Location location location ?

kimh · #1 10-17-2005, 02:46 PM

Okay here is one of my umteen million questions!!
We live in a Cape Cod type house, so most of our living space is on one floor except the LARGE room where the 4 boys sleep and have their tv and video games a couch ect, that is upstairs. Our two daughters share a room , we have the crib set up in there but we are not sure that is the best place to put Matt when he comes home. We also thought about putting him in our room but if we have nighttime nursing help they would be in and out of our room all night long, kind of defeats the purpose if we are trying to sleep. Our house has a big open floor plan and if we set him up in the living room I could see him from the kitchen and everywhere else in the house. My only concern is the fact that everyone is in and out all day long they traspe through the living room and kitchen and I would assume they are dragging in tons of germs!! I read the "winter precautions" post and changing clothes after school around here would result in twice as much laundry (I do 4 loads a day now) so that is not really an option. Is hand washing and keeping sick people out enough? Should I put Matt in the girls room so if there is someone sick he can be away form them or should I set up in my room and the living room ?? HELP!
Kim

LeslieML · #2 10-17-2005, 02:48 PM

Kim,
I don't know what to tell you as we only had one child already at home prior to bringing Chase home... are you planning on leaving Matt in the same room day and night or moving him around for sleeping and such?

kimh · #3 10-17-2005, 02:57 PM

I want him to be able to be where the action is ,not locked away in another room , I thought of putting a pack and play with a bassinet insert in it in the living room and then putting the big crib in our room or the girls room, but my question is how portable will he be ? is it going to take hours to move these machines back forth between the two rooms??

sandra · #4 10-17-2005, 03:20 PM

If he is in the house anyway, he will be exposed to those at home, so I would set up where the action is. When one of my kids are sick, they stay upstairs and I bring them things to try and help out with spreading it to Brian. They have access to a TV and video games up there so it isn't too much of a battle to keep them away from the living room.

I was the one who has my kids change clothes. It hasn't increased laundry because they wear the outfit they put on after school until PJ time and then put it back on for school the next morning. Just something we have tried. One outfit and their PJ's in a 24 hour period.

kimh · #5 10-17-2005, 03:40 PM

Most of my boys go from school to football and my daughter to soccer so maybe I will try the clothes change it might not be too bad now that I really think about it. I am VERY lucky, my kids don't really ever get sick they never miss school and are really healthy, but I will stick hand sanitizer in everyones book bag and have a big bottle on hand here at the house , hopefuly this will help.
So then you think I should put Matt in the living room so he can be a part of the action and so that when we have night time nurses they are not going in or out of someone elses room? I would also put a crib in our room so that on the nights we don't have help( I read the other thread about nurses , so I am prepared for them to not show up) he can be in our room and I can be in my bed for at least a little bit. Does this sound like a good plan?

Lizzykewlness · #6 10-17-2005, 03:45 PM

Two locations works well, one in your room when their isn't a nurse and in the living room when there is. That's what we did with Luke. That way your daughters will get some sleep when the nurses are there and when their aren't nurses you'll have your son close. It's a little annoying moving the equipment, but only took us a few minutes. That seemed to work really well for me and my husband when we had nurses. Hope that was helpful

kimh · #7 10-17-2005, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Lizzykewlness @ Oct. 17 2005,16:45)]Two locations works well, one in your room when their isn't a nurse and in the living room when there is. Â*That's what we did with Luke. Â*That way your daughters will get some sleep when the nurses are there and when their aren't nurses you'll have your son close. Â*It's a little annoying moving the equipment, but only took us a few minutes. Â*That seemed to work really well for me and my husband when we had nurses. Â*Hope that was helpful

Thanks that is what I will do then! I will put the pack and play in the livingroom and the big crib in our room! And I will try to have the kids change their clothes before they handle the baby , that way we are not staying home and going crazy olny to expose him to what we are trying to stay away from LOL!!! Ihave a feeling it could be a long winter!

twintotwin · #8 10-17-2005, 06:29 PM

Hi Kim- It IS going to be a long winter- though I hear it's going to be mild.
Anyway, I just have the twins and a 6 month-old girl (just.. heh heh)
but I do live in a Cape as well. 2 bedrooms downstairs and 2 bedrooms upstairs. Our kitchen runs into our living room but it's not all open where I can see from each room.
I have the twins (both w/ trachs and oxygen) in the big front bedroom. The back room holds their equipment and toys (yes, a room full!)..
I designated the BACK door as our main entrance for privacy mostly (so nurses and therapists aren't constantly walking through the living room)- but it's also good because everyone can wash their hands in the kitchen where the entrance is.

Get everyone in the habit of washing hands the SECOND they walk in the door, and remove shoes- then have the kids change clothes.

Will your baby be on a vent and/or oxygen?
We keep a big tank of liquid O2 on wheels so we can bring it to any room on the first floor. We also use portable tanks that are filled up from the big one, when we have both twins outside of their room. Also, we have super duper long oxygen tubing that stretches from the living room to the boys' room.

I keep a bottle of Purell in every room of the house. (we've been getting a gigantic bottle with wall dipsenser from Sam's Club).

On a regular day it gets crazy here...2 crawling boys, 2 nurses, 2 therapists, a crawling baby, me and my husband. Sometimes my parents, the DME driver and the nurse supervisor all show up at the same time...
I can't imagine what it's going to be like for you guys! I hope your house is big.

~Kerry

kimh · #9 10-17-2005, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (twintotwin @ Oct. 17 2005,19:29)]Hi Kim- Â*It IS going to be a long winter- Â*though I hear it's going to be mild.
Anyway, I just have the twins and a 6 month-old girl (just.. heh heh)
but I do live in a Cape as well. Â*2 bedrooms downstairs and 2 bedrooms upstairs. Â*Our kitchen runs into our living room but it's not all open where I can see from each room.
I have the twins (both w/ trachs and oxygen) in the big front bedroom. Â*The back room holds their equipment and toys (yes, a room full!)..
I designated the BACK door as our main entrance for privacy mostly (so nurses and therapists aren't constantly walking through the living room)- but it's also good because everyone can wash their hands in the kitchen where the entrance is.

Get everyone in the habit of washing hands the SECOND they walk in the door, and remove shoes- then have the kids change clothes. Â*

Will your baby be on a vent and/or oxygen? Â*
We keep a big tank of liquid O2 on wheels so we can bring it to any room on the first floor. Â*We also use portable tanks that are filled up from the big one, when we have both twins outside of their room. Â*Also, we have super duper long oxygen tubing that stretches from the living room to the boys' room. Â*

I keep a bottle of Purell in every room of the house. Â*(we've been getting a gigantic bottle with wall dipsenser from Sam's Club). Â*

On a regular day it gets crazy here...2 crawling boys, 2 nurses, 2 therapists, a crawling baby, me and my husband. Â*Sometimes my parents, the DME driver and the nurse supervisor all show up at the same time...
I can't imagine what it's going to be like for you guys! Â*I hope your house is big. Â*

~Kerry

Kerry, Matt is on O2 and CPAP, so I really like your idea of designating a door away from the livingroom for all to enter through. And I can see from everyones posts that hand washing will be key, it will be like trying to teach 6 old dogs new tricks LOL but I will do my best!! THank you all so much I am learning TONS and figuring out things that I had never even considered before , I am a huge planner and feel so much better if I at least have a plan somewhat in place before I make a HUGE change in my life,so if I can setup for Matt before he gets here I will at least feel a little better. Besides it helps with the quilt I have at the moment, I feel so bad that he is in TX all alone and I am here, no one should have to stay in the NICU without their parents. We are rushing paperwork as fast as we can but there is still the issue of whether or not to discharge as soon as the paperwrok is done to a hospital close to us , or wait and discharge straight to home from the hosp in TX. We will see what happens. So much planning for one tiny person!

LeslieML · #10 10-17-2005, 08:24 PM

we weren't on O2 at the time we came home. We went to wal mart before discharge and bought a wheeled microwave cart. It had three baskets in it that we kept sx catheters, bullets, diapers, wipes etc in. We had a vent stand and the vent went on there. My hubby went out and bought a flag pole kit and used some of those pieces and pieces from our kid kart (which I refused to use) to hang his feeding pump from. We also were able to put the sx machine, pulse ox and A/B monitor on it. One strong person could move Chase by themselves....he also attached a power strip to the back of it that way there was only one cord to deal with.
HTH .. we also didn't let the front door be used as Chase was in the living room during the day. We used the back door off the dining room...and the same gigantic Purell!!
Leslie