Premie NICU @ Geisenger Hospital with RDS

Hi, my name is Pat Konopski. My daughter, Melissa Konopski Bailey, has a premature son in NICU at Geisenger Hospital.. It is easier to write this in her words.

“Just as things were crazy enough, I was readmitted to the hospital for high blood pressure and postpartum preeclampsia. They are trying me on a blood pressure medication over night, and monitoring me tomorrow.

We have 5 other children ages 2-16 years old

I have a sub for my job for at least 8 weeks of unpaid time. PA doesn’t pay for time off for childbirth.

We will have to pay for the 2 year old’s day care. until I’m home. I’ll drop 1 to daycare, 2 off to elementary school and 2 to high school. All 5 are involved in either sports or extracurricular evening activity. I’m from a large family in Corning, NY that cannot be here so we appreciate everything.

I’ve had several people reach out & ask me what I need. Gas cards and gift cards for meals at home & me on my trips to Geisenger . Cash would be appreciated as well. I will be back and forth between the hospital & home for several weeks at least.

Prepared kids meals would be a life saver.

Offers of transportation for our kids have been appreciated.

I do not know how long he will be on the ventilator.

NICU said he will need to learn how to eat. This will then be another hurdle. At that time, I will need to stay at the NICU unit with him days and overnight. Now he’s being feed by a tube because of the ventilator.

His lungs were not fully developed when he was born. It’s called Respiratory Distress Syndrome. . As of right now they are just saying that it will take time for his lungs to mature. The medication they were hoping to give him to speed things up did not help as much as they were hoping. Therefore, we have no date for anything. They offered me a room at the Ronald McDonald House, which we appreciated. It’s hard because I need to be home with the other kids.

I haven’t began a schedule .

Today I got to hold him by the skin to skin method.

As with my other children, he is being breastfed. For now I pour the milk in his feeding tube.

Christmas - I have most of the kids’ presents bought thank goodness. I have to wrap them, but this is as far as I have planned.

Especially since our little man was on dr calendar for 12/26 and not 12/16.

The other children want to meet their brother.

Thank you everyone for the prayers and caring

words.

This Go Fund me might be repetitive. I tried her wording. It’s also hard to do out of state until this is set up.

Prayers and thank you, I’ll be doing updates

feel free to pm me,

it’s under Patricia Jaynes Konopski.

All proceeds will go to Melissa to use