At 2pm the nurse walked in our hospital room with discharge papers!!

The bacteria found in Sweet Pea’s blood culture from Friday night is a contaminant.

This should not have happened, but it did.

It does make me very upset that my baby had to go through all this due to hospital error.

But I am very thankful that they had a way to determine without error that the bacteria was a contaminant so we could go home today and not have to complete the 10 days of antibiotics “just in case”.

2pm was feeding time so we fed Sweet Pea and then got her dressed and ready to go home!

Countless pricks and countless tears (from both of us) later and we are headed HOME!

Going Home (Take 2)

Everything happens for a reason. God was in control of everything that happened. He could have not allowed that contaminant to enter Sweet Pea’s blood culture, but He chose to let it enter and contaminate Sweet Pea’s blood culture making this whole awful ordeal necessary.

I don’t know the reason why and I probably never will.

I do know that I really did savor the moments to just be still before the Lord in that hospital room and hold and care for just my little Sweet Pea with no distractions. And God clearly reminded me that I needed to surrender my responsibilities as a mother of two now to Him, which I did right there in that hospital room.

I also know that this experience has reiterated to me just how important it is to limit a newborn’s exposure to germs! It is hospital protocol to do a spinal tap, urine sample and blood culture on ANY baby 6 weeks old or younger who has a positive blood culture or fever of 100.4 or higher.

I do NOT want to end up back in the hospital again because my baby has caught some bug or been exposed to some nasty bacteria, so you bet I will be a stickler to having people wash their hands before holding Sweet Pea, especially during the next three weeks. (Heads up to those of you who might be around to hold Sweet Pea!!)

Also, heads up to anyone reading this who may have a newborn who is going to need a blood culture done. Please have the nurse or whoever is taking the blood wipe your baby’s skin multiple times before the prick to hopefully avoid a contaminant entering your baby’s blood culture.

Tonight, I am grateful this ordeal is OVER and we are home, once again.

Great is the faithfulness of God.

- Elaine