Saturday night update on Arexy's baby

Pediatric unit at Hospital Atlántida

La Ceiba, Honduras

We went to Hospital Atlántida and talked to Arexy. We weren't able to see the baby or to find a pediatric doctor. She is calm and believes that the baby is doing fine. She's been told that she will be able to breast feed the baby on Monday and she was instructed to take action to ensure that her breast milk continues, since it will have been 11 days since the birth of the baby with no nursing. I'm glad that the nurse instructed her about that.

Arexy said that she was told that there is now some blood of the needed type available now. I'm not sure if it is coincidence or if someone donated as a result of my postings here, at Honduras Living, and on Twitter (and all the retweets). If you donated, thank you very much. But, now the doctor says he will wait until Monday to see if the baby still needs blood. I have no idea whether he said that when there was no blood available or after Arexy was informed that some was available. 

I don't understand the whole thing. It seems as if the baby NEEDS blood or he does NOT need blood. Why would he need blood on Monday if he doesn't need it this afternoon but did need it this morning? It all makes NO SENSE to me! I'm wondering if the decision to wait until Monday was because there was no blood available and the Red Cross is closed for donations on Sundays.

The baby is getting an antibiotic and the fever is gone. A Honduran doctor in the US told me that the baby should be getting TPN (total parenteral nutrician). We weren't able to find out what the baby is getting. I had Arexy go look at the IV bag and it only said Dextrose (sugar).

There are three newborns in incubators in the neonatal intensive care area (or whatever they call it): Arexy's baby who is recovering from surgery, a baby who "forgot to breathe" (this is the medical diagnosis), and a baby who was overdosed with something by one of the nurses. Nice, huh? Comforting.

What I really wanted to do was to get Arexy and the baby and take them to a private hospital! (Not that I've been that impressed with Hospital D'Antoni either.) But the Hondurans in my life would have been horrified. It would have been an insult to the doctors. Both were cringing just at my desire to ask questions of the doctor because that is considered rude and disrespectful. 

I snuck a couple of photos while we were in the hospital. The top photo is the pediatric unit (not where the babies are) and the other is a hallway.

Original story:


Uncaring doctors almost allow a baby to die