Sebastian is almost always up by 8am. Our nurse brings in his morning medications around 830am and does checks on the room equipment and then takes his blood pressure and other vital signs. Bash eats a ton of food right now because the steroids he is taking make him very hungry, so breakfast usually takes at least an hour or more from 9-1030am! Nate gets here around 1030am and if I haven't already, I get dressed, then go to rounds around 11am. Sometimes Bash naps around 1030-11am depending on his medication schedule that day, and if lots of people are in and out of the room. We have a 'baby sleeping' sign on the door for naps but not everyone reads it, can read, or cares I guess lol, and he gets waken up a lot. Lunch is at noonish - 1pm. Chemo medications during lunch hour usually. Lately we get a pass (like everyday!) and can leave by 1-2pm. Yesterday they needed to put a med in his line as it wasn't working well and they thought there was a clot there. So we didn't get to go home. Dinner is around 530pm after Bash's afternoon nap. If at home we pack up after dinner and head back to the hospital around 730pm. Our nurse brings night meds in and does bedtime checks and vital signs again. I try to get him into bed by 830 - 9pm. Nate leaves around 930pm, then I send out my daily update to everyone and go to bed too. Depending on the night nurse we may get awakened a few times or left alone. He gets blood work drawn at 4am every morning and I try to time it so when he wakes up I can call the nurse in and not wake him. He is seriously the lightest sleeper ever and wakes to any sound. The nurses think they can sneak a temperature or blood pressure on him but he basically wakes up if they just peek over the crib rail at him lol. (I have a sound machine running at night to help drown out the noises too). Bash sleeps an average of 3hrs before he needs to nurse or be changed. Then it all starts over again the next day.
I definitely appreciate the night nurse quiet skills now (I'm seriously the worst night nurse ever - I try to be super ninja quiet, but I always drop something or I trip on IV poles). Living in the hospital gives you a whole new perspective of everything, and I feel everyone who works here should spend a night or two just to know whats its like on the other side of things. I never thought I would have to live in a hospital, let alone the one I work at, and I'm looking forward to eventually sleeping in my own bed and having Sebastian at home where he belongs.
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