• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Janice Beetle Books

Writing, editing, book development, and publishing help

  • Home
  • About
    • My Books
    • Clients’ Books
    • Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • Creative Writing Review/Coaching
    • Book Development /Writing
      • Book Development Sampler
    • Book Editing
    • Copy Editing
    • Book Design
    • Publishing Guidance
  • Blog
  • Poem Pods
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Order My Book
You are here: Home / All / Phoibe TV

Phoibe TV

April 20, 2020 by Janice Beetle 2 Comments

By far the best pastime is watching my new baby granddaughter, Phoibe, on a webcam provided by Baystate Health, where she was born on March 29. Phoibe has to hit some more milestones before she can come home to her family, so she’s living in the NICU; my daughter and her husband can only visit one at a time, so they alternate days.

No other visitors are allowed. Like, you know. Me. 

On April 4, my daughter texted me a link and passcode. When I signed in, there was little, tiny Phoibe on my phone, in her incubator, snoozing. I figured out how to blow her up on Jacques’ big, giant television, and I’ve been watching Phoibe TV ever since.

Best show. Ever. (I can’t prove it by showing you a screen shot or live feed, as that’s against the rules. Just trust me that it’s captivating.)

I was terribly worried about Phoibe at first. She is a medical miracle. Weighing in at just under two pounds at birth, she was healthy and strong for a preemie, but in the photos I saw, she wore scary equipment—such as feeding and oxygen tubes and a heart monitor.

Watching her on the television, I can see that the technology doesn’t disturb her and that she is really just like a newborn in so many ways. Watching helps soothe me.

Much of the time, Phoibe is on her right side with her left leg sticking straight up in the air. She balls her hands into fists. She stretches and jerks involuntarily, especially when a nurse pokes a hand in to reposition her.

But Phoibe looks cozy and content. The more I watch, the more I learn. I realized that the incubator mimics the womb. It is warm and kept at 70 percent humidity. The oxygen tube in her nose supplements the air she is able to breathe on her own. Wadded up cloth diapers keep her loosely held in fetal positions on her back, sides, and tummy. She is able to flail about, though. The nurses rotate her about every hour. 

I was worried about Phoibe’s eyes when she was first born, as they were still closed, like a baby bird’s. She couldn’t open them. One night, on Phoibe TV, I saw they were open. Just little slits. But open.

My daughter Molly beat me to it, texting Sally and I. “Her eyes are open!” 

“OMG!” Sal and I responded.

That’s the other fun part of Phoibe TV. My daughters and I text constantly.

“Oh my god, they’re changing her diaper.”

“What a cute bum!”

Or, “What is the nurse doing now?” 

Sally is a medical assistant, and she always knows the answer. She is the calmest among us.

The Baystate NICU nurses are simply amazing. They handle Phoibe nimbly and gently, listening to her heart, removing IV lines, changing diapers smaller than the palm of your hand, measuring her, flipping her over. 

Every day there is a new milestone. 

On April 5, they removed Phoibe’s feeding tube, which entered her body in the umbilical cord, and gave her a new IV in her arm. They attended to other routine matters and then swaddled her tightly in a soft, cloth diaper. The entire time, my phone was lighting up with texts.

“Oh, first time!” Sally said. “Swaddling.”

“Tiniest swaddle ever,” Molly said.

“She looks so happy now.”

I’m so happy now. Best TV show. Ever. 

← Previous Post
Next Post →

Filed Under: All Tagged With: baby, COVID-19, grandchild, webcam

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bonni Alpert says

    April 29, 2020 at 5:25 pm

    Phoebe, a peanut, even by Molly standards, has made such a big entrance into this world. I know that she will continue to impact your family, and others, in significant ways throughout her long life.

    Reply
    • Janice Beetle says

      April 30, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Thanks, Bonni. Indeed she will. Look out world. Here she comes.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe

Please enter your email address to receive blog posts by email.

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Larceny in the Aisles is Hot Off the Press!
  • Ten Tips for the Travel Writer-Wannabe
  • Thrilled to Meet My Client From London

Archives

  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • November 2012

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© 2023 Janice Beetle Books · Privacy Policy
Content by Janice Beetle Books · Site by Turn Signal Media