Bossy Andrea

I forgot to bring my camera, so there is no new picture today. Sorry! I'll try to remember tomorrow.

Andrea is doing well, and obviously feeling very smug with herself. I was able to hold her today, and had her out of the isolette for almost an hour. However, I almost gave up after five minutes, because Andrea was delighting in causing problems. Right after we got settled, she yanked the CPAP tube out of her nose and relocated it so that one cannula was in her nostril and the other was blowing air on her eye. Since I need both hands to support Andrea, the nurse had to come and reposition the thing. No sooner had the nurse walked away and cleaned her hands than Andrea yanked the tube out again. She repeated this at least five times before getting bored and deciding to behave. I told the nurse that if this had been my first experience with Kangaroo Care, I wouldn't be anxious to try it again! Once she settled down, Andrea and I had a pleasant hour of rocking and singing.

Andrea had a good night on the new breathing program. She maintained good oxygen saturation all night, with no supporting breaths, just the straight CPAP. During the day today, she was actually on lower oxygen levels, averaging 26%, which is down from 30% yesterday. I've mentioned before that Andrea hates to be positioned on her back, and it's interesting to note that she needs more oxygen when on her back. She likes to control the situation more than you'd expect from a tiny baby.

Andrea continues to be on "full feedings". She's getting 15 ml of milk, fortified with extra calories. Now that she's breathing more on her own, she's burning more calories. We're fortunate that she tolerates food so well. Her stomach is too small to hold more milk, but at least she's getting as much as she possibly can.

I saw the doctor today for yet another follow up appointment to my icky wound. I am happy to say that it is continuing to heal well. The visiting nurse no longer comes - Ken has been packing the wound since Saturday and it seems to be doing fine. Still, the doctor is estimating another 2 weeks before it's finally in the past.

We're happy so many people are following Andrea's story and praying for her. We are closing in on 6 weeks, or 32 weeks gestation. Despite her small size, Andrea is doing remarkably well. Thank you for the prayers that have made that possible. Please keep them coming for her and us.

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
Thich Nhat Hanh