Friday, January 20, 2006
How do the doctors/nurses actually know when he's in pain and which part of his body is hurting?
This was asked in relation to Jamie in particular.
If you'd seen him, you'd be able to guess which bits hurt - it's getting better, but his back was one giant bruise, going well down into the skin. It was leaking fluids and blood, and it was hugely fortunate that it didn't get infected.
Another big clue to when they hurt is that they cry - it's worth remembering that despite their prematurity, they are still real living babies ! The ventilation tube means that you can't normally hear them, but they open their mouths wide, screw their eyes up and wave thier arms around if they are really hurting. You've no idea how hard it is to watch that knowing that you can't do anything about it.
If you'd seen him, you'd be able to guess which bits hurt - it's getting better, but his back was one giant bruise, going well down into the skin. It was leaking fluids and blood, and it was hugely fortunate that it didn't get infected.
Another big clue to when they hurt is that they cry - it's worth remembering that despite their prematurity, they are still real living babies ! The ventilation tube means that you can't normally hear them, but they open their mouths wide, screw their eyes up and wave thier arms around if they are really hurting. You've no idea how hard it is to watch that knowing that you can't do anything about it.
# posted by Antony @ 1:50 AM 
