, after we feel comfortable they will allow us to go home. They said to expect having her in the NICU for 5-7 days while we learn how to care for her.

If she is NOT doing well at time of birth, she is gasping, she's in pain, her blood pressure is bad, etc... then they said they would let us hold her immediately and let us have family time and see how she is doing for the first 24 hours. An IV will be given and she will be given medication to make her comfortable.

These are just game plans. It all comes down to what my husband and I want.

Once I am stable enough, supposing Brooklyn is doing well, they actually have rooms (like hotel rooms) for parents to stay in free of charge. So long as I don't need further care we can stay in those rooms for a few days. It appeals to me because Brooklyn could be in the room with us and we could be near her. Which would be ideal if she passes away quickly.

There are still many details to nail down but how can we know what to do until the time comes? We can't. So we are just waiting. 8 more weeks until we expect her arrival.

What I like about the hospital is that their NICU is 24 hours. There are no "visiting" hours for parents. I can sit next to Brooklyn all day and all night. I can actually hold her, even if she needs an incubator and it will be fine. I am allowed to feed her and talk to her and sleep by her bedside and they will never ask me to leave. They even have a curtain to pull around to give us privacy. And a nurse will be on call and by the phone if I am in my own room and get nervous about how she's doing.

Having more information on what could happen and what might happen gives me more peace. To know that she won't have to suffer if she is in pain, she will never be alone and that we will be given the means and tools to take care of her when we take her home.

For now, we will wait and see what the future holds. We have to remember that there is another child to consider in all this, his needs and wants and comfort. :) We're just parents. We're doing the best we can.