Waiting to see Kinley

When we arrived at Children's Mercy, Kinley went into the NICU to get set up on their machines and I went to check in at the NICU's nurse's station. They gave me a brief orientation and showed me where to scrub in whenever we (or anybody) comes to visit Kinley. From here I was introduced to Dr. H who sat down with me to discuss Kinley's care. Dr. H informed me that Kinley was already on the high frequency ventilator. We also talked about the "honeymoon period," this is the first 48 to 72 hours where the baby tends to do well, but typically does not give an accurate idea of how the baby will do in the long run. Dr. H also wanted to make sure that I was aware that we would soon be riding the emotional rollercoaster of having a CDH baby. I felt that Dr. H delivered all of this information very well. After orientation and the meeting with Dr. H I had to wait in the lobby until they had Kinley settled into her new home. Unfortunately for me, Children's Mercy NICU has a shift change between 7 and 8 (both am and pm) where no one, not even parents, are allowed with the babies. This allows the nurses to exchange information without any distractions. I feel that this is a good practice, but I can also see how frustrating it can be to not be allowed to see your baby. Long story short, I had to stay in lobby until 8 pm before I could go in and see Kinley. Luckily, Kate (my sister, Kinley's aunt) came to keep me company and she brought the laptop so I could continue to update the blog. Kathy is doing well although she is extremely exhausted. Her parents and sister are keeping her company at St. Luke's. We are hoping that she will discharged tomorrow morning.