The Receiving End of Caregiving, Part 2

Thank you, Ann, for sharing the rest of your rewarding experience of being on the receiving end of caregiving, which is good reminder for the professionals, as well as friends and family, on what is important to the ones receiving care.

Written by, Ann McDougall

I knew I was in the best place while I was in the hospital. It was where I needed to be at the time and that’s just how it needed to be. I accepted my situation and felt at peace with it. I was lucky enough to have an end in sight because a lot of people with health problems do not.  Every now and then I allowed myself to have a hard day, a down moment, or a good cry (in the bathroom so no one would walk in and see me).  Sometimes I’d feel angry, but then I’d to go back to having a good attitude, because a bad one wouldn’t get me far. I chose how I reacted to my situation. Yes, it was difficult at times, but I knew it didn’t help me to think miserable thoughts.

I had some wonderful nurses in the hospital. They did their best to make sure I felt at home by allowing me to have many comforts, like my own pillow and pictures of my family. My son, niece and nephews would often color pictures and tape them all over my walls and the nurses would comment when they saw a new one.  I appreciated the nurses who took the time to talk to me about my personal life and share a bit about their own instead of just asking the usual medical questions. One nurse, Michelle, sat with me on Pioneer Day and watched fireworks from my window because my family was not able to be there with me.  I loved it when nurses would come into my room just to say hi to me even if I wasn’t their patient that shift. It made me feel important and not forgotten. They were considerate of our family time. My husband, David and son, Liam would usually come to visit in the evenings and if a nurse came in to take my vitals, they always asked if they should come back later. Their kindness made me feel like a person, not just another patient. They celebrated with me each day I stayed pregnant because every day was a big accomplishment. I had a white board across from my bed where we kept track of how far along I was and each morning as we’d change the number, they would congratulate me on making it another day. They called our baby, Ariana by name when checking her heart beat twice a day. They made me feel like I was carrying a precious little one; it wasn’t just another pregnancy.

Meeting others in a similar situation helped me cope. There were a few other ladies who were on hospital bed rest and we were able to meet for lunch once a week to visit with each other in our rooms. It was therapeutic to talk with each other about our struggles and situations. They could empathize with the hardship of being stuck in a hospital bed, leaving our husbands and children at home without us, afraid for our unborn child’s life.

 

Most people like to be busy doing something productive, to feel like they have a purpose. It’s hard to feel productive and purposeful when you are completely relying on others to take care of you. I found it important to find something to focus on, some little thing to do to keep busy. While in the hospital I learned how to crochet. I made many things for our baby, our son and other people, which helped me feel important and needed. It gave my mind a distraction and my hands busy when I couldn’t do many other things I wanted to do.

I had a lot of time for thought and reflection. I feel like I came home from the hospital ready to be a better parent. I have more patience with my son. I appreciate my husband more than ever. He has always been a great dad, but he showed me how extra ordinary he is by being an even better one. He took care of our house, did the grocery shopping, paid the bills, and took care of the pets while working full time. I was worried about how he would do it all, but he did just fine. He was so thoughtful and loving to me. On occasion he would stop by before work to say hi and surprise me. He did his very best to visit every single day and made sure our son came just as often. We were even able to arrange for our son to sleep over with someone else so that my husband could sleep at the hospital with me every now and then. The time together was important for our relationship.

I have been blessed by seeing how many people were willing to serve my family. I was able to focus on the pregnancy and not worry so much about if things at home were being taken care of. I was humbled by how much my family was there for me. I knew they loved me, but they showed just how much by all the things they did for me. I loved it when my dad would stop by on his lunch breaks or my sister-in-law would bring her kids by to see me. They all came on Father’s Day and had dinner with me. I’m sure they would have rather been home, but it meant so much they brought the party to me. I have learned I can rely on my family and I hope they know how much I appreciate and love them.

 

 

Caregiving Tips from Ann McDougall

What became obvious to me as I read and edited Ann’s story last Sunday was how caregivers need other caregivers to be capable of doing what needs to be done. Her viewpoint wasn’t as a caregiver, but one that was receiving the care. However, she is a mother and all parents are caregivers. I learned from Ann’s story how important others were to enable her to give the care needed for her baby’s development and the care of her three year old son, Liam. I relate to that in my own caregiving journey. It’s clear to me I can’t do it alone. I don’t know anyone who can. Sometimes we may feel alone, but I hope that feeling doesn’t last.  Ann’s experience with being on bed rest for twenty-eight weeks taught her what was important to a person on the receiving end of caregiving. The following five tips were shared and written by Ann McDougall:

• Be proactive. It was appreciated when others would ask what is needed and then follow through. With some people I was comfortable saying exactly what I needed and with others I wasn’t. I have a close friend who asked what she could do for me besides come visit and I asked her to pick up some specific snacks for me. I wouldn’t tell just anybody that. I had other friends who brought me crafts to do to keep me busy. All the supplies were ready so I could easily do it in bed.
• If you say you are going to visit, visit. They are so important to someone who can’t get out. I felt isolated and lonely and really looked forward to the visits. I have a grandma who went blind in her old age. She was homebound and had to rely on caregivers. I know my grandma felt a lot of loneliness and thrived on visits. I have more empathy and compassion for people, especially the elderly, who are home alone all day and not able to do everything for themselves like they used to. Calls, texts, and Facebook messages were a good alternative to visits and were also appreciated.
• Pick one doctor to be the primary doctor and stick with his/her opinion. When I was in the hospital, I saw a team of doctors who worked in the same specialty area. I also saw student doctors working under those doctors. Each one had a slightly different opinion and approach to my care. Before I was admitted, I had already picked one doctor to be my primary doctor so I was able to refer back to his opinion.
• Remember the children. My mom brought toys to the hospital for Liam. It gave him something to do while he was there and those toys stayed at the hospital so they weren’t the same toys at home. He looked forward to those special toys and it helped make the boring, small hospital room a bit more inviting. Another visitor brought a children’s story book just for him that also stayed in my room. He loved it and still does.
• Consistent child care is important, especially for young children. Liam struggled when I was on bed rest at home because I wasn’t able to get up and do things for him or play with him and when I was admitted to the hospital, his world was turned completely upside down. He acted out by hitting and had a huge potty training regression. It was tough for me to ask people to watch him because I knew he would be difficult to be around, especially if he didn’t know the person well. It was a huge help when my mom was able to take Liam the majority of the time. It helped Liam to have the same person watching him with a consistent routine. He knew what to expect from day to day, where he would be and when he would get to see me. I appreciated the many people who offered to take him, but I knew it was best if he wasn’t shuffled from house to house. I know it was hard for my mom to have him most of the time, but we were so grateful she was able to take care of him.

The Receiving End of Caregiving

Written by, Ann McDougall

Pregnancy has always been a difficult journey for me and my last pregnancy was no exception. I was high risk from the very start. Because of complications in past pregnancies, I was diagnosed with incompetent cervix. At nine weeks I was put on modified bed rest at home because I started bleeding. The doctors didn’t know the cause of it and said it wasn’t related to the incompetent cervix. At twelve weeks I had a planned surgical procedure done called a cerclage to help me stay pregnant. The cerclage failed at 21 weeks, causing more bleeding and a tear in my cervix. I had an emergency surgery, the second cerclage placed and the tear repaired. I was then put on strict bed rest at home. I was only allowed to get up to use the bathroom, shower, and get a quick bite to eat and had to be laying down the rest of the time. After a week of strict bed rest, I started hemorrhaging and both cerclages had to be removed because mine and our baby girl’s life were threatened. I was told I was most likely going into labor and there wasn’t anything that could be done to stop it. The baby wasn’t developed enough to live if she was born.  I was admitted to the hospital in hopes I could stay pregnant a week or two longer so the baby would have a chance of survival. The doctors didn’t think I would make it another day, let alone the 2 more weeks we needed to reach viability. We would do anything to try to keep me pregnant just a few weeks longer. We had already said hello and goodbye to our precious twin boys the year before. We did not want to give up on our daughter and knew being in the hospital was the best place for me. I was told I would remain in the hospital until the baby was born. I ended up staying in the hospital for almost 9 weeks and was able to go home on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. The hard work paid off and miraculously our Ariana was born just 3 weeks early at 37 weeks and is healthy and doing well.

Being on bed rest is taxing in various ways. I wasn’t able to care for myself, or our 3 year old son, Liam, or our house, yard, six chickens and our dog, Harley. I had to completely rely on my husband, David, and other people to do everything which I had previously done for myself. It was difficult emotionally and mentally to let go and let things be done in a different way than I would have done them or to see things not get done at all. It was awkward to ask for help and feel like I was imposing or asking too much of those who had already done so much. I missed getting out and seeing my family, friends and neighbors. I felt isolated and lonely. It was challenging to express how grateful I was for all those who helped my family. I felt guilty for not doing more to make things easier on those who helped, even though I did my best with what I could at the time.

Being in the hospital for so long was a whole new level of taxing. Everything was taken from me— my independence, privacy, familiar people, food and home. I missed being on my own schedule and not having complete control over my environment.  It was tough to watch Liam struggle with his tender, immature emotions as he tried to process the situation and not know how to help him or be there for him like I wanted to be. It was heartbreaking to watch David struggle with all the new roles he had and not being able to help ease his burdens as well as feeling like a source of stress for him. It was hard to feel so helpless.

People have asked me how I was able to be on bed rest for so long, especially in the hospital with a child at home and a husband who works full time. I couldn’t have done it alone. We had family members who took over childcare and neighbors and friends from our church who watched after our house and pets.  When my cousin, Lisa, found out about my situation, she came right over with her calendar and asked what days she could take Liam. She didn’t casually say, “Let me know what I can do to help.” She proactively offered specific help and then followed through by watching him many times. I also knew that I could call my sister-in-law, Krista, and she would take him any time I asked. My mom was the one we relied on the most. She did her best to watch Liam as often as she could and be the one consistent childcare provider. She worked at a school so it was tricky finding people to watch him on the days she had to work. Once school was out for the summer, she was the one who had him every day. She sacrificed so much to be there for him so I could focus on my pregnancy. She did not return to work after the summer so that she could continue to care Liam and eventually me when I came home from the hospital on bed rest. I will never be able to repay her for all that she has done for our family.

Other people helped by being there for me on an emotional and social level. Friends brought me books and movies, came to visit and even had a movie and popcorn night in the hospital. Some brought me snacks and meals, which were also appreciated. Many people from church brought us dinner for months while I was on bed rest at home. It was a huge help. I wasn’t shy about accepting food and even now I miss the good meals that were brought and even more, the people that brought it. I loved seeing my friends and neighbors because I wasn’t able to get out, so it was nice they came to me.  It helped to have visitors or even just calls or texts from people letting me know that they were thinking of me. I may not have always said thank you, but I thought it. The help never went unnoticed and was always appreciated.

Thank you Ann for sharing your story of endurance, persistence, fortitude, appreciation, and hope. I’m thrilled you have the blessing of your son and daughter—a great reward for your sacrifice.