And educational. Which is why I feel compelled to share a few things I've learned from 4 hospital admissions (labor & delivery, my spinal headache and blood patch, then Aaron's Meningitis) in the last 3 weeks...
1. Real rooms on the wards are much more comfortable than the ER -- quieter, calmer, roomier, privater, and better equiped. Our ER room had a big window on the door, the nurses rushed in/out flipping on giant flourescent lights at all hours, the cot sagged about 2ft in the middle, and we could hear kids crying from several directions. By comparison, our real room was like a well-lit apartment with deft nurses and a diaper-changing service.2. "Running tests" doesn't do justice to the experience. "Tests" sound simple, preliminary, informative. Instead, they're needles and IVs, syringes and frantic crying and nurses holding him down while trying to find a good vein, and parents wondering if this baby will ever trust them again and wishing they could at least hold their little one. Not to mention the ambiguous numbers and waiting for results. I have far greater sympathy for those undergoing "tests" than I ever did before.
3. The Children's Hospital has better food and decor than the adult version. Not that you choose a hospital for either, but once you're there, you can't help but notice.
4. Josh's presence makes Vanderbilt much more comfortable. Because he knows, understands, and trusts the people and systems, I trust them too. I see the hospital through his eyes - familiar, knowledgeable, safe. He translated the foreign and opened doors I couldn't have, turning VUMC into a real haven.5. Modern medicine is some kind of miracle. Forty years ago, epidurals, blood patches, and this aggressive mix of antibiotics were not available. Each experience would have been far more painful if not dangerous. Thank the Lord it's Aug 2009 and not Aug 1969.
6. Facebook is awesome. I've enjoyed FB for a while, but with each turn of events this month, FB has provided such an easy way to keep in touch with friends/family. We have enough people to call when anything happens; Being able to just post an udpate and automatically reach so many -- and receive their comments/messages/support in return -- was not only convenient but encouraging at a time when both were key.
7. Responsibility can be daunting. I don't usually think explicitly about my responsibilities. Since they are my home and family, I love them, and I just do them. But in the last few weeks, I've realized they do intimidate me at times. Coming home from the hospital when Aaron was born and again yesterday, I felt some relief but also a significant dose of fear. Each time, I was leaving the cacoon of professional help to go back on my own with two boys to care for. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a Mom, but I must admit that the continuous need to provide/care for them can be daunting.8. How to help. I've not known how to help our friends who've experienced hospital stays. Now, I know the things that helped me most: emails/calls/notes of encouragement, meals for Josh, my boppy, bottled water, reading material, visits, snacks, and people who shared the news with others (so we didn't have to).
Added in June 2016:
9. Don't leave sick. Don't leave the hospital when you're getting worse rather than better. This was probably my biggest takeaway in the long run, and my best advice to patients or parents. If you or your child are getting worse or experiencing new symptoms near the end of your "planned" hospital stay, talk about them, insist they be addressed, and don't agree to be discharged until they improve. I went home after Aaron's labor & delivery with a mounting headache and nausea that should've been huge red flags, but because I didn't see their connection to L&D, I didn't recognize what problems they were. As a result, when we went back to the hospital to address them, Aaron was no longer a patient so I didn't have any help (bassinet, diapers, pump, etc) taking care of my 2-day-old newborn in my hospital room. It would've been so much easier to just extend my L&D stay. #lessonlearned
For more, see Meningitis and Learned the Hard Way Part 2
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