The reality of dropping in unanounced/NICU observations

Another evening visit to the NICU. Thomas is doing very well. We saw the doctor and he's pleased with his progress. They are going to put off surgery for a few more days. He's not showing any significant symptoms right now, so they would prefer not to rush things if its not necessary.

We also got a dose of reality while visiting. Thomas is on a respirator and they are constantly dialing knobs to maintain his vitals. It is a constant battle that we don't see for the most part, but his O2 reading dropped while we were there and the nurse had to use a manual respirator (where you squeeze a bag). It lasted less than a minute and there was no panic by the nurse, but it was one of those things that kind of raised our eyebrows. We just happened to be there. Tina (the nurse) took it in stride and bounced back forth between Thomas and another baby who's O2 reading was all over the place as well. This sort of thing probably happens several times an hour in the NICU.

Random observations:

1. There probably isn't a minute in the NICU that an alarm isn't going off somewhere. No one seems particularly worried. The nurses usually turn a knob and things settle down.

2. The other babies are gargantuan monsters. Its really weird, they just look huge. None of them are full term. I think the one next to Thomas weighs only 3 pounds, but she looks mammoth. I think that's called perspective.

3. The nurses are OCD. They have these containers that dispense a cleansing foam, that looks like mousse. I watched a nurse wash her hands 5 times in less than a minute without touching anything.