Thursday, April 9, 2009

Saying Hello

In honor of her 6-week birthday, Andrea decides to wave hello today. I thought this picture was great - I couldn't resist including it.

So, you read right in the picture caption. As of 5:29 p.m., Andrea is celebrating six weeks of life, Thanks be to God. I spent some time with her today, and she is continuing on her slow but steady progress. She now weighs 865 grams, or 1 pound, 14.5 ounces. We will rejoice anew when she passes the two pound mark. She managed well with her altered feedings last night; the fortified milk with MCT oil. The doctors decided to increase the quantity of milk further, to 16 ml every three hours. I believe the plan is to continue to push the limits of Andrea's stomach in the quest to get more calories into her.

Also discussed today was the possibility of reducing the pressure level on the CPAP. Right now, Andrea is at 8, which is the maximum. As they evaluate her functioning, it is necessary to see how Andrea manages with less help, so the doctors can determine when she's ready for the next steps. I believe the CPAP will be reduced to 7, and the doctors will run blood gases to see if Andrea has any ill effects.

I was able to hold Andrea for over an hour today. She was quite content, tucked inside my shirt, and we rocked while I sang to her, which has become our routine. The nurse returns Andrea to the isolette when the monitors start to indicate that she's having trouble. Usually, her oxygen level starts to get too low (called desat). When Andrea is returned to the isolette, she is on her back for a few minutes while the nurse adjusts the CPAP and makes sure all the sensors are positioned properly. Normally, she HATES being on her back, and requires more oxygen and generally kicks up a fuss. Despite that, it's amazing to watch Andrea during these times. She hates the CPAP so much that you can see her visibly relax when the nurse removes it in order to reposition the sponges. Of course, she also turns purple fairly quickly without the support. The nurse watches her oxygen level carefully and gives her a safe break. The interesting thing is to watch Andrea when the nurse tries to reinsert the CPAP. Immediately she cries and pushes the nurse's hand away.

Please join us in celebration of today's milestone. We continue to thank God for our good fortune and Andrea's continued recovery. We ask that you continue to pray for her, that the progress continues to be smooth.

Let us thank God for his priceless gift!— 2 Corinthians 9.15

1 comment:

  1. We wave back to Andrea from afar! She looks great and even seems to resemble Kenny a little bit. We will be happy to see her (and all of you) in the flesh. Thanks be to God!

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