{"id":25289,"date":"2017-01-04T00:05:03","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T06:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/?p=25289"},"modified":"2017-01-04T00:05:03","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T06:05:03","slug":"5-tips-new-dads-ea-tef-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jolenephilo.com\/staging\/5-tips-new-dads-ea-tef-baby\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for New Dads with an EA TEF Baby"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ title_font=”||||||||” title_text_color=”#42313A” title_font_size=”40px” meta_font_size=”14px” background_color=”#B4DBC0″ custom_padding=”50px||50px||false|false”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″][et_pb_image src=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9mZWF0dXJlZF9pbWFnZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7fX0=@” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”src”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″]

January is EA TEF Awareness<\/a><\/strong> Month. Guest blogger Matt Allen is here to kick things off the awareness-raising. Just a few short weeks after the birth of his adorable son, Matt has gained new wisdom to pass along to dads with an EA TEF baby in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).<\/em><\/p>\n

5 Tips for New Dads with an EA TEF Baby in the NICU<\/h4>\n

My son is only 5 weeks old at the time of this writing, but there are some things that I\u2019ve learned that I think will be helpful to other new dads of an EA TEF baby in the NICU. My wife and I live in San Francisco, and our son is our first. He had the most common type of EA\/TEF, Type C,<\/a><\/strong> and the surgery went as planned.<\/p>\n

He had a leak following the initial surgery that took 2 weeks to heal. At the time of this writing, we\u2019re still waiting for his first dilation. I know every case is different, but I figure some general tips for dads with an EA TEF baby would be helpful based on what I\u2019ve learned:<\/p>\n

Tip #1: Be At the Hospital As Much as Possible<\/h5>\n

This may seem obvious, but for guys it’s not always that easy. I’m lucky to work at a company that gives 5 weeks paid time off for bonding leave for dads, but I’m sure there are many dads that don’t have that luxury. Often, you’re choosing to get sleep or exercise versus spending an extra hour at the hospital.<\/p>\n

Spending as much time as possible the hospital lets you be a constant barometer of how your baby is doing and to be part of providing care for your EA TEF baby. Nurses don’t stand by your baby\u2019s isolette, and they change shifts often. Parents are the only constant.<\/em>\u00a0 Parents see if their child is changing color or needs suctioning. Studies show it\u2019s good for babies to be held and to hear their parents’ voices.<\/p>\n

Tip #2: Be Assertive and Communicate Often With the Doctors and Nurses<\/h5>\n
\"Matt

Matt holding his son at the NICU on Christmas Day.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dads with an EA TEF baby can be advocates for their children. Doctors and nurses are busy. If parents aren’t assertive, they may not get necessary updates, or the special attention their baby deserves. Last week, we discovered a big communication breakdown between the surgical and medical team because each thought they were communicating with us when in fact neither was. This was all going on while they were in the midst of debating about when to do the first dilation. To us, it seemed like they just decided to go on radio silence. No news is not always good news.<\/p>\n

Remember that in the NICU, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. So be present at “family rounds” if they have them. Ask for regular updates. Write down your questions. Know who is in charge. Ask them about their concerns. Tell the medical team how you want to be involved.<\/p>\n

Tip #3: Wash Your Wife’s Pump Parts and Do Other Small Things<\/h5>\n

Dads, remember that your wife is exhausted from labor. She’s pumping every 2-3 hours. She’s emotionally and physically exhausted with her baby in the NICU. As a husband, step up and do the small things that you can do for her.<\/p>\n