The longest yard in the NICU. #TwinsLife

It’s termed the boring time. It is the time that seems like the longest yard. It feels like purgatory, limbo, state of uncertainty.

George might come off the small amount of oxygen, his oxygen saturation levels have been up and down for the last week. We were so excited when the boys were promoted to NICU 2, which meant the CPAP machines were removed, earning the right to breathe on their own. When they put the oxygen tube around his little neck, with the smallest tubes for his nose…it felt like we were moving backwards.

George sometimes experiences something called Bradycardia (“Brady”), an abnormally low heart rate.

Bradys are usually associated with apnea in premature infants. During these spells the infant will stop breathing for at least 15 seconds and the heart rate will start to slow. These happen every-so-often with the nurses saying this is normal for preemies. (via babyfirst.com)

I sometimes catch it when George has a Brady, it feels like a lifetime before he takes another breath, which is usually a deep breath. As a parent, this seems less than boring…I find myself cheering him on when he starts breathing again, similar how I react when Clemson scores.

There is a strange culture in the NICU, a culture of seeking consistency and becoming hyper aware of any sign that leads to going home. When the smallest thing changes; isolette temperature is dropped closer to 28 degrees celsius, increased amount of formula for each feeding, hints of removal of the oxygen tube…I find I want this “boring” to climb it’s way through the longest yard into a certain destination, hope to go home.

Yet, I will take boring, consistency…anything to move away from purgatory, this halfway stop in the land of uncertainty. Boring seems to me…a routine has been established. A routine of driving back and forth to GHS’s NICU from Anderson. A routine of finding a new place for Rose to spend each day during visits. A routine of calling the night nurse to check on their status. As time passes each day, we grow closer and closer to their original due date of 38 weeks. This past Monday was 35 weeks…as we approach the July 4th weekend, I have to hope that “closer” becomes a reality.