DO's and DON'Ts

Having babies in the NICU was an experience I truly am grateful for. However, that being said, I would never wish it on another living soul on the planet! 

After the boys were born, they were immediately whisked off to be cared for by the wonderful team of doctors and nurses at McKay Dee Hospital's NICU 

(which for anyone who didn't know stands for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). 

We literally saw them for about two seconds. Tadd didn't even get to cut the cords because they were in such a rush.  

(Not that he really minded...to be honest he was kind of freaking out about doing it!)

From that point on, things were a little strange. We were parents, but had no babies in our room. We had twins, but didn't see them for the first time until almost 12 hours later. And even when we did get to go and see them, we were told when and if we got to hold them, for how long, and given a list of do's and don'ts to go along with it.

DO...scrub in like a surgeon every time you entered the NICU.

DO...make sure you have a hospital gown over you clothes before you hold them.

DO...wipe down your cell phone and camera with alcohol wipes before you enter the NICU.

DON'T...touch the baby after using your camera or cell phone before you clean your hands with sanitizer.

DON'T...touch your baby after touching anything without using hand sanitizer.

When holding your baby...DON'T...rock him, pat him, rub him or stimulate him in any way. You can hold him. That's it.

DO...come anytime you want, but DON'T..get to touch him or open his isolette unless it is at the scheduled 3 hour care time.

DO...snuggle your baby and help them develop by doing skin-to-skin, but DON'T...hold him more than twice a day. And since he has IV's...DON'T...hold him for more than 15 minutes at a time.

DO...have family members come to visit, but DO...only choose four people who can come to see them the entire time you are here...and DON'T get to change the list at all. 

Maybe you get the idea? 

Don't get me wrong, I am truly grateful for the amazing job that the NICU staff does. And I know that all of the DO's and DON'Ts were for our own good. It was because of their extra care and attention that our boys are alive and healthy, I know that. It was just a strange world to get thrown into. 

Especially because I always swore I would not be that first time mom that was paranoid about germs...well, like it or not, I am now that mom. I have to worry about every person that breathes around these babies, let alone touches them or comes to visit. 

So in advance, please know that we LOVE visitors! 

Please DO...come and visit us, but please DON'T... be offended if we ask you to wash your hands. 

And please DO...be considerate about how fragile these little guys are and DON'T...come if you or anyone in your family is sick, even with the sniffles. 

One thing we learned from five weeks in the NICU, it doesn't take much to set these boys back. As perfect as they are, they are still only supposed to be two weeks old, not two months. So yep, we are a little protective. We didn't like being in the hospital, and we just don't want them back there!

We would much rather have this...

Beckett

 

 And this...                               

Everett

       Than this...

Beckett

And this...                                        

Everett