A typical day at the NICU

We have been getting a lot of questions about the NICU and particularly Josh's isolette. Josh spends the whole day in this bed with limited time outside (only about an hour for kangaroo time). We change his diaper in the isolette and the nurses and doctors do most of his care with him inside.There are armholes on either side that we open and reach through and then you have to maneuver around the cables, tubes, blankets, etc. By the time we come home changing a regular diaper should be easy!

The side of the isolette does open when needed but in general he is in complete isolation. The isolette provides heat and humidity so that he does not have to expend energy to keep his temperature consistent.

In this picture you can see the ventilator. He also has cords that monitor his body heat, his heart rate, his breath frequency, and his oxidation levels. In his right arm is his PICC line and he has a feeding tube that goes directly to his stomach. All in all there are a number of cords, gadgets and tubes which Josh loves to grab :).