Isiah Dean Moelter (2-09-2014)
Isiah was born 4 weeks early via emergency C-section at the Hudson hospital in Wisconsin. Shortly after his arrival, doctors informed us that his heart rate was twice as fast as they like to see. Within the first hour they called up to Children's Hospital in St. Paul to have someone come down to administer a shot to (hopefully) jump start Isiah's lungs and slow his breathing. It wasn't successful. Isiah ended up going to Children's in the ambulance while my husband and I stayed behind. My husband and I both knew that our son was in the best hands possible but it was still heartbreaking to see him leave. As soon as Isiah was settled in his room, the nurses called me. They went over his vitals and filled me in on "the care plan". Because I had to stay behind due to my surgery, the staff up at Children's made sure to contact me with any information and just to check in. I got updates about his vitals, the staff changes and much more. Those updates meant the world to me! Isiah's first week was spent in the NICU and I couldn't have asked for a better team.
A couple of months later Isiah suddenly became really sick. I took him to the local ER and was sent home with antibiotics but no diagnosis. As his condition worsened, I decided to take him back up to Children's hospital. I'm beyond thankful that I did. Almost immediately they told me that the meds he was on weren't recommended for children under the age of 7, so we threw them in the trash right then and there. After many hours of testing, they found that Isiah was severely dehydrated and had pneumonia. He was so congested that I couldn't get him to eat, sleep or breathe normally. He was admitted to the hospital so that they could help nurse him back to health. After about a week, docotrs said he was stable and healthy enough to take home. The staff made sure that I was comfortable with his care plan and made sure that I would be able to continue his treatments at home. I felt pretty confident, so we went home. Later that night, and for the next couple of days, the staff members that took care of Isiah called us to check in. It's amazing how above and beyond the nurses and doctors go to make sure their patients and families are well taken care of in and outside of their facilities.
During his stay, I asked to speak with someone about a concern I had with the flat spot on Isiah's head. He was diagnosed with torticollis (tight neck muscles) and Plagiocephaly. Plagiocephally is an asymetrical distortion of the skull and requires a specially made helmet to correct the flat spot and round out the skull. The Pediatric Othotics department made a personalized crainal helmet for Isiah to wear 23 hours a day for the next 4-6 months. I am so thankful that we were able to solve 2 different medical concerns during 1 stay, not too many hospitals would have done that for us!
Needless to say, Isiah is one strong and healthy 1-year-old today and I have no one to thank but the staff that took care of (and continued to care for) him, when no one else would. I am so greatful for our journey with Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. They have given so much to our family and now it's time for us to give back! This truely is an amazing place, it's our home away from home.