Perspective

A few of you have requested updates on the ladies in my unit.

Amber – safely delivered her twin girls on schedule at 34 weeks. They are doing great, but will still likely be in the special care nursery for a few weeks. Amber moved out of here and over to a hotel across the street in order to be near her daughters. I know that she was as anxious as I am to get out of this place, but watching her sadness as she left the friendship and support of the nurses here made me wonder how I’ll feel when it is finally time to go home.

Shana – supposed to be induced today, at 37.5 weeks. I will likely not know how things have gone for her until she reappears on our unit as a “postpartum” mom.

Dawn – back from the OBICU, and still pregnant. They got her contractions under control and halted her labor, for now.

June – wow, she has had an eventful past couple of days. Yesterday afternoon a gush of blood lead to the discovery of significant cervical changes and the onset of labor. Over she went to the OBICU. She and I have become good friends, so she had a nurse tell me the startling news. They tried to stop her labor, but none the less before very long her contractions were very painful, causing dilation, and only 3 minute apart. Her physician told her to get ready to deliver her babies, and they call for anesthesia to administer an epidural. Then her labor stopped. Completely. So today she is still pregnant, stable, and moving back to my unit.

But June’s excitement doesn’t stop there. Her brush with preterm delivery was last night. Today brought more drama. Her in-laws flew in last week from Ireland in order to care for her two small children. Today, her 65 year old father-in-law was hospitalized for heart palpitations. So now her husband is torn between staying close to June in OB in case of delivery, supporting his mom and dad in his dad’s hospital room downstairs, or caring for his children who suddenly have no one else to look after them.

Kelli – new to our unit. I met her tonight – she is another newbie referred to me by one of my favorite nurses here. She is 23 weeks along and her water broke. She is looking at either a very long stay, or a very young preemie. She has an 11 year old daughter by a previous marriage. Her daughter in-utero is from an ex-boyfriend. Her parents are both deceased. She has been floating from one friend’s house to another while trying to find housing of her own. She is worried about how to afford a car seat. I don't know if she's even thought about medical bills. She lives 2 hours away and is dependant on her ex-husband and his new wife to drive her daughter over for visits. She’s not even sure who will wash her laundry or who will get her winter clothes out of storage when the temperatures get cold.

I look around my room while I type. My door is covered with cards from friends. My freezer is full of food cooked for me by my mom. Flowers from my grandparents brighten my shelf. Framed pictures of our little family, my extended family, and my husband's extended family smile at me – each couple in the frame still married and happy. My closet is brimming with books, games, DVDs, art projects, snacks, magazines, building sets, and crafts. Décor from vacation spots across the country pepper my curtains and walls. Match box cars, puzzles, paintings, and bubbles are tucked throughout the room, evidence of my two healthy little kids at home. A basket full of newborn clothes shows the promise of little Wyatt, whose stay of 32 weeks in the womb is something to celebrate around here.

I am blessed. Tonight I don’t even have to try to look on the bright side. But I’m guessing that once the high of a weekend filled with visits from my kids, friends, and parents wears off, I will once again need a reminder of how much I have to be grateful for. It may only take a visit with the other moms on my unit for me to remember just how much I have.