April 5, 2009: The First 24 Hours at HOME!

Cohen and one of his wonderful Doctors!

Mommy feeding baby while getting all the discharge info

Last picture of Cohen in his NICU bed

Daddy getting ready to take baby home

Cohen in his "Going Home" outfit
Car Seat Test...he passed!

John and I brought our baby boy home yesterday! We were discharge at 3pm on April 4th. The day went by in a whirlwind. After watching the infant CPR video and talking with the Doctor, Cohen was unplugged and handed to us! I was sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye to the other doctor, and I could hardly thank the doctor that was on because I kept getting choked up. How do you thank someone for keeping your baby alive? I know Cohen is one of thousands of babies those doctors will treat, but to us we will never ever forget them and what they did for our little miracle! After some quick pictures and a heartfelt thank you and goodbye, Cohen and I left the NICU! John took the boxes of breastmilk to the car and brought it around to the front to where Cohen and I were waiting. After a quick trip to Sonic and Babies R Us, we hit the road for our 90 minute drive home. (Carter spent the night with Aunty Mary, Uncle Jeff and the Girls to allow John and I to get adjusted to having a new baby home. )

We got home around 8pm and just sat in awe over the fact that Cohen was home with us. We were both VERY nervous that Cohen was off the monitors and even though he was sleeping in the bassinet next to our bed, we still slept with the lights on. Cohen’s 4 hour schedule is working out great and we’ve kept his cares similar to how they were done at the hospital. Diaper, temperature, then feed.

Cohen had a very smooth NICU experience, but he does have some challenges. The first is with his heart. He has a small murmur that may or may not be the cause of his rapid breathing during feeds. The doctors didn’t think it was loud enough to warrant an EEG, but said that Cohen’s primary care doctor may want one if the breathing continues to interfere with his feeds.

Another challenge is Cohen’s reflux. He is on Zantac to help but the FDA black boxed the other medication that he was on, so Cohen is no longer on that drug. His reflux seems to be worse without that other drug and it is really sad to hear him so miserable after feeds. We have the head of his bassinet elevated, but it is not nearly as sloped as his crib was in the hospital. We tried 2 different infant positioners but neither of them seem to give him enough of an incline. I guess it is time to try google to see what is out there for refluxing babies! If we don't find something soon, I might request an apnea monitor from his doctor so Cohen can sleep on his tummy.

All in all, things are going great and we are just so happy to have our little man home. For the record, Cohen was discharged at 36 weeks and 4 days, at 6lbs 5oz.