Dreaded phone calls

We just received a phone call from the hospital. It's 2:45am and we were told that Arabella has a fever. We were only home for 3 hours, and Belle seemed reasonably fine to us when we were leaving.

A fever could be minor, but it could also mean the start of an infection. Bring on the chest x-rays, antibiotics, blood work, and all of the other precautionary measures. 

Thankfully, one of Arabella's core nurses is looking after her tonight. She knows all of Belle's tendencies, and that's always reassuring at a time like this.

Oddly enough, I was talking about these "dreaded phone calls" with another NICU parent today. To this day, we all feel uneasy anytime we hear the phone ring. Something happens to us, and we tense up. 

The call is always a form of bad news. And right on cue, here was that familiar call...

We've been through this before, but it doesn't make things easier. 

Today brought a lot of anxiety even before the phone call. We witnessed a baby in our room go into cardiac arrest. They call it 'Code Blue', and it was pandemonium. 

The staff were yelling, the baby's parents were crying, and we couldn't help but cry as well. I was holding Belle in my arms at the time, and it was crushing to witness. Eventually, the baby was resuscitated, but it was madness in that room for what felt like eternity. 

This wasn't the first time we've witnessed something like this. We've pretty much seen it all by now. 

We'll see what tomorrow brings...