The Big Day Is Finally Here!
Once we finally had a discharge date, everything felt so surreal. We couldn’t believe it was finally happening! We had watched so many other babies come and go from the NICU and it was finally our turn! I couldn’t believe we were finally going to bring Karlie home and get to spend every day with her. We were both so excited but also a bit terrified. We weren’t going to have all the help from doctors and nurses like we did in the NICU, everything was up to us now. We both felt very confident in caring for Karlie, but it was still a lot of weight on our shoulders. Karlie had won the hearts of many of the NICU nurses and they were happy but sad to see her go. They were so used to seeing her smiling face every day which made saying goodbye bittersweet.
June 6th finally arrived and we knew it was going to be a hectic day but we were so excited to bring Karlie home. There were some loose ends to tie up at the hospital, such as getting Karlie’s room all cleared out, picking up her medications from the pharmacy, and going through all the discharge paperwork. Many nurses came by Karlie’s room to say one last goodbye and wish us luck. One of our primary nurses even came by to hold Karlie one last time and see us off. We were scheduled to leave by 1 and once Karlie had her nap we were good to go.
After 168 days in the NICU, Karlie was finally ready to come home! We had another entourage of nurses walk out with us to help us transport Karlie’s equipment and load up the car. Thankfully our car could hold everything but it was a tight fit. We had to drive our smaller car because as luck would have it someone crashed into our Subaru just a few weeks prior. Sterling drove us home and I sat in the backseat next to Karlie. He drove so carefully and looked back at us any time he hit a bump to make sure Karlie was okay. She was just having a good time being in her car seat and taking in the world around her. The busy day had worn her out so she ended up falling asleep in the car. I didn’t take my eyes off of her the entire ride home. I was very excited but on high alert with her which made the 20 minute car ride seem so much longer.
We finally arrived home and we couldn’t wait to bring her inside. We carefully got her out of her car seat and Sterling held the ventilator while I carried her up the stairs and into our living room. She felt so fragile but I was ecstatic to finally be holding my baby in our own home! I had dreamed of this moment for so long. Shortly after we arrived home, our medical supply company and home nursing company paid us a visit to drop off supplies and introduce us to our nurses. After everyone left, Karlie fell asleep again and this time was asleep for a couple of hours. Such a busy day for a little one! There was so much medical equipment and supplies scattered around our house with no organization whatsoever and it was driving me crazy. I tried to get some of it organized while she slept but it was hard to leave her side.
We were so excited to take care of Karlie that night and get her all cozy and ready for bed. We gave Karlie her very first bath and she absolutely loved it! She only ever had wipe downs in the hospital so she thought the bath was fantastic! We just had to be careful with her and make sure her stoma stayed nice and dry. We got her into her crib and she looked so tiny but so happy. We spent the night on a mattress next to her crib because we were way too anxious to be away from her. She slept with a pulse oximeter on her foot that would alarm if her heart rate or oxygen levels dropped too low and her ventilator would also alarm if anything was wrong. I remember getting up to look at her each time she made any kind of sound. All she was doing was rolling onto each side but my anxious new mom brain was still on high alert. Everything felt so natural with Karlie that afternoon and she was so adorable and happy. It was somehow like she knew she was home.
