Transferred

Almost a week after arriving in this other city by ambulance, we received a call first thing in the morning at the place we were staying to say that our baby was being transferred to the hospital in our hometown. They told me I had to arrive within 30 minutes to ensure that I could travel with the baby. Only one parent was allowed to go because of the minimal space and my husband didn't hesitate to say that it should be me. My parents were thankfully still there so my dad quickly got dressed and drove me to the hospital. My husband would take care of the packing, paying for the room, and returning the pump. I was worried we would miss the ambulance so my dad drove like a maniac to make sure I arrived on time. He dropped me off at the entrance with my little bag of pumped milk and packsack of water and granola bars. They would drive back home as soon as they finished packing and would meet us at the hospital.

I was so excited and nervous at the same time. We were all going to get to go home but the nursing staff and pediatrician warned me that my baby would likely take a step or two back because of the journey. Soon after I arrived at the NICU, 2 paramedics came with a travel incubator. They carefully loaded my son in and made sure all the little machines were working properly. As they started to cart him away I looked at the 2 older nurses beside me as tears started welling up. They both gave me a hug and told me that they had not nicknamed him 'mighty mouse' for nothing- he was a fighter and would do very well. I then quickly joined my son and the paramedics and followed them through the hospital halls and out to the ambulance. They asked if I wanted to sit up front but I requested to sit in the back beside my son which they were happy to accommodate. Once everyone was loaded, we were off.

If you haven't ridden in an ambulance before, I can tell you that it is extremely bumpy and feels as though there are no shocks on the vehicle. I couldn't believe when I was transferred the week prior when I was pregnant as I felt as though I was going to bounce of the gurney whenever we went over a pebble in the road. I worried about my son doing such a drive as there was no way he wouldn't be able to feel the effects of it.

The paramedic travelling in the back of the ambulance with me kept a close eye on my son which made me happy. He kept smiling and telling me how awake he was; just staring back at him. Apparently the majority of babies sleep through the whole trip but my little guy was awake for nearly the whole ride. I think it's because he was just as choked about all the bumps in the road as I was...

After travelling on the highway for nearly an hour we made it to the airport where a little prop plane was waiting for us. The pilot mentioned to me that he had also been a preemie and was now over 6'3" and 250 lbs. The paramedics then told me to get in first before loading my son and themselves into the back of the plane. The prop plane was incredibly loud, and there was quite a bit of turbulence, which caused me great anxiety. I kept thinking how it might all effect his ears and other development. I also second-guessed myself at agreeing to have him transferred when he was so little- maybe we should have waited longer... always the guilt creeping up.

We finally arrived at the airport in our hometown and were loaded back into a ground ambulance, this time with different paramedics. Another bumpy ride and we were at the hospital where my son would reside for the next several weeks.