Special Needs
Help
So DD birth defect has become more real to us tonight then it has been. Almost everything we were told to look out for has happened and we will be heading 500 miles away tomorrow after our ped. appointment to the childrens hospital in Denver. Im only 4 days PP and still recovering. How in the world do you recover in a hospital when you dont even know if youll get a room or not. We may be there for months or just the day to see the specialist. Do I pack my peribottle and witch hazel pads in a giant purse and try to take care of busincess out of the nasty hospital bathroom stalls? How will feeds work? Im BF will they bring DD back to me between tests to attempt to feed her (were just now getting it down) or do i pump my butt off and bottle feed her?? Please help I have 5 million questions on top of being scared crazy for LO
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Re: Help
Oh sweetie, that sucks!
4 days PP is not a good time to be traveling obviously! Do you have a stroller? If so, load it up with everything- WH pads, boppy, peri bottle, etc. Lots of clothes and diapers for your DD.
Re. BF'ing, definitely keep nursing her! This is a critical tiem for establishing nursing and you want to avoid messing with the pump if possible. Bring the pump just in case, but I am sure the hosp. will encourage you to nurse!
I haven't had to deal with Childrens hospitals myself but I would surely hope they can give you a room if you are going to be there more than a day! Often bigger hospitals have rooms you can "rent" like a hotel room if you ahve a family member admitted. We have used them twice when I had g'parents in the hospital adn it is great bc they are fairly inexpensive and you have a room and bathroom really close by. Please do your best to take care of yourself- if they don't offer, tell them what you need and ask how they can help you get it!
When we in the children?s hospital after Kelsey?s birth, they had special rooms for nursing mothers to pump in with the hospital grade pumps. They also gave vouchers for nursing moms to eat at the hospital cafeteria. Once Kelsey moved off of the NICU, there was a menu that we could order from for hospital food to her room (again since I was nursing).
There was a curtain to pull around Kelsey?s bed in the NICU and I could nurse her in there. When she was on the NICU floor, we stayed one night in a room right next to the NICU. When she was moved to her own room, we had a shower and pull out bed in her room. There might be a Ronald McDonald house (or similar) near the hospital that you could stay at or a Ronald McDonald room at the hospital for you to get some rest in.
The stroller is a great idea. You could also pack a rolling suitcase.
It is hard to recover and deal with all the emotional stuff too. Do your best to get some rest. I cannot imagine a 500 mile trip after delivering. I am so sorry.
I have no hospital advice, but I survived hurricaine IKE in a flooded house with no power with a 3 week old. Pack as much as you can. Try to nurse as much as you can. Get a pump and pump, milk will last outside (not in fridge) for up to 8 hours.
Bring a dougnut pillow to sit on for the first few days - helped me after my vaginal. Rest as much as you can. If your baby is in surgery - try to lie down.
And here is a virtual hug for you! <<hug>>
Good luck!
my advice is late and if you're still in the hospital you hopefully know all of this already, but if you are BFing, definitely make it clear to the staff. they should set you up w/ a pump and should let you nurse when possible. they hopefully also have a freezer to store extra (we had a 6 mos supplemental supply after DS was born b/c I couldn't nurse much the first week but pumped every 3 hrs).
ask them for everything you need, even if you aren't a patient. they often have lotion, etc, for the parents, so if there is anything uncomfortable for you, hopefully they'll provide it rather than making you/your DH go get it.
some hospitals also have lockers for parents, so just keep asking questions. we've found that some of the "support" people or case workers think you've already been told stuff so they don't tell you. It sucks to have to ask for help/ask what available when all you are really concerned w/ is your child, but in the long run it helps the whole family to have everyone comfortable. good luck