Ask Drew: The NICU

The Files Family said...

I had a question for you about the NICU... a friend of ours just became one of Andrew's roommates (Baby C) and it made me wonder, how many babies are in the NICU? Is Andrew the biggest? And will he stay in the NICU until he goes home or is there a pedi room or something he will move to as he gets bigger.

The NICU is a 40-bed facility, which means there's supposed to be a maximum of 40 babies at any given time. This unit is the only one in the region that has ECMO machines, and would be the destination for any child that requires one in San Diego County, Imperial County, Hawaii, parts of Arizona, and even some Pacific island protectorates (or military bases). Because they are almost always full, they are a bit flexible, and can sometimes make room between beds for a portable setup. One of these spots is called Bed 20 3/4.

Before Andrew was born, we didn't know anything about the facility's capabilities, or even its existence. Now that we're more aware, it's amazing how often we hear references on the news or in normal conversation. Between our college friends, coworkers, and friends-of-friends, we've realized that at least four babies we know have been in this NICU for at least a visit. We've also met many new parents in the waiting room, most of whom have taken their babies home already. It's amazing how quickly kids can recover from some procedures....we've seen babies with their chests open who went home just a few weeks later (after a cardiac surgery, chest closure, and recovery time). Unfortunately lung development in CDH babies (and preemies, for that matter) usually takes a longer time....Andrew is one of the older patients, and almost certainly the largest. He was never a small baby, and he looks gargantuan next to some of the preemies.

The hospital also has a PICU (pediatric vs. neonatal) for older kids that are admitted later in their lives, and a med-surg (medical/surgical) unit for older kids requiring a little less personal attention. For more specialized care, there's also a hematology/oncology (cancer) center, an orthopedics department for motor/skeletal issues, and I'm sure several other units that we don't walk by every day on the way to the NICU. Andrew will probably be in the NICU for almost all of his time there. As he progresses, he'll go from having a dedicated nurse to sharing a nurse with another baby, and then potentially could move to med-surg or the PICU to resolve some final feeding issues before coming home. However, he's a long way from either of those, and we anticipate spending many more months (hopefully) in the NICU.

We've met C's parents (and many others) and have realized that it doesn't really matter what your kid is in the NICU for....there's really nothing that can prepare you for it, and you end up going through the same sort of emotional process. No offense to any of you, but it's incredibly hard to comprehend what the NICU experience is like unless you've been through it with your child. We completely understand what they're going through....in some ways, it's like reliving those early days all over again. It's comforting to be able to share the experience with someone who understands and empathizes...even the doctors and social workers can only do so much.