Have you ever had bright lights wake you up from a deep sleep? It takes a minute for your eyes to adjust, right? Your cognitive abilities may be impaired for a moment too as you regain your surroundings. The point is, when you experience a quick change of sensory input, your body must respond. Everyone experiences it. And usually, our healthy bodies can adapt quite well and recover in seconds.
However, babies experiencing the effects of withdrawal due to prenatal substance exposure cannot tolerate much sensory input. In other words, any light, sound, or touch will prove difficult for a baby to handle.
So, when one of our babies needed a nonemergent transport to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, where she would stay for over a week to recover from her illness, major sensory input was imminent.
But the Maddie’s Place village quickly jumped to action to protect her recovery.
Let me explain what happened back in January.
Sometimes, babies get sick. If you are a mother, you know. Even a perfectly healthy baby can experience an illness that requires further treatment.
I was working the Saturday we realized that one of our babies, Alexandria, was not doing well. The night shift before, report was given that Alex may have come down with something, seeing as she was more lethargic than normal. This change in behavior was not something we were unaccustomed to with our babies, so we kept note of it and kept an eye on her.
However, as the day continued, medical concerns bid the nurse to take her vitals, leading her to discover Alex’s oxygen levels were dropping. The RN took control of the situation gracefully and proactively, providing instruction to the trained infant care specialists (ICS) around her and keeping Alex stable. Naturally, we all worked as a team to ensure Alex’s health and safety, despite all the unsettling unknowns.
As these events unfolded, the RN was in constant communication with Dr. Randi Edwards, Medical Director at Maddie’s. In moments like these where immediate action needs to be taken, Dr. Edwards puts her faith in our nurses to be her eyes and ears and provide sound advice on whether further medical care is needed. So, with Dr. Edwards’ approval, the RN made that call for Alex’s transportation to the hospital where she was admitted for the care of Rhinovirus.
If you have visited Maddie’s Place before, you know what the nursery atmosphere feels like. We keep the lights dimmed, voices quiet, music soft. We soothe our babies in rhythmic motions, careful to keep our hand placement consistent and supportive.
So, you can perhaps imagine the major sensory overload Alex experienced upon arrival at the hospital. To protect her from backtracking in her recovery, Maddie’s Place ensured that an ICS would be with Alex 24/7. We had many staff offer to stay with Alex in different shifts throughout her stay.
I was able to speak with a couple of the staff members who spent many shifts with Alex. Christy, an ICS, told me about why she jumped at the opportunity to provide care for Alex at the hospital.
“It was actually really rewarding to be available to be there for her, so she didn’t have to be by herself…. I saw it as an opportunity to continue what we do here, but there.”
I also spoke with Taylor, another ICS, who told me about the bond she had already been developing with Alex before her health took a turn.
“When I heard she was in the hospital, I just wanted to be with her. I wanted to make sure she was ok and love on her.”
And so, they did! Each ICS was able to provide Alex with the same basic care we provide at Maddie’s Place, including some feeding, diaper changes, and consoling. They kept the lights off in her room, and the curtains drawn. All in all, she was snuggled her entire stay at the hospital, which was very appreciated by the nurses and doctors.
This came as a major comfort to Alex’s parents, who visited daily, knowing that someone was with their baby at all hours of the day when they couldn’t be.
It was so inspiring for ICS to see Alex’s vitals even out when she was with her mom, part of why we always say that mom is the best medicine.
Upon discharge from the hospital, Alex returned to Maddie’s Place to an abundance of loving arms. Her original admission to the hospital also sped up her mom’s process of staying at Maddie’s Place.
So, as of today, Alex has recovered well, and is in the constant care of her sweet mama and our staff.
The Maddie’s Village truly came through in providing intentional care for Alex at the hospital. It was amazing to watch people devote their time and energy to ensure that she would continue to progress in her recovery from prenatal substance exposure.
You do what you have to do for the people you love most. It is thrilling to be a part of a community that sacrificially loves those who need it most.
Questions? Suggestions? Email me at emma.jones@maddiesplace.org
This blog was posted on March 7, 2024.