Tomorrow will mark Ella's 1 year anniversary of her discharge from NICU and finally coming HOME! A year ago tonight was
164 days.
That's 2 weeks shy of SIX MONTHS.
With the exception of those 2 weeks over Christmas last year, we have stayed away from the hospital (knock on wood)!
Nearly six months of not having my baby at home. Packing up my pump, laptop, notebook each day to spend hours upon hours at her bedside.
Not knowing what the day will bring. Will I get to hold my daughter?
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| 2 days old - first time I held Ella |
Will she have any breathing episodes? Will she have any heart rate drops?
What tests will be run today?
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| First x-ray after her bloody stool, leading to her NEC surgery |
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| Ella on her actual Due Date 7/21/12 |
When will she be able to wear clothes? Does she have another ROP exam today (if you never watched your child go through these exams you have no idea how lucky you are)? Will she need another surgery (Please God, NO!)?
Will the doctor come by while I'm pumping and I'll miss him? Am I really THAT hungry to walk all the way to the cafeteria?
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| My view down the NICU hall from Ella's space at our 2nd NICU |
Am I really that thirsty to have to leave NICU to have a soda or water and have to wash my hands for yet another 3 minutes before I can get back to Ella's bedside?
When will it be our turn for the car seat test?
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| Car Seat Test - a NICU milestone that occurs shortly before discharge |
When will the doctor even entertain discussing DISCHARGE?
164 days of NO CONTROL. Few answers.
While it was a tough adjustment (putting it mildly) when Ella came home, due to her medical needs when she first got home - there are so many luxuries to being home with your baby, after so long in the hospital, that I am still thankful for today.
We're both HOME... together!
Besides being thankful for bringing your child home from the hospital, parents with children who had long NICU stays are thankful for the little luxuries of home that most people don't think about...
Ella is home and I'm...
- barefoot!
- braless!
- in my PJ's!
- watching TV (the news, a football game, a movie, anything!)
- with my dogs!
- having dinner/wine!
- able to go to bed and still get up with her in the middle of the night (she sleeps through the night now, but this was a luxury in the early days)
- able to clean my house.
- able to take Ella for a walk whenever I want
When a child is born a micro-preemie, it doesn't end when he/she is discharged from NICU. Homecoming is a next step (a GREAT next step) in her story. This year has been a wonderful year of adjusting, balancing, enjoying, being and LOTs of therapy! She works hard every single day to do things that come naturally to most. That's another post.
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| Ella (courtesy of Grandma) in late August |
What a beautiful photo of your strong little girl. No doubt she gets her strength from you!
ReplyDeleteElla looks wonderful! She has grown so much, and come so far...and what a great smile a year later!
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious little girl, she survived so much and made it through a year. She is an inspiration
ReplyDeleteLook how big she is getting! Happy home anniversary! We celebrated our homecoming day this week too. I hated seeing car seats being carried in and couldn't wait for it to be our turn.
ReplyDeleteMy top 3 to add to your list:
Privacy! Not worrying about someone walking in the room when you are pumping or nursing.
Quiet!
Not sharing a bathroom!
Yes, Happy home anniversary! I love the picture - she's looking wonderful! - and am glad to hear from you guys.
ReplyDeleteYay for a whole year having gone by! SHe is looking so big and healthy (and that hair!!).
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that I can add is how amazing it was to have my babies together. At the NICU we had to sanitize our hands between touching even.
Happy homecoming anniversary! Ella is so beautiful and gets her strength from her very determined mom. I love the picture from August when adjusted age was about 13 months. She looks so big- especially knowing how small she started out. Wow! I know you are so busy but I would love to hear more about your life when you get a chance. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary! What a huge milestone. I often think about how close our daughters would be in age if Ella had come on or closer to her due date. My due date was August 2nd, and Jordyn wasn't born early. Congrats on making it through so much and having a whole year at home behind you! Ella is adorable!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you both!!!
ReplyDeleteElla is such beautiful little girl. Congratulations to you both!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great anniversary to celebrate! That last photo of Ella, my goodness!! What a little angel! So precious!
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ReplyDeleteThis post brought tears to my eyes. So happy for where you two are now compared to a little over a year ago!
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