Day 19 of Life

(Sorry for not posting yesterday. Not much happened and I was tired when we got home.)

We are making steps towards going home. Lucy received her Hepatitis B vaccination today. She cried a little bit but quickly settled.

Lucy took over 80% of her feeds by mouth yesterday. At 3AM today, she drank her entire bottle. This is very good news and her keeping this up is what will get us home sooner. Because we also want to know that she knows how to breastfeed before we go home, we are going to work on breastfeeding during the day and bottle feeding overnight. For any feeding that I am at the hospital, Lucy and I will practice breastfeeding. Until I get a feel that she is taking in a large quantity, she will receive her 64ml of fortified breast milk via tube after she is done feeding. Overnight, the nurses can feed her the 64ml via bottle. Because of Lucy's meds (sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate), she will continue to need milk via tube/bottle 3 times per day. We are fortifying the breast milk with Similac PM 60/40. This makes the breast milk higher in calories without messing with Lucy's sodium and potassium levels. The dietitian brought us the powder and the recipe today. (Another step towards home.)

One of the things Lucy must do before she can go home is pass her "car seat challenge." She must sit in her car seat for 30-45 minutes and demonstrate that she can keep her heart beating and remember to breathe. I don't think the doctors are really concerned about this for Lucy - It is just one of those things all NICU babies must do. Kris and I brought the car seat in to the hospital today, and I think they are going to do her challenge tonight.

Lucy's weight is finally above her birth weight. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces today. (However, she did not have a dirty diaper before being weighed, so that 6lb 9oz counts whatever urine and stool were still inside.)

As new parents, we are learning that an uncovered baby butt is like a loaded gun - you should never point it at anyone cause it might discharge at any time. We have had a couple occasions where Lucy has taken us by surprise during a diaper change. Fortunately, in the hospital, she is in the isolette and those standing nearby are protected. At home, we are not going to have such protection and will have to use care when changing diapers. :)

Outfit changes: 2
Weight: 6lbs 9oz
PO intake: >80% yesterday
Lab values: sodium within normal limits, potassium slightly high again

Day 17 of Life

Lucy spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa Schwab again so Kris and I could get some more time away from the hospital. It will be nice when Lucy comes home because we can sleep when she sleeps.

There is a small scratch on Lucy's left cheek. We think she did it to herself with her fingernails. So, Lucy got her first manicure today. I used an emery board to get rid of her sharp little nails.

It was also bath time again today. She didn't get nearly as mad, and when I was washing her hair, she actually looked like she was enjoying it.

Outfit changes: 1 (after her bath)
PO intake: 47% yesterday
Lab values: sodium slightly low, potassium within normal limits
Weight: 6lb 3oz

Day 16 of Life

Lucy found her thumb today and was sucking it. Actually, she was just really hungry and we weren't changing her diaper fast enough.

Grandma and Grandpa Schwab came to see Lucy. They drove into Michigan from Illinois so Kris and I could take some time away from the hospital (aka take a nap).

Lucy weighed 6lb 3oz tonight. She is doing well with her bottles, and the doctors say that if she can drink >50% of her bottles, she can go home with the NG tube. We are on our way!

Outfit changes: 1 (at bedtime, into this cute little yellow outfit)

Day 15 of Life

Lucy is 2 weeks old!

Her head IV went bad today, but since she is such a hard stick, we convinced the doctors that she didn't need her 2.4ml/hr of NS. They are going to increase her feeds instead. She is now taking 64ml 8x/day. She gets some powder formula added to the breast milk to increase her calorie intake. She is also getting salt supplements 3x/day. Today, she drank about 20-40ml from each bottle. Her weight is 6lb 0oz which is what it was yesterday.

No discharge date set yet. We are hoping for sometime in the next week.

The crib and dresser for the nursery are set to be delivered next Friday. Then we should be set and have everything that we need.

Grandma and Grandpa Schwab are coming to visit this weekend. We (Jen and Kris) need some time away from the hospital and feel better knowing that Lucy will still be with family.

Outfit changes: 2

Day 14 of Life

Lucy's potassium level was within normal range today!! Her sodium was still a little bit low. The doctors think she might have pseudohypoaldosteronism.

We are working with Lucy on breastfeeding.

She has an IV in her head because her hand IV went bad.

Kris and I are finding the long days at the hospital draining, so we left early today. We took a nap and then did some grocery shopping.

No word yet on a discharge date, but the Schwab Family is ready to be together at home.

Day 13 of Life

Lucy spent the day in her pajamas. She has her IV in her hand, so it wasn't easy to get her dressed. She is receiving IV fluids to keep her hydrated and to give her extra sodium. Lucy's sodium level is still low while her potassium level is high. Because high potassium can mess with heart, Lucy had an EKG done. The doctors also ran some tests to look at her aldosterone level, and that level came back fine. Aldosterone works to keep sodium in and potassium out of the body. Because Lucy's aldosterone level is okay, they now think there might be an issue with the aldosterone receptors in her kidneys. This may just be due to the fact that she was born preterm. Until they find the answer, they are treating her with sodium supplements.

We gave Lucy another bath tonight. We also worked on breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Our little girl is being asked to do a lot!

Yesterday, I learned how to give Lucy a massage. The nurse showed me how to ask Lucy's permission and then how to use the massage to help her relax. Definitely something I enjoyed learning.

Day 12 of Life

Lucy took THREE bottles today for us. We needed to show her what to do and reminder her to keep going, but she did it. That is a huge step towards going home. Hopefully it will continue. (I had to leave tonight and don't know how she did with the rest, but I have confidence in her.)

We are still trying to figure out what is messing with her sodium and potassium levels. Endocrine does not think it is CAH and we didn't have a chance to talk to Nephrology. Guess we will see what tomorrow brings.

Outfit changes: 1