Bad News (MSRA)

Well today didn't go so well for the Clarrey family.  I had a doctor's appointment, so we decided to wait until after the appointment to go up to the hospital to see Melanie.  I decided I couldn't wait to find out how she was doing so I called up to the NICU.  I figured they would tell me she was doing well and that she took a certain amount in her feeding.  Instead I was told that the test that they has done the day before last came back positive for MRSA (staph).  The nurse said she couldn't tell me anything else over the phone other than that she had been moved and that the doctor would talk to us when we got up there.  Of course, Jarod and I freaked out.  (To be honest, more me than Jarod)  I didn't want to go to my appointment...  All I wanted to do was get up there and find out what was going on.  Jarod convinced me not to skip my appointment.  When we finally got up to the NICU, we were told that we needed to put on robes and gloves before touching her.  She was put in a room by herself along with one other baby who had also tested positive.  The nurse brought us a pamphlet to read while we waited for one of the residents to come and talk to us.  Lucky us, we got the resident who is foreign and hard to understand.  He tried to answer all of our questions, but at one point told us that we were asking valid questions that were above his knowledge... Great.  He told us that he would try and have the doctor come and talk to us.  What we did find out was that she doesn't actually have the infection.  She is just colonized with it.  Almost all adults are colonized with it, meaning that most of us are carriers of it.  They just have to take the precautions that they are taking because it is dangerous for other preemie babies.  We were told that once she is brought home this won't be anything that we need to be worried about with her or others.  The funny thing is that this is the very first week that this hospital has tested the babies for this.  It is brand new.  Her nurse today was telling us that they could have had ten babies at one point that would have all tested positive for this and they would have never known.  They will now test all babies once a week.  So, they will just be watching Melanie closely because she is at higher risk for getting staph infection.  So not a great news day. 

One good thing to come from the day is that I was able to try breastfeeding for the third day in a row.  She wasn't interested in the slightest bit yesterday.  However, today she went to town for about fifteen minutes.  She has shown us in the past couple days that she knows when her feeding times are and she gets super cranky about ten minutes before she is due to be fed.  We always change her diaper and take her temp right before feeding her.  It makes for a really fun diaper changing time with a screaming kicking baby who is hooked up to a million cords that are in the way.  Ha ha.  She is more and more adorable everyday.  We just can't wait for all of this to be behind us.  Can't wait for her to be happy, healthy, and home!!!!!

Melanie looking cute as can be in her new room.