Waiting (formerly Wishing) For The Wee Ones: Gabrielle & Alaina's Birth Announcement

Monday, September 22, 2008

Gabrielle & Alaina's Birth Announcement

With the girls in the NICU, I need something to occupy my time in between visits and I've been reading so many posts about Scrapblog that I decided to give it a try.

We started telling people about the girls late last week once their progress reports kept comng back positive but there was no way we could call everybody so I figured I'd try to create a birth announcment we could send out. Here are the three pages I put together and when I e-mailed the link to our friends and family, they played to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I'm pretty happy with the result if I do say so myself!

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NICU Lingo

Since we've starting speaking a whole new language we like to call NICU-ese, here are some translations for some of the crazy new words we may be using here.

Apnea - A pause in breathing that lasts longer than 15 seconds.

Bilirubin - A breakdown of red blood cells. Too much bilirubin in the bloodstream causes jaundice, a yellow coloring of the skin.

CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, which is the admisitration of humidified oxygen and air through small prongs that fit into the nose. This helps to keep the lungs slighty inflated in between breaths, making it easier to breathe.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (aka NEC) - a gastrointestinal disease where infection or inflammation can cause damage to, or even the destruction of, the intestines.

NICU - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Oralgastric Tube (aka O.G.) - A small plastic tube passed through the mouth into the stomach. Feedings and medication are given through this tube.

Parenteral Nutrition (aka TPN) - A method of feeding essential proteins, electrolytes, vitamins, fluids and sugar solution through an intravenous line.

Phototherapy - Treatment for jaundice that involves placing the unclothed baby under flourescent white or blue lights. Special eye patches are worn to protect the eyes from the light.

PICC Line - A specially placed intravenous catheter that is inserted under the skin, run through a peripheral vein and advanced through larger veins towards the heart. This line can be used for parenteral nutrition or to deliver medications.