I know, I need to be better about posting more often with little updates here and there...it's been one of those weeks.
They started adding fortifier to her milk again this week. That is something that they normally do for the preemies pretty soon after they are born, in order to get them growing closer to the rate they would inside mom's belly. When they tried that with Avery about a month ago, she ended up with bloody stool and a bloated belly... not such good signs. After having taken all the normal precations to rule out NEC, the doctors gave her digestive tract another few weeks to mature, and they began to add the fortifier to her milk a few days ago. Normal breast milk has about 20 calories/cc...and they bumped her up to 24 calories, with the hope of being at 27 by tomorrow morning. They measure her belly regularly, check her feeding tube for any leftover, undigested milk, and watch her diapers... and so far, so good! We're really hopeful, because the doctors have told us that they were just getting worried that she was falling behind on her growth curve. She is currently up to 2 lbs 13 oz... so, hopefully, this will help her start to pack on the pounds :)
We get to hold her every other day and have gotten to feed her with a bottle a few times now. Some of the times, she does well. Some of the times, it's a little much for her to take more than a few ccs. Some feedings, she needs to be on a little oxygen...some of the times, she's okay without it...
She's had her feeding tube switched from her mouth to her nose..which is easier overall for the babies, but they have to get big enough first. This just frees up more of her face...and it's so nice for us to get to see more and more of her. She stays awake for longer periods of time, and just wiggles around and stares up at us...we could watch her for hours!
She passed another eye exam and head scan...both showing no signs of abnormalities. A friend of ours who has had a preemie of her own in the NICU asked me the other day "Do you ever feel like you have dodged a bullet"... I replied "Every day"...
Thanks again for all your great support....your posts, texts, calls...and prayers...not one goes unnoticed...we wouldn't make it without you...
3 comments:
it like three steps forward, two steps back some days huh? william and jonathon were never on oxygen while they were in the hospital. once we were able to take them home i started breastfeeding them they had to come home on oxygen. we wish you guys the best!
oh I am so glad it is going better this time! are you guys still at steph's mom's house or are you home?
I am glad things have gone well with her milk and such!! That is great she is passing those tests and you get to hold her so often!! Love you both!!
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