Day 24 of Thanks

On our walk this morning, I was remembering everything we've been through since last Thanksgiving when I was pregnant.  It occurred to me that I had forgotten to give thanks to some very important people that helped us this year.

Today I am thankful for the amazing medical staff at Las Colinas Medical Center that helped with my emergency C-section and Parker's nine day stint in NICU.  My OB-Gyn Dr. Kristen Carmichael and her partner, Dr. Theodore Krum, took great care of me and kept me calm (that and an epidural) when I was quickly taken into the OR because P's heartrate kept dropping and my labor was not progressing.  Dr. Thummala was our Neonatologist that monitored Parker in NICU, ran all the tests he could and tried everything to get P better as soon as possible.  He also went to bat for us with our insurance company when they tried to deny coverage for our last night in NICU.  We also had great nurses - Cecelia & Bosede in NICU and Gracie was my nurse for five days.  Bosede taught us how to feed Parker, change his diaper, burp him, swaddle him, heat up bottles, etc.  It was a humbling learning experience for both me and Benton.

Although P was in NICU, I believed all along that he was essentially healthy and would be released any day.  He was well-cared for and left the hospital weighing more than his birth weight, over 8 lbs.  We have had friends with their babies in NICU who stayed longer than we did and who had more concerns and health issues to worry about.  I am thankful that our stay was limited to nine days and that we have no lasting health concerns for Parker today.

We have friends from Wichita Falls who have spent months with their sweet baby born in the hospital in Fort Worth.  Please pray for those babies who are in the hospital over this Thanksgiving break.  Pray for their parents and families as they split their time between home and between the hospital.  Also pray for the sweet nurses and doctors who spend time away from their loved ones to care for others.