from the land of Preemies…

I have spent the last year learning about being a supportive presence (aka a chaplain) to NICU parents, patients and staff. This weekend I put the finishing touches on a resource manual for future students and chaplains. And the more I read, wrote and pondered, the more complex it became.

The unanswered questions abound. How little is “too little” to sustain life? The answer depends on so many factors that there isn’t an easy answer. Is in vitro fertilization a wise and ethical option when being pregnant with multiple babies runs so many risks for the — mom and babies? When is it time to stop the aggressive medicine and withdraw care for an infant with irreversible lung disease?

You can read statistics, be encouraged by a new drug regimens, and so on. But the simplest answers are not adequate.

The nurses in the NICU where I’ve been a resident are amazing. Their attention to detail, compassion and skill are amazing. I’ve watched them find a vein in an arm the size of my pinkie finger. I’ve seen them comfort and gently cradle a newborn the size of a Beanie Baby ™. And I’ve grieved with them when one of their little charges succumbs to one of many complications of prematurity.

There is no question that life is precious. And these little ones, so tenuously hanging to life, doubly so. I’m praying for wisdom I do not have as I love and listen to their parents.

One comment

for me it comes down to quality of life. at some point in time we always reach the point where the quality of life, or more importantly the potential for a quality life is severly compromised. and by quality I mean a life that can be relatively free of pain and suffering. clearly ALL of life includes pain and suffering, and some more than others, and persevering through the pain and suffering can bring strengths and joy and rewards and new life. BUT sometimes it becomes evident that that will not be the case. and then for me the compassionate choice is to ease the suffering by allowing the life to return to God’s realm. Sometimes medical intervention, the fact that we CAN do something doesn’t always mean we should. And I say that within the context of saying that first – we fight hard – but then we have to know when to let go.

Even that, though, brings its own grief and suffering…truly, no easy answers.

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Terri says:

April 11, 2011 at 9:34 am

for me it comes down to quality of life. at some point in time we always reach the point where the quality of life, or more importantly the potential for a quality life is severly compromised. and by quality I mean a life that can be relatively free of pain and suffering. clearly ALL of life includes pain and suffering, and some more than others, and persevering through the pain and suffering can bring strengths and joy and rewards and new life. BUT sometimes it becomes evident that that will not be the case. and then for me the compassionate choice is to ease the suffering by allowing the life to return to God’s realm. Sometimes medical intervention, the fact that we CAN do something doesn’t always mean we should. And I say that within the context of saying that first – we fight hard – but then we have to know when to let go.

Even that, though, brings its own grief and suffering…truly, no easy answers.

LikeLike