Intermediate Care Nursery (IMCN)

For the next 16 days the Intermediate Care Nursery (IMCN) would be Jack's home, bed 22!  He was in a little pod with 6 other infants, one who had been there since the middle of September and weighed only 2 lbs 5 oz when she was born.

Jack lived in an incubator for 4 or 5 days, attached to leads that measured his Oxygen levels, and heart rate and all that kind of stuff, and was on a feeding tube for the first 10-13 days.  At the start he was also on dextrose to help with his sugar levels and his weight!  Quickly he came off of that though. 

The IMCN was a wonderful place, the staff amazing.  We had great nurses Brittany, Josie, Mary-Ann and many others who helped Jack and took amazing care of him.  It always amazed me that I was the only parent a lot of the time in that pod, but when I thought about it, I wasn't there 24/7 by any means.  I would go in once or twice a day and stay for a couple of hours, do some kangaroo care, read some stories, or sing some songs, and then I'd go home. 

Did I feel bad about going home, yes and no...  yes because I wanted to be with Jack, and let him know that he was loved..., but no because the nurses there took amazing care of each special little boy and girl there.  Plus I had another special little one at home who needed her mommy's care too!  The nurses were available 24/7 by phone, and they would call me if anything happened.

The day before we left was Halloween, and each child had received a poem, there was a loot bag with some candy for the parents (I presume it was for me, Jack didn't then and still doesn't eat Chocolate or starbursts!!!), and all of the Pediatricians were dressed up  (Thurston Howell III, Sponge Bob, Snow White, and a host of others) and some of the nurses were dressed up too!  Abbey was Mickey Mouse that day and it was kind of cute that Jack's nurse for the evening was Minnie Mouse!  Jack even got in on the dressing up, as I'd found a bib that said Daddy's Helper!

The staff were all so helpful, and accomodating, Josie took our one week pictures for us!  Mary Ann talked so nicely to the babies and all of them, calling them Little Man, or Little Lady, it was nice.  Nice to know that when I wasn't there that all of these precious children were being looked after so well. 

It was good to know that I could go home for a good night's sleep, and not have to worry about Jack, because it was a little stressful having my family in 3 different locations.  Raymond was at work, Jack in IMCN, and Abbey and I at Grandma and Grandpa's house! 

So not that I'd recommend you spend time at the IMCN, but if you have to, it is such a welcoming, pleasant place!  Oh yes and they let you decorate!  A lot of other children had signs, and so wanting to follow suit, I raided my Mother-in-laws sticker box, which is phenomenal as far as sticker boxes go! If there was ever a sticker box to covet that would be the box!  Here is my result!