OUR WEEK IN THE NICU

Everyone just dies at this picture because the flash picks up on all that blonde hair that isn't noticeable in person. Plus what State fan doesn't think that onesie is adorable.

So after they let me see Elle for just a little bit the NICU team who were required to be there because she was not 36 weeks yet took her to be looked at. She was having a little problem breathing and so they decided to keep her for the time being. Elting fell into this weird in between stage gestationally speaking. She wasn't so early that they gave her the steroid shots for her lungs but she was early enough that they couldn't send her right to the well baby nursery. Thus began our week in the NICU.

I was discharged on Monday and from Tuesday to when she was discharged we pretty much lived at the NICU. The hospital that I delivered at built a new women's center last year and their NICU is composed of pods of rooms. So Elting had her own room that we could of slept in but we chose not to. But it did allow for privacy and bonding. Plus we were able to do most of the caring for Elting. We changed her diapers, fed her, cuddled her, kangaroo cared. We were able to do it all. Even though we did not see our house except to go there and sleep we were blessed that the facility she was at was so incredible.

One of the many feedings.

We had one somewhat bad day the whole week we were there and this was a picture taken that night. Hence the puffiness and no makeup.

When they told us we might be going home we brought one of the hospital blankets home for Lena.

Before we were discharged Elting had to pass the car seat challenge. They had to put her in it with all her monitors on and make sure she breathed okay and her heart rate stayed normal for an hour. We were so anxious for this to be over because it meant we could leave.