Future Nari's Care
Future Nari's Care
Yanmei often felt sorry for Luiz, Nari's NICU classmate. Since Luiz discharged from the hospital, he had been readmitted twice already. Rae Bin's son, Luiz, remained struggling in weight gain up to now.
Fortunately, with Luiz being one of the beneficiaries of Nari's Preemie Foundation, Rae Bin was able to cope with the hospital expenses.
Yanmei determined Nari had it better, but it had also something to do with how Anton and her managed the exposure of their little girl.
Knowing that many premature babies often get sick, the couple has been keeping Nari from away from crowded gatherings, avoiding a possible hospitalization. They had been successful for more than two years, dealing with colds at home. Unfortunately, their greatest fear still happened.
After getting their luggage from the hotel, Yanmei and her party left immediately for the airport. Yeona and Iseul meant to spend the evening going around Hongkong, but plans were canceled altogether.
It was already midnight when Yanmei arrived in Korea, going directly to the hospital after Minsuh fetched them at the airport.
When Yanmei arrived at Nari's private suite, she found her husband still carrying Nari. The caregiver, named Alma, seemed to be fixing the clothes of Nari from the closet.
"Mine," she called for Anton, but he gestured for her to take a bath first.
"Mine, wash up first before coming close to Nari," suggested Anton.
Yanmei understood. They would have to be more strict when it comes to disinfecting moving forward when handling Nari.
Turning to Iseul and Chun-Ho, she said, "I'm fine here. You guys can bring Yeona home and Chun-Ho, you can go to the mansion."
The two did as instructed, only leaving behind Yanmei's luggage. There were already two guards who stood by the door. There was no need for them to stay.
Glancing at her husband, she asked, "Have you eaten mine?"
Anton shook his head. He said, "She doesn't want me to put her down. She doesn't want Alma to take over either."
Yanmei first instructed Alma to heat any food they have before taking a bath. Only after getting changed into more comfortable clothing did Yanmei took over Nari's care.
"Mine, let me hold Nari. I ate on the plane. Have some food," said Yanmei, holding Nari's back and acting to pull the little girl to her arms.
At first, Nari complained, but when she saw it was her mommy, she cried out of relief, sulking into Yanmei's chest in no time.
Just to carry Nari was a difficult task. With both her hands having attachments, Anton had to help Yanmei navigate through the wire and tubes on Nari.
Before settling on the inclined bed, Yanmei first fixed Nari's oxygen, lining it properly in her nose and said, "Baby, I know this is a bother, but you need help to breathe right now. You have to keep it in your nostrils."
Nari just kept quiet and nestled in her mommy's chest. She returned to resting in no time, taking deep and heavy breaths.
Anton and Yanmei took turns through the night until morning, taking care of Nari. Both of them had to take a leave from work, lacking of sleep themselves from alternately carrying Nari.
It was only on Nari's third day at the hospital that she finally asked for water and food, eating little by little in each mealtime. The couple also observed how she was feeling better, willingly resting on the hospital bed on her own, without being carried.
Seeing this, Anon returned to work, coming back to the hospital only during the night.
Yanmei remained on leave, and Yeona was left to take care of work for her.
The couple opted not to receive visitors, except for the Yeongs and Anton's trusted people. Shiwoo and Seok came by to bring food while checking on Nari's condition. Still, since Nari was not very interactive, they did not linger too long.
Jae-won and Yeong Soon, on the other hand, took turns visiting as they were looking after Geun and Chan-Mi.
Only Anton would return to the mansion, merely staying with Chan-Mi and Geun for one to two hours, before leaving again for the hospital.
The entire experience was a pain for the couple, especially for Yanmei. She was practically away from her kids the entire time. Moreover, seeing Nari suffer throughout her hospitalization was upsetting for her.
On the fourth day of Nari's hospital stay, she was already eating regularly. It was a great improvement, having witnessed her entirely not take any for nearly three days.
On the fifth day, Nari's oxygen cannula was removed after her oxygen saturation had improved. It was on the sixth day that the doctor reported good news to Yanmei in the afternoon.
"Nari is improving already. As you may have noticed, Mrs. Yeong, I have already adjusted her medications. Her secretions have softened and she can already cough out her phlegm," said Dr. Jung.
"I can have Nari discharge tomorrow. You can resume her medications at home through oral antibiotics along with her nebulizations," added the doctor.
"And upon her return, it cannot be avoided that she will come across occasional flu, especially when she will go to school soon. Generally, common flue can be treated at home. I will give you instructions on how you can deal with her narrowing bronchi, at the peak of any sickness."
"You will need to equip your home with oxygen to help her get through any viral infection. She will need more supplements to give her the right vitamins and minerals too," added Dr. Jung.
The doctor left Yanmei with such a list of items to prepare and home practices to change. It was all meant to avoid any future hospitalization.
While the hospital was the best place to get treated, the doctor explained, it is also the best source of various bacteria and other possible infections. Thus, he suggested that if Nari can ride out any future sickness, let her immune system fight, it would be best to stay home.
On the evening of that day, Anton and Yanmei discussed while their little girl was sleeping.
After reading through Dr. Jung's recommendations, Anton gave his decision about Nari's care, "Nari will be homeschooled until I can see her body is ready. She will need a separate room, a dedicated caregiver, anyone who is sick at home can't go near her... absolutely, not... even you and me."