… except maybe my niece. she’s pretty trustworthy.
really though. it’s a saying we hear pretty often in our line of work, especially when in the nicu. the point is this: taking care of a premature baby is unpredictable. one minute they’ll look great, and the next moment you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to figure out what’s wrong.
unfortunately, i learned the true meaning of that saying today. i arrived at 5:30 am to find out that my sick baby was still very sick, and my newest baby had all but fallen apart overnight. it was stressful for me, barely completing my notes and exams in time for rounds. but more than the stress, it’s hard to see my patients in such critical condition, wondering if they’ll make it. fortunately, at the end of today, i do have hope that they’re on their way to recovery. still, i’ll always have that fear that they might fall apart again. never trust a preemie.
the science and technology that helps these babies survive and grow is amazing (especially as i remember our preemies in ghana, where we didn’t have access to all these important technologies). but what’s even more amazing is how God created a woman’s body to perfectly nurture babies and help them grow over nine months, even better than any piece of technology we can create! his creation is awesome.
happy wednesday!
-court
aaron, courtney & olivia grace 
As you know Courtney, my experience with the preemies we know thru FBC, substantiates your comment of them being unpredictable. I visited a family this week in Prescott, whom I had first met in the NICU 25 years ago. He was tiny (less than 1 1/2 pounds) and pretty sick and they knew he was blind, which is why I was there. Hope is what I was selling–to the parents. Paul is on his way back to Spain to work on a Master’s Degree in Human Rights after graduating from American University in DC with honors. He is also bilingual. His parents took the hope given them and encouraged and expected him to succeed. The best place for little ones is in Mom but God still does some amazing things with the help of doctors like you and some pretty helpful technology. Bless you in this work! You may be nurturing a great leader who will make a difference for what happens in Ghana in the future!
Love you, Elaine
i still remember addy’s 6 wk stay in the nicu like it was yesterday. you are awesome courtney
That breaks my heart to remember watching Addy struggle to breath, eat, and grow. We are so lucky and thankful for the care that Addy received. Miraculously, she has no long term sequelae. What you are doing is such an underserved gift that we in the US take for granted. Thank you for blessing others and us!