7am - I check in with the night nurse about how the night went, meet the next shift nurse and express the ocean of milk trying to explode out of my chest
8am - Feed, change, massage and tidy up Kaylee, chat with our nurse and plan my day
9am - hang about to talk to the ward doctor, case manager nurse and any other random people I need to talk to. Listen in on rounds
10am - have breakfast and express a little more then deliver my milk downstairs (it gets delivered back to ward thickened and measured) and find that I forgot to put a sticker on one of the bottles. Take it back up to the ward with me an put it in the fridge until later. Meet up with some other heart Mums in the parent room over the once a week Heart Kids morning tea.
11am - Try Kaylee at the breast with the help of the lactation consultant. She does very well and manages to get 5ml on her own. I set the rest of her feed going through her tube.
12 n - Change the dressing on Kaylee's central line. Sticker the bottle of milk I forgot earlier and deliver it. Pick up my lunch from the basement kitchen. Settle in for some lunch with Kaylee.
1pm - eat lunch while I write e-mails to the kids next to Kaylee's bed.
2pm - Set Kaylee's feeds going and check her over. Talk to our Case Nurse and the ward doctor (our doctor one the pool on what colour the Queen would wear to open the new hospital building! Pink is our favourite colour in Cardio - we encourage the children to stay pink.). Sit and blog for a little bit before going to express again.
Plans for the rest of the day include: Expressing, meeting up with a friend who is dropping off some food for me, putting Kaylee to the breast again, walking to the post office to get some post packs to send my warm tops home (the weather has changed and I want to save luggage space), having tea, changing and feeding Kaylee and more expressing. I usually leave the hospital about 10pm and start it all again tomorrow.
I may have a little nap in the chair at some point today.
Long days, but the view makes it all worthwhile.
2 comments:
I dropped in to the Royal Childrens today. I got a park fairly close to the hospital. I walked past Ronald McDonald house and was blown away by the roses currently in bloom, the smell was amazing. I met up with Jess who is looking fantastic, not at all the exhausted look I expected after being away from her hubby, home and brood for so long. I walked with Jess through the hospital and saw her greet people whose faces lit up with they saw her. I sat under a magnificent "Heart Tree" in the garden outside the cafe (I don't know the name of the tree but it has heart shaped red leaves). But nothing, NOTHING, was as wonderful and precious as seeing Kaylee in person. Such a tiny precious bundle sleeping so peacefully, making the newborn grunts and sighs. The photos that Jess has put up do not do her justice. I am not saying that everyone should rush in there and overwhelm the hospital with visitors just so that they can experience a viewing in person but I am saying that I consider myself one of the blessed ones who have viewed her face to face. Such a cutie!
She is completely adorable in the photos! Continuing to pray for your speedy return home with your precious daughter so that your family can be whole again. God bless.
Kim in Melbourne
Post a Comment