February 2012 Sweet Pea Spotlight: AnquanJaden

AnquanJaden was born at exactly 25 weeks so he was 15 weeks early. The doctors are still unsure why he came so early. This is our story.

On 10/14/2010 my water broke. At the time I didnt even know it was my water. I continued my evening as any other evening with my husband and our other 3 kids. On 10/15/2010 I was in Wal-mart and my then 3 year old said "mommy I really have to go to the bathroom." I went with him. As we were in there I felt what I thought was a hand but it was my son's foot. I ran out the bathroom crying and screaming with my pants down lol but I was so worried and scared.

The EMTs arrived and rushed me to the hospital. I called my husband and he thought I was joking with him because he was out of town with his job and he knew how I couldn't wait to meet our baby. I got to the 3rd floor which is our Labor and Delivery floor. The doctor comes in the room a long with an ultrasound tech. and he checks me and says yes I'm in full blown labor and the ultrasound showed AnquanJaden was breeched. I was screaming and all I can remember is the EMT holding my hand telling me God doesn't make mistakes and he will see me through. I called my husband again and told him I was being rushed to have a c-section. He reasurred me how much he loved me and the baby and he was on his way (which was a 3 hour drive). I went into the OR and when the doctor pulled AnquanJaden out he was crying. I started crying which resulted in me being put to sleep.

When I woke up the nurse went and took a picture of my baby laying on a table naked but tubed and alive. I called my husband he was a little over an hour away. I went to a room where I was told that a crew was on their way to get my baby and to take him to a NICU in Birmingham where if he lived would be there to my due date. My husband got there just as we were saying see you later to our now a few hours old baby and I think that was the worst thing that actually happened was my baby leaving me.

The next evening a doctor called me and told me that if I could leave and come to Trinity (the NICU) that I needed to come say goodbye because our baby wasn't going to make it. We drove the hour to Birmingham and when we got there they said AnquanJaden had hemorrhaging in his lungs and they couldn't stop it and didn't know what else to do. He had a 10% chance of living and that would increase to 50% if he survived a week. On his left side of his brain he had a grade 2 IVH and on the right side he had a grade 3 IVH. He had a hole in his heart but medicines fixed that and he came off the ventilator after 3 weeks and was on a cpap for a week. I got to hold him when he was 6 weeks old and I know that was the best day ever for me. He had staph while he was in there and 4 blood transfussions.

He was doing great gaining weight good and in an open crib by 12/24/10. That morning we got a call saying they had to retube him because he had a bad brady spell but was back to normal after a few hours of support. On 01/17/11 we got the call saying it was time for us to come stay our night and get our training and then we could go home.

After 93 long days he came home on 01/18/11 and our due date was 01/23/11. He started his home life and it has been great we have only been hospitalized once and that was in April he stayed in the PICU for a week due to asthma. As of right now his only problem is asthma and his ears. He began crawling right before his 1st birthday and began walking a day before his 2nd Christmas. He is a happy one year old though he is a little clumsy. He weighed 1lb 15ozs at birth he dropped down to 1lb 7ozs his length was 13 in. he is now 19lbs 28in.

My advice for any parent going through something with your child even when you don't know the outcome hold your faith just pray about it whether you believe in a higher power or not because believing in your child will help you cope. Its okay to cry even if you have to cry in the shower or in the NICU by your baby you are human and this experience is life changing. Remember this God brought you to this and he will bring you through this just believe.

We would like to thank all of the families that submitted their children's stories. Please know that each of your children are so inspiring and are the reason for what we do. We are honored that you chose to share them with us. If your story was not highlighted this month we encourage you to resubmit next month

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Dealing with Insurance Companies

Dealing with Insurance Companies
Lisa Knigge Rondeau, Project Leader

Having a child in the NICU brings with it so many emotions and realities, and often times one of the most stressful ones has to do with medical insurance. It won’t be long before the bills and phone calls start pouring in, and this is of course the last thing any new parent has time or energy to deal with. But sooner or later you will have to deal with it, and it’s better to be prepared when that time comes. Here are some tips that might be helpful for you as you begin that bureaucratic journey:

• The number one thing to do right away is to find your copy of your health benefits book from your insurance company and start reading it over. You most likely would have gotten this when you first enrolled in your insurance plan, and sometimes a new one is given each year with any updates and changes. Find it and start looking at the specific sections dealing with hospitalization charges, specialists, and in network versus out of network charges. You will also most likely have a short window to contact your insurance provider or employer to add your new baby as a dependent. This must be done to be sure they have coverage under your plan.
  
  
• Contact someone in the hospital’s billing department. Usually, they know right away, or can find out fairly quickly, if they accept your insurance and what your estimated co-pays or out of pocket costs might be for the first couple of days. Sometimes the NICU social worker also helps in this area—be sure to ask.
  
  
• Start a folder right away labeled with your child’s name and birth date, and keep ALL receipts, notes, forms, and bills in this same folder. This keeps everything together in one place. As a new parent and a NICU parent, your stress level will be high. Don’t add to it be misplacing important papers or forms. If everyone—you, your spouse or partner, parents or anyone else helping you—knows that all forms go in the folder—it will save lots of headaches down the road.
  
  
• Keep detailed notes. Whenever you talk to someone about a bill or statement, write down a quick summary of what was discussed. You can do this right on the bill if there is room, or attach another sheet of paper if that works better. Do not make the mistake that I often did and think that you will remember what was talked about because it was so important—chances are, you won’t. You’ve got enough on your mind. You don’t have to write a lot—but do include the name of the person you talked to, the date and time of your call, and a brief summary of what was discussed. This will be so helpful if later on you have to talk to someone else about the same issue.
  
  
• Once the bills start really coming in—don’t stress yourself out by looking them over every day. Just open them, put them in your folder, and designate one day a week to look over them. Nothing is going to change in a week’s time, and by setting aside that specific time each week, you spare yourself a lot of worry and anxiety over each day’s mail.
  
  
• If you are having trouble paying the bills or not getting what you need, see if your hospital of insurance provider has a medical billing advocate that you can talk to. Medical billing advocates are sort of like a middleman between you and the hospital to help everyone come to a resolution regarding bills and payments. While they are not found everywhere, you should definitely look to see if one is available in your area.
  
  
• Know your insurance company’s appeal process. Sometimes this information is printed right on the bottom or back of bills, if not; check your health benefits book again. If you think a charge is denied and it shouldn’t be, you will have to file an appeal. Often time these are a lot of work—but it is necessary if you think something isn’t being paid that should be. You may also need to get detailed medical records on certain conditions or letters from healthcare professionals like doctors—don’t be shy about asking for these. In this day and age, doctors are well aware of the difficulties found in some insurance policies and most likely will work with you to try and get it resolved.
  
  
• Lastly, find out if you qualify for any state or federal programs. Often, the NICU social worker or discharge planner will handle this. Each state has different criteria and regulations, but you should check to see if your child is eligible for Social Security Income, Medicaid/Medicare, WIC, or any other programs.
  

Hang in there. No one likes dealing with paperwork and forms. If this is a task that can be delegated, perhaps to a spouse, do so. Insurance paperwork is time-consuming and draining, but it is usually short lived.

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2012 Project Sweet Peas T-Shirt Fundraiser

2012 Project Sweet Peas T-Shirt Fundraiser

Throughout the month of February we are hosting a group fundraiser! Help us continue our mission of providing comfort to families with children in the intensive care units and to those who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss.

The t-shirts are preshrunk 100% cotton with a full-front picture, your choice of saying, and your choice of font color. We are offering a variety of sayings for NICU families, angel families, NICU nurses, and NICU graduates as well as a general "I support Project Sweet Peas" shirt (you can find a list of sayings on our website). We are taking pre-orders throughout the month of February. The order will be placed at the beginning of March and shirts will be delivered at the end of March...just in time for spring!

Pricing
White T-Shirts: $12.00
Ash Gray T-Shirts: $15.00

T-shirts are available in size S-XL; 2XL ($2 additional cost)
T-Shirt’s font colors are available in Pink, Green and Light Blue

T-shirts can be purchased conveniently and securely online at: http://projectsweetpeas.com/2012Tshirts.aspx

You may also contact a local project to place an order.

Examples of T-Shirts Offered

"I SUPPORT PROJECT SWEET PEAS"

"I AM A NICU SURVIVOR - WHAT DO YOU DO?" available for NICU graduates!



T-Shirts made for families with an angel baby available in the following sayings:

"I AM AN ANGEL MOM – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL DAD – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL GRANDMA – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL GRANDPA – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL AUNT – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL UNCLE – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL SISTER – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL BROTHER – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM AN ANGEL COUSIN – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I HAVE AN ANGEL IN HEAVEN"
"MY BABY WATCHES OVER ME"



T-Shirts made for past and present NICU families available in the following sayings:

"I AM A NICU MOM- WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU DAD – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU GRANDMA – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU GRANDPA – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU AUNT – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU UNCLE – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU SISTER – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU BROTHER – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU COUSIN – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU NURSE – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU MIRACLE – WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"I AM A NICU SURVIVOR – WHAT DO YOU DO?"



"I SAVE SWEET PEAS- WHAT DO YOU DO?" available for ICU nurses.

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Nevaeh's Rainbow Spring Flower Drive

Nevaeh's Rainbow Project is doing a Spring flower drive! Order your bulbs now for delivery the end of April. Flower Power Fundraising offers only the finest, best-quality bulbs and plants available from growers in Holland and the U.S. and they offer an unconditional, 100% money-back guarantee.

Please visit Flower Power Fundraising to place an order: http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=9916

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Drake's Doodlebugs' 48 Days of Hope

Drake's Doodlebugs with Project Sweet Peas is holding their 2nd annual 48 Days of Hope with a book drive. They will be collecting DADDY CALLS ME DOODLEBUG books by J.D. Lester. Please help them reach their 48 book goal by purchasing this book at

Walmart for $5.00 + Shipping


SHIP IT TO
Drake's Doodlebugs
C/O Christy Michel
717 Simpson Way
Covington, LA. 70435

Or if you prefer amazon

and shipping it to...


Drake's Doodlebugs
C/O Christy Michel
717 Simpson Way
Covington, LA. 70435

Or you can go to our website and donate whatever you can afford so they can purchase them.

DRAKES 48 DAYS OF HOPE

2-18-08 TO 4-6-08

Every new sunrise is that new day of hope. Imagine waking up every morning and the only thing that you had left was hope.

Hope that your newborn will make it through another day. Hope that your baby will make it through just one more surgery. Hope that this will be the day that the doctors say that you can hold your baby for that very first time.

Everyday for 47 days, this was my hope....

Finally on that 48th day, I had a new hope. Hope that GOD would allow me the time to say goodbye while I held my child for that very first time. Hope that my child would no longer suffer. Hope that GOD would give me the strength to get through this day and the days to follow.....

Hope that my child would never be forgotten.

My hope with Drake's Doodlebugs is to make the experience of losing a child or caring for a child in the NICU just a little more bearable. I hope that those parents who may not get the chance to bring their child home with them will have as many memories as possible to hold dear to. Finally, I want to keep Drake's memory alive by honoring other babies.

Long Term Care packages consist of ... A Canvas Bag, Blanket, Visualization chart, wubbanub pacifier, reading book, puzzle book, journal, pen, baby eye mask (eye cover), Kleenex, clay hand/foot print mold, hand sanitizer, manicure set, disposable camera, baby lotion, baby wash, mini rubber duckie in doctor scrubs, wash towel, adult travel size toiletry kit ( shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb, & laundry detergent)


Memory Packages consist of...a memory box, blanket, knitted cap, wisp of hair kit, broken heart pendant, grief book, 3 D casting kit for hands or feet, disposable camera, baby wash, baby lotion, wash towel, booties, hello/goodbye outfit (when available) photo frame, a small memory book.

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