B U F A

So we made it home with Austin the afternoon of Thursday, February 22, 2007. Since we were driving right past his place anyway, we stopped along the way home to see the boys' godfather, one of Pete' best friends, "Uncle" Joe. After that, we came straight home. After putting Austin and Alex both down for naps, and then staring with awe and wonder at both boys for what seemed like hours, we began to settle in and sort through all the paperwork that the hospital and our attorney had given us upon Austin's discharge.

Now, it's important to note that over the course of the 48 hours he remained in the hospital nursery after his birth, we asked tons of questions of the nurses and our attorney, Jack Gibney, as well as Austin's birth family. We had been assured a number of times that he was healthy, came from a healthy birth mother, and that the birth mother had been drug-alcohol-and cigarette free, with a healthy pregnancy and no known physical or mental health problems.

At home, now, reading everything through more thoroughly, one thing I noticed in his medical records was a note in the 'Maternal Risk Factors' Section, saying BUFA. All caps. No other explanation. Then, it was also in the doctor's discharge summary, the handwritten notes section. BUFA. Then I remembered seeing this phrase, this "BUFA" on his hospital nursery crib. On the paper card that the stick to the end of the crib, stating the weight, length and date of birth of the baby. I wondered what this was and really, the more I thought about it, the more worried I became. I called my mom, a nurse, and she had never heard of such a thing. I asked a couple of other immediate family members and friends who were either parents or in the medical field if they knew what BUFA meant. No one knew. I got online and put BUFA in several search engines....nothing explained this mystery ailment known as BUFA.

I ended up calling my pediatrician and asking the nurse, who had never heard of BUFA. I was now in a panic. I called back to the hospital and left messages for a return call. I was near full-blown hysteria, scared of this BUFA syndrome or BUFA disease my new child had. What was his prognosis, what would be his disability, what were the long-term effects of BUFA? Would my health insurance cover it? Could he go to school, would he be able to walk and talk and function like a normal child? Please someone tell me: WHAT IS BUFA?

I got a return call from my pediatrician's office. Our beloved Dr. B was on the phone.

B = BABY
U - UP
F = FOR
A = ADOPTION

Cut to mommy, not knowing whether to laugh or cry with relief!