Adventure Girls and Ferd

Bath and weight night update: B now weighs 1545g or 3lb 6.5oz. B has been doing well with her weight gain and feeds. This week her feeding schedule has progressed rapidly. On Wednesday they increased her to breast feeds 3 times a day. On Thursday they increased it to 4 times. And then yesterday they increased it to all oral feeds (breast or bottle) as long as she can tolerate it. If she is tired then the feeding tube is still available as well. So far she's been a champ. We did 6 out of 8 feeds yesterday by mouth. And have done 5 out of 7 today. We're hoping to breast feed exclusively but she is still little and tires easily so yesterday I gave her one feeding by bottle. My first time bottle feeding her! And today T got to bottle feed her! Before she can come home she has to be able to take all feeds by mouth so if a bottle feed here and there helps get her home quicker it is ok with me! Her oxygen settings are about the same and will most likely stay that way for the week

I am grateful to say that B continues to do well. She now weighs 1250g or 2lb 12oz! She is now more than twice her weight at birth. She is also 14 1/4 inches long. She has graduated from her itty bitty preemie diapers to regular preemie diapers. With her weight gain she is now up to 17ml/ 2 hours. She is getting near the point where she will switch to feedings every 3 hours. We are hoping that we might begin some nursing next week. She would still be fed primarily through her nasal gavage but we would have a few sessions of nursing. She's been working her binky like pro so I am hopeful that we will have success. Auntie Sara and family came for a visit today and got to help out with bath time. And by help out I mean take lots of pictures of our little bathing beauty. It is amazing to watch how B changes every day. Last night T and I were looking through some of our older pictures and her changes, even in the the past 2 weeks, are remarkable. Tomorrow she will be 9 weeks old!

Today was a big day for...Bammy and Pop Pop. They got to hold B for the first time. It was a bit emotional but B didn't seem to mind at all. B had her first eye exam today. Premature babies have an increased risk of developing an eye disease called Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). ROP can vary in severity and is classified in stages from 1 to 4 with 4 being the worst. Many infants born weighing less than 3lb 5oz will develop some form of ROP. Approximately 80% of babies who develop ROP get mild disease (stages 1 and 2) which will heal completely within the first year of life. Today's exam showed that B does have Stage 1. She will have another exam next week. Tomorrow is bath and weight night. Her doctors have increased her feedings to 15ml/ 2 hours but have cut back on the fortifier to try to slow down the weight gain. It is good that she is gaining weight but she needs to do it at an appropriate pace.

Bis now 8 weeks 1 day old. Tonight was weight night and Bis now 1100g or 1lb 7oz! She has gained more than 1 pound since birth. Her nurses have indicated that we might be able to start nursing next week! Joy! It is nice to know that we will be able to do some "normal" mother-baby bonding. Today was also the first time in over two weeks that T got to do kangaroo care. I think he enjoyed it! Our nurses also informed us that we can now take B out of her isolette more than once a day and kangaroo more than once a day. Yay!

B got her Gram-my award today! The NICU gives this to babies when they reach 1000g. She weighed in tonight at 1035g or 2lb 4oz.

Today was Bammy and Pop Pop's first time babysitting. It was also my first time away from B. *gulp* B said they did a great job! Bammy and Pop Pop seemed to enjoy it as well. They both had the opportunity to help out with B's care and actually thanked me for letting them change her diaper. My parents were babysitting while I went back home for a doctor's appointment. The appointment was fine and it was my first time seeing Dr. K since my c-section. Dr. K is a kind man but not the most outgoing. At the end of the appointment I asked if I could hug him and he said yes. So I hugged him and said, "Thank you for saving my daughter." I truly believe that his great care along with that of Dr. E and that of the wonderful L&D nurses at the Hosp. helped keep B in as long as we did and helped get us where we are today. I also went home for a few hours to see the kitties. It was my first time in my house in 11 weeks! It felt so nice to be home and to see my kitties.

B. is still doing well but today was a little tough for Mommy and Daddy. When I went to visit B. this morning she was super cute. I returned to the Ronald McDonald House after lunch and while there I received a phone call from the NICU. Seeing that number can strike fear in a NICU parent's heart. It was one of B's doctors informing me that B had been moved to another nursery. Normally, this would be viewed as a good thing. Unfortunately, she was being moved into isolation because she tested positive for MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Her doctor explained to me that at the moment B is NOT sick however, if she were to become sick she would need to be treated with a different type of antibiotic. B is NOT infected with MRSA but has a colonization. A bit about MRSA, apparently about 20 - 40% of the population has Staph aureus that "lives" on our bodies. This is called colonization. It is the presence, growth and multiplication of the organism in o

B. is off the conventional vent! That means no more breathing tube. Our little girl is currently breathing on her own and receiving some oxygen through a CPAP nasal cannula. She has been doing a good job keeping her number up but there is always the chance that she may get tired and have to go back on the conventional vent. Her cute little nose is a bit swollen from the nasal cannula. Her nurses also told us that she may develop chipmunk cheeks from the steroids she is on for her lungs. She is still beautiful to us. Daddy got to kangaroo her for almost an hour today before B. got a little tired and went back into her isolette to rest. Daddy and Bammy and Pop Pop also got to hear some of her first little cries. I just heard a grunt or two.

B.is 5 weeks old today! Mommy got to do 3 hours of kangaroo care today and B. tolerated it nicely. Bammy and Pop Pop visited and Bammy got to kiss B. on the head for the first time. Small things mean the world to us. B. continues to be stable and is now up to feedings of 9ml every 2 hours. Tonight is a weight night and we are anxious to see if she has gained any weight. We know it takes time to grow and develop and so far B. has been doing a great job. But we are eager for her continued stability and growth so that they can remove the breathing tube from her throat. Her nares (technical name for nose holes) are still too little for the nasal cannula. Yesterday we gave B. a little music system/projector that plays Mozart, lullabies, and some other sounds. I'm not sure if there is a relationship or not but since they started playing the music they've been able to wean the oxygen settings. Maybe listening to Mozart will help prep her for her future piano lessons.

B. had an eventful day today. She has been stable on her vent settings and is at a very low setting. As long as she continues to remain stable her priorities are just getting bigger and stronger. She is almost stable enough to come off the conventional vent but her nostrils are still too little for the CPAP or nasal cannula. She also had two of her IVs removed so now there is only 1 and it is for her nutrition. Her feedings continue to go well and she is up to 3ml every 2 hours. Her nurse mentioned that B, is getting close to going on full feeds of breast milk. When she goes to full feeds they will be able to remove this last IV. The full feeds would also mean that they would not need to try for a PICC line because they could administer meds orally. The biggest event of the day was when I got to hold my little baby skin-to-skin for the first time since she was born. It was an amazing experience that only could've been better if T. was there with me. (Alas, he is at home with

B. had a fairly good day today. Her vent settings are still minimal. Her feedings continue to increase. She's now getting 6ml every two hours. Her nurse called her a little piglet. They weighed her last night and she is now almost 1lb 6oz. The increase in feedings means that she is now off of all IV nutritional support. But yesterday they did notice that her sugars were a bit high so they did some bloodwork. Today the culture did show some growth so B, is now on antibiotics. It is common for preemies to get infections but still scary for us. Please send good thoughts and prayers that the antibiotics are effective. We have been able to kangaroo every day since Tuesday. And today at the close of kangaroo time I got to kiss my little girl for the first time. It was on her head and through her hat and super sweet!

B. is 3 weeks old today! She had another stable day today. Her blood gases continue to be acceptable and the nurses have been able to wean her O2 settings slightly. Today they increased her feedings to 1.5ml every 2 hours. This is good as now the milk will count toward her nutritional intake. She is still an active little girl which is good and also a bit concerning to her health care team because the more she moves, the more calories she burns and she needs to be gaining weight rather than losing it. She has not needed her phototherapy lights the past few days so they have been able to partially swaddle her. The swaddle does help some but they also have been giving her pentobarbital to help reduce the activity.

Thank you all for your prayers and loving thoughts. I am so grateful for your wonderful response when B. was in need. It also helped me and T. to see the outpouring of love and support. After a very long night B. is doing better this morning. They have been able to turn down her O2 and her blood oxygen numbers are up. We are very thankful for this improvement. We were warned about the ups and downs of this journey and last night certainly felt like a down. But our little fighter is strong. Yesterday was not without its ups, either. Because of her young gestational age, B.'s eyes were still fused closed at birth. Yesterday we were lucky enough to watch her open her left eye for the first time. Such a wonderful experience. And last night she opened her right one as well!

B. is 14 days old! She had a good day today and for that we are grateful. Her blood culture was negative so they discontinued her antibiotics. They restarted her feedings. They were able to wean her oxygen settings on the oscillator. Her skin was looking much better and she was less puffy. Today was also her day 14 brain scan. The scan showed no bleeds! Halleluiah! Her next scan is at 35 weeks. There was more talk about trying for the PICC line tomorrow night. For now her hand IVs are still in good shape. Theron was also able to spend part of the day with her. We were present for her care and T. got to take her temperature and give her a bath. He did a great job! He also read to her her first story. She also had another visit from Auntie Sara, Uncle Paul, and Bammy. Daniel was here too but unable to visit Beatrix because of his age. (Pop Pop had a previous engagement so unable to visit today but will visit again soon.) Thank you all for your continued support. We are hopin

It has been over 2 months since my last update and what a two months it has been! This journey truly is filled with ups and downs. We have been blessed with mostly ups (as  Loss mom it is very difficult to say that as I constantly fear what is waiting around the corner). The downs we've experienced have been manageable. The longer we stay in the NICU the more and more I see the amazing odds some of our little ones must face and the strength, will, and courage they have. Babies truly are amazing. B.is now 81 days old! She's getting to be an old lady in the NICU. It has been difficult but mostly joyous to see the other babies and their families arrive and go home together. I tell myself every day that B. is where she needs to be to get bigger and stronger and we are on our own journey. At times it can be a bit challenging to not compare her or our journey to others. Rather than re-type her journey I will cut and paste some of the updates I've been sharing through our Face