Homecoming queen

After 9 days in NICU, a apnea/heart monitor has been ordered to take Alyssa home. Her bilirubin went down(no more bili-blanket needed), her blood sugar has been stable, she was gaining weight, and she was ordered pepcid for the reflux, but she still has episodes of low heart rate. Doctor has told us we could take her home with the monitor, but we have to be sure to know CPR and we must follow up with her pediatrician.

I have gone to visit Alyssa in her usual room, but they had changed her from a private room to a shared room outside the unit, what is called " overflow rooms". She was in a corner crib along with four babies in their respective ones. I felt so sad, it was a crowded room as three other babies were with their families. I hated it! As I spoke to the nurse, she told me it is a good sign she was moved out of the NICU room as it means she is more stable. I started praying so she could go home sooner. The doctor has asked to see me, so I went to interupt her rounds, and she said she will give me a prescription to have filled and that Aly would be released today. I usually stayed with my baby most of the time, but this time I flew with my prescription to have it refilled. I dropped it off in the hospital pharmacy, and run back to the house to prepare everything for her to be home. My poor mom had to drive me back and forth as I had to pick up the medicine before the pharmacy closes. It was a stressful day. The husband was informed and of course he wanted to know the time as one of my enemies (Heat game) was going to happen at 730pm. But baby was not ready, I had called 4 times during the period of 12pm to 630pm, that I was already embarrased. The Doctor gave the discharge order right after 730pm when the night nurse called me. She also said she had to get all the paperwork ready and will call me back once she has everything ready.

We called back again at 10:30pm, and the nurse fed up with me said "baby is ready". We got into the hospital at 11pm and the nurse was still getting papers ready. I changed her into her homecoming outfit, a premie one that I had bought with snap buttons as I need to have her connected to the monitor. I saw her little feet, she had band aids all over due to all the blood testings done. I was feeling happy and sad at the same time. The nurse gave me all documents in envelopes, one for the pediatrician, one for the cardiologist, one for the geneticist and our own copy. I was given discharge instructions and a wheelchair was brought for us. I would finally be able to sit down on it and be rolled away with my baby. Alyssa was wrapped in a warm blanket and handed to me, and with her monitor on my side, she was finally given discharged from the hospital where she was born. She weighted 5 lbs 3oz at discharge time.

I was sad, but still happy, she was so little! I waited for my husband to pull out to the curb and we placed her in our back seat. She was sleeping comfortable after being wrapped in my arms. We got home at midnight where my 10 year old son and my mom was waiting to receive our homecoming queen. Finally, my baby girl was home!