So today I had to go home. I was discharged on Thursday and used up my boarding days. But I'm feeling pretty good, other than the emotional mess that is now me. Last night I sat and cried because I didn't want Dean to go home without me, yet I didn't want to leave Scarlett either...and the day before I cried while watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I think I'm holding up pretty well considering all that is going on.
Scarlett is still doing great. She has gotten better in some aspects, and regressed in others. They took her off the billirubin lights yesterday, and when they tested her this morning it had only gone up a little bit. Not enough for them to put her back on her lights, so now she's in her crib instead of the NICU baby warmer bed. And that's also because she's doing really good with maintaining her temperature. She has not been eating enough lately though. After I went home today I got a call from the doctor. They decided to give her a feeding tube so they can force more food into her. When I came in to feed her this afternoon I had a good talk with the nurse about it. She had been doing so good, but it was just getting to be too much for her little body and so she regressed a little bit. She was having trouble staying awake to eat, and she hasn't started waking up demanding to be fed. Well, she does but only like once a day. And she hasn't been increasing the amount she takes in bottles like she should have. She's been anywhere between 15-30cc's after nursing and they want her up to 50cc's. The nurse told me though that this should help her, once she starts getting more food in her, her energy will start to go up and then she should be better about eating on her own. She did drop about 10% of her total body weight. She was down to 5lbs 11oz. That was as far as they were going to let her drop, but last night she went up 10 grams. So now that they are giving her more food she should start to gain weight better. They are adding powdered formula (high calorie) to whatever I'm able to pump hoping to increase the amount she gains. The nurse told me today that they are trying to get her to grow like she would have if she was still inside. The doctor told me on the phone that once she's able to eat the amount they are wanting at every feeding for 2 days then she will get to go home. They are going to test her billirubin level tomorrow morning again just to make sure it's still ok. They will probably do this until they see it go down all on it's own. The doctor said that it is just a precaution since we have the blood incompatibility, which could cause it to rise again. But right now the level is not high enough to worry about. But everything else is going good for her.
She is just a darling. When she's awake she loves looking around at everything, and she's done a couple of little tiny grins (I know these are just gas) and it looks like she's going to have dimples!!! I need to pull out the girls baby photos, but I don't think she looks like either of them. She's just her own self!! Alexandra does have one dimple though, but it's right by her nose and she has to grin just right for it to show up (usually her cheesy grins do it), but Scarlett looks like she's going to have one on each cheek! I hope so, it will be so cute! It's just amazing to see her little personality start to peek through too.
So I'm hoping to be able to be at the hospital for at least half of her feedings. I'm planning on doing the two morning feedings and then going home for lunch and a nap and then doing two of her evening feedings too. Hopefully she just continues to grow and progress and that she'll be home with us soon!
Scarlett is still doing great. She has gotten better in some aspects, and regressed in others. They took her off the billirubin lights yesterday, and when they tested her this morning it had only gone up a little bit. Not enough for them to put her back on her lights, so now she's in her crib instead of the NICU baby warmer bed. And that's also because she's doing really good with maintaining her temperature. She has not been eating enough lately though. After I went home today I got a call from the doctor. They decided to give her a feeding tube so they can force more food into her. When I came in to feed her this afternoon I had a good talk with the nurse about it. She had been doing so good, but it was just getting to be too much for her little body and so she regressed a little bit. She was having trouble staying awake to eat, and she hasn't started waking up demanding to be fed. Well, she does but only like once a day. And she hasn't been increasing the amount she takes in bottles like she should have. She's been anywhere between 15-30cc's after nursing and they want her up to 50cc's. The nurse told me though that this should help her, once she starts getting more food in her, her energy will start to go up and then she should be better about eating on her own. She did drop about 10% of her total body weight. She was down to 5lbs 11oz. That was as far as they were going to let her drop, but last night she went up 10 grams. So now that they are giving her more food she should start to gain weight better. They are adding powdered formula (high calorie) to whatever I'm able to pump hoping to increase the amount she gains. The nurse told me today that they are trying to get her to grow like she would have if she was still inside. The doctor told me on the phone that once she's able to eat the amount they are wanting at every feeding for 2 days then she will get to go home. They are going to test her billirubin level tomorrow morning again just to make sure it's still ok. They will probably do this until they see it go down all on it's own. The doctor said that it is just a precaution since we have the blood incompatibility, which could cause it to rise again. But right now the level is not high enough to worry about. But everything else is going good for her.
She is just a darling. When she's awake she loves looking around at everything, and she's done a couple of little tiny grins (I know these are just gas) and it looks like she's going to have dimples!!! I need to pull out the girls baby photos, but I don't think she looks like either of them. She's just her own self!! Alexandra does have one dimple though, but it's right by her nose and she has to grin just right for it to show up (usually her cheesy grins do it), but Scarlett looks like she's going to have one on each cheek! I hope so, it will be so cute! It's just amazing to see her little personality start to peek through too.
So I'm hoping to be able to be at the hospital for at least half of her feedings. I'm planning on doing the two morning feedings and then going home for lunch and a nap and then doing two of her evening feedings too. Hopefully she just continues to grow and progress and that she'll be home with us soon!
I hated it when Natalie had to be "gavaged"! She would eat totally fine for me (via bottle, I wanted her to grow and not burn unnecessary calories from trying to nurse) but she had a Nazi nurse (lol) who wouldn't let me feed her but would only gavage her. I didn't like her. All the other nurses let me hold her and feed her and saw that she did fine. I'm praying for you! :) I remember the horribleness that is post-delivery hormones. I think I still battle them on occassion. Hate them. Hate hate hate. lol Glad to hear you're doing well, though!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that you are both doing so well. Having a pre-mature baby is stressful enough (nobody knows it better that you!), but all the other problems don't help. Yay for you and Scarlett!!! She is a beautiful baby. Do your other girls love her to death???
ReplyDeleteScarlett is so cute!!! And I'm glad you're both doing alright. I hope she does super well and comes home soon!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that she is doing well I hope that she can come home soon and we can get together. I know how you are feeling with the whole mood thing I am going through it too.
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