Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The stork has been busy lately

Haven't had a chance to post anything lately. Jon has been hogging the computer for homework. He's doing an evening MBA program and spends a lot of time on the computer.......meaning I can't use it! So..........in new news, I've started volunteering at the hospital next to where I work. I don't need any volunteer experience for anything I plan on doing, but it is a good idea for me to do it, considering I will be pursuing a second bachelor's in nursing soon (not till 2009 when Jon finishes HIS program). The University of Arizona, apparently, doesn't require volunteer experience because there is no specific section for you to tell them about it, and they don't even require letters of reference!

Well, all that aside, I really wanted to do this. I guess I got bit by the bug when I started volunteering at Harborview back in Seattle last year in the BICU. I got to see and aid in a variety of interesting procedures (aiding in a *nonclinical* way of course!). When I looked up the volunteer opportunities at UMC, I saw that being a NICU "cuddler" was an option. I couldn't believe it! I didn' think they would let any "outsider" into this fragile environment. Ever since I saw a program on one NICU, I wanted to know what it was like being a health care provider to one of those tiny babies. When I was applying for entry level master's in nursing programs, being a neonatal nurse practitioner was one of my top choices of fields (first was nurse midwifery). Now that I know that I want to pursue a BSN first, I am interested in being a NICU nurse, so this volunteer opportunity is perfect for me. I get to interact with nurses that are doing the job I'm interested in doing!

So, I started on July 5 after work. My very first time volunteering (I have to shadow four times before I'm on my own), I got to hold a baby and feed another! Granted, they were both term babies, but I don't think I'd be particularly comfortable holding and feeding a little preemie (you have to take a totally different approach with the young ones). I couldn't stop looking at the baby I was feeding--she was just so perfect, and I just love baby sounds. "If I feel this way about somebody else's baby, it's going to be incredible when I have my own," I thought to myself. Uh-oh, let's not get carried away here. I've been married, what, about 3 months? No way are Jon and I ready for a baby!

I'm surrounded by pregnant women and babies, which makes it a little easy to get carried away. One girl in my lab had a little girl late June, another is having a boy later this month, and one guy I work with is expecting a baby girl beginning of August! And that's just my lab! On top of that, one of our friends got pregnant recently, and Jon's brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby girl beginning of September! Hmmm.....that explains all these baby knitting projects. I am staying away from the water that all these people are drinking! Besides, I've got my little bundles of joy that I can cuddle and leave at the hospital when my shift is over.

1 comment:

Rae said...

uh oh, somebody's got that maternal clock ticking!!! Aren't those babies just cute? ALMOST makes me want to go back to L & D (but I just can't handle those night shifts anymore) And YES, there is a lot to be said for it not being your baby to constantly tend...

Jon should give up the computer more often so we hear about the wonderful world of Tania!