Little darlin.....

Day 17 and 18

Weight- Still 710 grams- yay no drops back down to the 600's!  PROGRESS!
Oxygen- Minimal ventilator settings although I am requiring ALOT of suctioning
Feeds- Going up to 8mls over 3 hours- and getting extra calories as well as some iron added in!
Disposition- curious

I love going to the NICU.  I kind of thrive off the beeping calm craziness.  Of course that could be the ICU nurse in me.  I love it though.  I love that in rounds I can keep up with everything that they are prattling off and pick up on things that are new and ask questions without being kept in the dark.  I am starting to love the smell of purell (weird I know because I have never loved that smell at work before). And I am starting to learn things about the NICU momma's and actually able to carry on conversations with them.

There is also something quite soothing about being there.  Prudence is a strong little girl.  Its so hard to imagine having to be born to fight, but thats what the NICU babies do.

We are some of the luckier ones.  Prudence has very few problems relatively speaking.  Small brain bleed.  Small umbilical hernia.  Slight murmur.  Labs look great.  Belly is good.  Heart is strong.  She is always active and has a few choice (albeit quiet) words to say about people messing with her.

So the new things.  Small umbilical hernia.  Nothing to worry about.  And the slight heart murmur is most likely due to her size not a heart defect or anything.   And thats it!  We are going to finish our antibiotics on Friday and hopefully try to extubate her the same day.  We are praying that her lungs are stronger and that she is able to stay off the ventilator longer this time.  Every day off is one day less of possible lung damage that could haunt her for the rest of her life.    We were already told that it is a guarantee that she will have long term and possibly life long lung disease so we need to prevent as much damage as possible.

I kangaroo'd her today.  And can I take a second to talk about kangaroo care.  For those of you that don't know the amazingness of the skin to skin contact with these little guys, you should read about it.  Look it up.  Juan and I kangaroo'd Lucy once we got her home and we asked the same day Prudence was born how long it was until we could hold her.  The benefits of skin to skin care range from increased weight gain and better oxygenation to improved mood and milk production for mom's.

If you have a micropreemie baby, never be scared to ask if you can kangaroo.  We ask most every day (except the past few where we have been sick) and there has been times we were told no but more often than not, we have always received a yes and mostly positive remarks about us wanting to hold our sweet one.  The more fragile the baby, the better.  The NICU momma today even said that on some of the babies worst days, kangaroo care has really worked wonders on these little guys.

Also today, I had the pleasure of running into another preemie mom, a former coworker whom I have mounds of respect for.  Her sweet baby girl was delivered yesterday at 30 weeks, 3 days and is beautiful.  Absolutely gorgeous!  Everyone please say a prayer for her little sweetie and for her as she recovers!

Love and happiness and PINK for TATA's in micropreemie world!