By Bennett Barrow
A high-risk pregnancy simply garners more medical attention than a normal pregnancy. So every dad (or soon to be dad) whose wife is placed on hospital bed rest is accustomed to the plethora of nurses, janitors, and doctors constantly checking on your loved one. With all of the daily interactions, your caretakers are bound to make minor mistakes. If you are able to find the humor in your hospital stay, you may bring a little joy to your crisis.
We were only a few days into our two – month stay on the third floor, high risk unit at an incredible hospital in Tampa and Heather was in the middle of a pedicure from Grammy when the door opened once again. However, these two bodies at our door were actually decked out in hazmat suits. This full body protective gear is normally seen only in movies about nuclear bombs and Ebola Virus news reports from Africa. To our dismay, the two proceeded to enter our room.
Fortunately, we heard the voice of our favorite nurse behind one of these alien suits. She proceeded to tell us that my wife tested positive for MERSA, which is a nasty staph infection that runs rampant in hospitals. Questions popped into my head such as: How much worse can this possibly get? Is my unborn baby okay since my wife’s water broke and is susceptible to infections? And why is God punishing us? The good news is that our MERSA scare turned out to be short-lived as there was a mix up of lab results. The bad news is that one of my hallway coffee pot neighbors was about to experience the bad MERSA news.
We quickly learned that every day and night is a true roller coaster. A curve ball was thrown our way seemingly every week. When my wife reached 28 weeks pregnant (one month into our stay) we had a code pink alert. The exercise is planned by the hospital security team to test crisis preparedness. Often nurses and staff are not told about the upcoming drill. So nurses sprint down hallways, entries and exits are in lock down mode, and a massive security presence rattles nearly every patient in the hospital.
In this case, somebody acted as an abductor of a baby who tried to escape outside of the 
hospital with a baby mannequin. The staff and security caught the“abductor” and everything was back to normal in no time. More questions popped up such as: Why does this whole experience keep getting stranger and stranger? Can we just have a couple of days of peace and quiet? After that first code-pink, we actually looked forward to them as it shook up the day.
Unfortunately, the oddball events don’t end when your preemie has left the hospital. Our daughter came down with the swine flu not long after our son left the NICU and. Even though we had adapted to the curveballs in the hospital, we still couldn’t help but ask ourselves questions such as “Again?” and “Seriously?” Simply accepting not only the day- to -day stress but also the strange events that accompany a high risk pregnancy is the best antidote to the anxiety ridden experience. As they say, sometimes time heals what reason cannot.
that roams land, and Hill the sea. We talk about the animals they love and ways to help them, especially the ones who might one day be extinct. With all of the recent drama at Sea World (which we have visited) and their alleged mistreatment of large mammals, we discuss the pros and cons of having those beautiful creatures in captivity. Should we support Sea World by visiting? Maybe visit and volunteer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium instead. We help them come to the decision and support it. What is your child’s passion? Once you figure it out you will have a captive audience. There are so many worthy causes out there that you will easily find one your child is excited about.
3. Pick a fundraising or volunteer activity that interests your child. This is the fun part, talk to your child about what their skills are and how they would like to help. Do you have a budding entrepreneur? Then help them host a lemonade stand. Want to avoid present overload at their birthday? Ask for donations in lieu of gifts. Have a future track star? Participate in a charitable athletic event. My favorite is the 
critical package containing every item a preemie mom or mom-to-be needs to survive a long-term hospital stay on bed rest or in the NICU. The items we include are not provided by hospitals and ensure every patient’s basic needs are met so the patients can focus on a healthy mom and baby. If your friend is ‘lucky’ enough to be a patient at one of HRH’s hospital partners, she will receive one from us free of charge. If not, you can order a mini version starting at $35 from the 
Every pregnancy milestone warrants a celebration! Bring a cake at 24 weeks, a bagel party at 26 weeks, pizza at 28 weeks, and a doughnuts at 32 weeks. This doughnut inspiration I brought Jill was from a HRH mom, Karyn, whose sister made her “32” out of cupcakes. If it is not too expensive, invite your friend’s favorite nurses and hospital staff to thank them for all of their help and support. The positive energy you create is contagious and will come back to your friend and her baby.
1320 E 9th Ave, 2nd Floor