Touring the NICU

Wes and I toured the maternity floor at the Toledo Hospital in March.  It was very helpful to get a feel for the place and to have questions answered.  However, when they got to the area where the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is they just pointed and said it is through those doors.  We were the only ones expecting twins in the large group we were in and probably most of those couples do not have to concern themselves with the thought of a NICU stay.  We were a little disappointed.  Luckily, Jill, a parent of one of Wes' first graders, is a nurse and lactation consultant in the NICU.  She had already offered to him that she would be willing to answer any questions we had and so we made a list and then also asked if she would be allowed to take us on a tour.  Her boss said that would be fine so on Thursday we went for the tour.

The place was just renovated last year so it is all very new and nice.   The babies do not stay in a large nursery with tons of incubators.  Each baby has their own suite.  They have double rooms for multiples, so if our girls have to stay they will be in separate incubators but in the same room.  The room is pretty large and has a pull-out couch so that we can stay there if needed.  I told her that I was trying to be very optimistic but that I also didn't want to be shocked at what I would see.  She showed us all the things they may be hooked up to and what they would be monitoring.  She explained breastfeeding in the NICU to me, which I am still a little unsure of and I just really hope that is not an issue.   I also asked about what I should expect at each week if the girls were born.  For example, if they are born at 32 weeks she said that they would be able to breathe on their own and shouldn't need a ventilator.  At 34 weeks, they would have the sucking and swallowing reflex and could be breastfed.   Otherwise they would need a feeding tube.  If I make it to 36 weeks they probably wouldn't even need NICU time, except for maybe a few hours of transition time!  That was the biggest relief to me.  I did not think that was the case.  We are able to go and see them 24 hours a day.  We are allowed to bring in two people per baby at a time, so that is a bonus of having twins.  We can bring 4 people back to see them at a time.  She showed us the family lounge and just reassured a lot of our worries.  After that visit, I feel a little more prepared for the birth.  There won't be so many unknowns for me and I can feel confident that I understand what is happening with our daughters.