Growing pains

Little smurf had a pretty good day.

Unfortunately, she developed a pain in her rear over the last few days - and just to clarify, that pain isn't her dad! 😀

She has a diaper rash along with some skin breakdown. It looked worse yesterday but today it was slightly better. Hopefully it will continue to heal. 

The night nurses were advised to dry her sores by placing her bum in the air (uncovered) while she lay on her tummy. This morning when the day nurses came in for shift change they each got a full view of Arabella's naked rear end, sticking out at them. That's a great way to start the day, huh?! 😄

They all got a kick out of it apparently. Arabella is always good for a laugh. 

The other issue today was her blood sugar. It was suddenly low in the evening. Belle had to go through some extra pokes for blood work in order to make sure her various other levels didn't drop as well. We thought she was on the right track with her sugar finally, so this was rather odd. The staff will continue to follow her very closely again, which means more frequent pokes for blood. 

Poke, poke, poke. 

It never ends. Even when they're totally healthy, the pokes and check-ups never cease. 

Below you can see a picture of mommy holding Arabella's soother, trying to make her as comfortable as possible while the nurse draws blood from her heel. 

Do you think preemies remember pain from the NICU? I was curious to find out myself, and from what I've read it's possible, but not definitive. 

It's interesting to remember that the first sense to develop is the sense of touch. We also know that newborns can recall some sensations from the past, like the sound of their mother's voice and music they heard while in the womb. 

The pain wouldn't necessarily be consciously recalled, though. It's not like they would truly remember it, but they might react to a specific touch, sound or smell that could possibly trigger a reaction. 

It's kind of like associating the smell of alcohol with the pain they felt during medical procedures (when disinfectants were used). The babies pulse might race in anticipation of something happening, simply because they recognize the smell. 

There is also another school of thought that says preemies' responses become muted to pain (from all the repetitive painful experiences). 

Regardless if they remember or not, parents in the NICU must comfort their children in these situations, while their babies are experiencing it, or afterward. You want to change negative associations with positive ones, so you need to make sure you give them all the love and care you possibly can.