It was a sultry Midwestern Summer night, and KelliAnne Race was feeling a bit spry for her age. She may have been fueled by the excitement of another 1oz weight gain earlier that day, or even the pride in taking a much needed poop that had evaded her all day. Perhaps it was the chance to quiet her critics and do what many babies her age struggle to do every day. The stage was set.
KelliAnne vs. the Graco SnugRide car seat...
Her nurse woke her from a 3 hour slumber, changed her dirty diaper, and gave her one last meal before she was to approach her opponent for the first time. At 11:30PM CST KelliAnne was lifted from her crib and taken to her temporary resting spot, and one that she hopes to know well after she escapes the hospital walls. KelliAnne ain't no fool though; she knows respect is earned.
The nurse said that as she set KelliAnne in the seat she had a different look about her, as if a wave of confidence you rarely see in a baby still 5 weeks befor their actual due date will demonstrate. KelliAnne quietly tapped her chest, through a prayer to the Lord and took her seat for 90 minutes of adrenaline charged car seat time.
Then, it happened. She quickly drifted to sleep, and was resting so peacefully the nurse dared not wake her, rather they grabbed her from her seat 2.5 hours later when it was time to wake again for more delicious food. The Mighty SnugRide fell in defeat and agreed to be KelliAnne's companion during the next couple years worth of road trips to the lake.
As for KelliAnne she crossed this hurdle off her list and added this accomplishment to her impressive resume.
Remaining items on to do list:
- eat more food
- gain weight
6.30.2012
6.29.2012
Other Good Stuff going on
- She is actually getting her car seat test tonight - to leave the hospital the baby must be able to sit in their car seat for 90 minutes without experiencing any bradycardia or oxygen desats. She gets put to the test at 11PM tonight. "Why is she taking that test?", you may ask yourself. It is because she is nearing the end my friends.
- feeding 3 times a day orally. She will need to be more consistent with oral feedings and demonstrate she is trending towards 8 full feedings orally, while still gaining weight. We will see what she is capable of this weekend when mom can be there for more feedings.
- they have weened her off of the extra calorie supplement added to her tube feedings, and removed the extra protein as well.
- Oh yea, she is no longer in an incubator. She is in a regular crib now and doing pretty well with the temp control. If they could figure out how to regulate the temp in that room, she would do even better. I am pretty sure when Robin and I are cold sitting there, that the AC is a little strong. They claim it is a solid 74 degrees at all times. Just strange that our cold skin seems to be in sync with when she fails her temperature tests. I'm not saying anything......... I'm just saying.
Now don't jump the gun here folks, we don't have any solid dates, but they have told us to prepare our home for the arrival of a baby sometime soon. If she does what is required of her over the next few days, they will welcome Robin and I to stay in the hospital for 48 hours and take care of her ourselves in a our own room. They do this so that we get comfortable with around the clock care, and so we learn to use the monitors she will be going home with.
Baby's to do list - pass car seat test, eat more, gain more weight, and do the last two at the same time. Easier said than done, but she has already done more than most babies twice her size, I've seen it. ;)
So much to remember...
Ok folks, I feel like I am starting all of my posts with an apology owed for neglecting the blog and your needs for information about our precious baby. The thing is, we have really settled into a routine with our odd lifestyle, and there has not been much time for me to update the blog when had the energy to do so. Wake up, go to work, straight to hospital, get home around 930, eat dinner, and go to bed. Not complaining about the routine, but it just has not left much time for reflection.
The last couple weeks have been pretty enjoyable, and wildly successful in terms of baby developments. Robin is now going into the hospital before work for a feeding so she has that added task during her day on top of the pumping every 3 hours through the work day and night. For both of us though, we have our favorite part of the day which for Robin is heading to the hospital in the mornings to start her day, and for me it is making the drive to the hospital. I can't leave work fast enough. I know why my co-workers with kids are so happy to get home (most nights). It is just completely bizarre that going to the hospital highlights our lives. I am not sure how that has replaced drinking some beers or playing kickball with 'Menace 2 Sobriety', but it has. That is probably because KelliAnne has changed so much and seems so healthy now. (I can't flip this pic over, feel free to either stand on your head or flip your screen)
The last couple weeks have been pretty enjoyable, and wildly successful in terms of baby developments. Robin is now going into the hospital before work for a feeding so she has that added task during her day on top of the pumping every 3 hours through the work day and night. For both of us though, we have our favorite part of the day which for Robin is heading to the hospital in the mornings to start her day, and for me it is making the drive to the hospital. I can't leave work fast enough. I know why my co-workers with kids are so happy to get home (most nights). It is just completely bizarre that going to the hospital highlights our lives. I am not sure how that has replaced drinking some beers or playing kickball with 'Menace 2 Sobriety', but it has. That is probably because KelliAnne has changed so much and seems so healthy now. (I can't flip this pic over, feel free to either stand on your head or flip your screen)
You may not be able to see the number on that scale, but it says 4 lb 1 oz. KelliAnne has packed on the weight the last couple weeks. She has really picked up her ability to nurse, and they have continued to increase her tube feedings. She has exceeded our expectations, and the doctors as well.
6.17.2012
Best Father's Day gift ever... here are some pics to prove it
33 Weeks
KelliAnne has continued to progress as the doctors have expected. She is pooping like a baby, eating a full ounce every feeding now, and has become quite vocal and demanding when she wants (or doesn't want something).
The doctors told us early this week that everything is going very great, except for being slightly anemic, which is very common for a baby her age, and they need to see more weight gain. KelliAnne started the week at 2lb 14oz, only 10oz over her birth weight. They expect her to be gaining about 25g per day on average, we were not quite at that. She was listening and turned on the weight gain nearly every day, and as of the evening of 6/16 she was up to 3lb 6oz! She gained over an ounce per day average, and it shows. She is starting to look so big and healthy to us even, and we see her every day.
Now she needs to start producing more mature red blood cells and getting her iron levels up on her own, otherwise a blood transfusion could be in her future. Keep your thoughts on KelliAnne Wed morning as she gets tested for red blood count again.
The most fun part of this week was the eye exam on Wednesday. I worked from the hospital so I could be there to help her stay a little calm, because they told us that the babies do not appreciate stuff shoved in their eye. The doctors were looking to see how her eye is maturing. Since babies eyes are one of the last parts to develop since they don't freaking need them at this point usually, they can sometimes stop developing, and the blood vessels may just stop growing that connect their retinas to the back of the eye. They checked them out, pissed her off, and then I held her for a couple hours and she was all good. Her eyes are about where they would expect, so we get to do the same thing the next two weeks to make sure all continues as planned.
Especially with returning to work, we treasure each time we get to spend with KelliAnne and we have captured some great moments from the last week we will share here.
The doctors told us early this week that everything is going very great, except for being slightly anemic, which is very common for a baby her age, and they need to see more weight gain. KelliAnne started the week at 2lb 14oz, only 10oz over her birth weight. They expect her to be gaining about 25g per day on average, we were not quite at that. She was listening and turned on the weight gain nearly every day, and as of the evening of 6/16 she was up to 3lb 6oz! She gained over an ounce per day average, and it shows. She is starting to look so big and healthy to us even, and we see her every day.
Now she needs to start producing more mature red blood cells and getting her iron levels up on her own, otherwise a blood transfusion could be in her future. Keep your thoughts on KelliAnne Wed morning as she gets tested for red blood count again.
The most fun part of this week was the eye exam on Wednesday. I worked from the hospital so I could be there to help her stay a little calm, because they told us that the babies do not appreciate stuff shoved in their eye. The doctors were looking to see how her eye is maturing. Since babies eyes are one of the last parts to develop since they don't freaking need them at this point usually, they can sometimes stop developing, and the blood vessels may just stop growing that connect their retinas to the back of the eye. They checked them out, pissed her off, and then I held her for a couple hours and she was all good. Her eyes are about where they would expect, so we get to do the same thing the next two weeks to make sure all continues as planned.
Especially with returning to work, we treasure each time we get to spend with KelliAnne and we have captured some great moments from the last week we will share here.
Back to Work
We had an interesting and hectic week returning back to our jobs and life away from the home and hospital. I returned to work on Monday, and Robin went back to work on Wednesday. Robin returned to work exactly 4 weeks after the baby was born.... after a wickedly fast and rough c-section. The woman is a superhero. She did this so she will have plenty of time to continue the bonding and help welcome home KelliAnne when she is able to leave the hospital. Without doing this, her FMLA time would have been exhausted most likely before baby girl even left the hospital.
Anyway, it was a week full of rapid clean up around the house, and prep to even be ready to go back to work. Cleaning out emails for me, and for Robin, preparing mentally for a new job (same company, new role). This also entailed Robin refining her wardrobe. I don't think she found that to be very fun, but she was absolutely beautiful for her first few days back in the office. It was the first time she had really had to get up and get dressed nice, put on make up for quite some time considering she had been on bed rest prior to the baby coming. She looked great, had a pretty good week getting to know her boss and some co-workers.
Leaving for work for me on Monday, and Wednesday for Robin, was a daunting task as we both have become so accustomed to sitting near KelliAnne's incubator for so long, and watching her monitors. We have also enjoyed getting her out every three hours for feedings, diaper and kangaroo care. We will not be there for as much of that going forward, but we were able to hustle out of work every night and get to the hospital by 5PM for her feeding and time to be awake and visit with us.
I think KelliAnne knew we returning to work this week, so she made it a little easier. Her bradychardia has decreased to just 5 or 6 episodes per day, which is lower than you would expect for a baby her age. She has not desaturated in over a week now. I mentioned last week the nasal prongs came out, so no more assistance to breathe. She went 7 full days without desatting so they are no longer monitoring her oxygen saturation levels. All good stuff and steps in the right direction.
Anyway, it was a week full of rapid clean up around the house, and prep to even be ready to go back to work. Cleaning out emails for me, and for Robin, preparing mentally for a new job (same company, new role). This also entailed Robin refining her wardrobe. I don't think she found that to be very fun, but she was absolutely beautiful for her first few days back in the office. It was the first time she had really had to get up and get dressed nice, put on make up for quite some time considering she had been on bed rest prior to the baby coming. She looked great, had a pretty good week getting to know her boss and some co-workers.
Leaving for work for me on Monday, and Wednesday for Robin, was a daunting task as we both have become so accustomed to sitting near KelliAnne's incubator for so long, and watching her monitors. We have also enjoyed getting her out every three hours for feedings, diaper and kangaroo care. We will not be there for as much of that going forward, but we were able to hustle out of work every night and get to the hospital by 5PM for her feeding and time to be awake and visit with us.
I think KelliAnne knew we returning to work this week, so she made it a little easier. Her bradychardia has decreased to just 5 or 6 episodes per day, which is lower than you would expect for a baby her age. She has not desaturated in over a week now. I mentioned last week the nasal prongs came out, so no more assistance to breathe. She went 7 full days without desatting so they are no longer monitoring her oxygen saturation levels. All good stuff and steps in the right direction.
6.08.2012
The herd is moving...
When babies in the NICU are doing very well and reach a status where they are very stable and just need to grow and wait to mature before they can go home, they often move to the 'Grower/Feeder' room. It sounds like we are referring to cattle or some kind of livestock, but in seriousness, this is a very good sign of a baby getting healthy. This move also frees up bed space for sicker and newer babies that are just born or transferred to Saint Luke's on the Plaza, which is a referral center for high risk pregnancies in a 100 mile radius.
This move was made by KelliAnne yesterday. She is in the old NICU at Saint Luke's now that does not have all the bells and whistles because she does not currently need them. We are happy to accommodate new parents and their sick babies because in our opinion the more room at Saint Luke's on the Plaza means a better chance at a good start for a preemie. They are nothing short of miracle workers and it is clear that everyone that works there has been called to do that specific job.
The nurses did caution us that many times babies for whatever reason may take a step back to the main NICU, but we are knocking on wood, and continuing to pray that she can stay here until our calf can move home.
This move was made by KelliAnne yesterday. She is in the old NICU at Saint Luke's now that does not have all the bells and whistles because she does not currently need them. We are happy to accommodate new parents and their sick babies because in our opinion the more room at Saint Luke's on the Plaza means a better chance at a good start for a preemie. They are nothing short of miracle workers and it is clear that everyone that works there has been called to do that specific job.
The nurses did caution us that many times babies for whatever reason may take a step back to the main NICU, but we are knocking on wood, and continuing to pray that she can stay here until our calf can move home.
Rookie Parents and frozen yogurt...
The last few days have been very good for KelliAnne. She had a couple days where she lost weight but that had to do with her getting 'unclogged' a bit. She had not been going '# 2" as frequently as she should so the doctors checked her out. They found quite a bit of air in her belly, which was good, because the alternative they were worried about was some sort of infection to her stomach and intestines that would have been very bad. The other good part about a bunch of air in her belly, is they have ways to get this out. It's called a suppository. This helped get things moving for KelliAnne and resulted in a sligh weight loss over two days. No worries though she gained it back, and is actually up to 2 lb 14 oz. Almost 3 lb now, which will be a big milestone. The nurses have told us once babies hit that weight she should really start gaining regularly.
The other interesting part about a suppository is the amount of garbage that can be produced by this little baby. Yesterday, Robin and I were tag team changing a diaper, as it is pretty tough through the holes of the incubator. KelliAnne had an average size stool. Robin got her cleaned up and had a new diaper already underneath the dirty one so we could just pull it out and strap on the new one. We proceed, and KelliAnne proceeds to fill the new diaper like someone had just flipped the handle on a frozen yogurt machine. She then filled covered a little towel and another diaper. Robin and I were impressed and laughing hysterically. This was one of our finer moments as new parents, and the most we had laughed in quite some time..... The nurses got a kick out of us as well and let us know what we have in store for our future.
Oh yea... we also managed to keep the incubator and all the bed covers clean somehow with all this, and KelliAnne took notice. Once we had all the poo cleaned up, KelliAnne decided to pee straight into the air when Robin was scooting diaper # 3 under her. This got her monitor leads, the bed, the 3rd diaper and her snuggle up bed cover dirty. We tried.
The other interesting part about a suppository is the amount of garbage that can be produced by this little baby. Yesterday, Robin and I were tag team changing a diaper, as it is pretty tough through the holes of the incubator. KelliAnne had an average size stool. Robin got her cleaned up and had a new diaper already underneath the dirty one so we could just pull it out and strap on the new one. We proceed, and KelliAnne proceeds to fill the new diaper like someone had just flipped the handle on a frozen yogurt machine. She then filled covered a little towel and another diaper. Robin and I were impressed and laughing hysterically. This was one of our finer moments as new parents, and the most we had laughed in quite some time..... The nurses got a kick out of us as well and let us know what we have in store for our future.
Oh yea... we also managed to keep the incubator and all the bed covers clean somehow with all this, and KelliAnne took notice. Once we had all the poo cleaned up, KelliAnne decided to pee straight into the air when Robin was scooting diaper # 3 under her. This got her monitor leads, the bed, the 3rd diaper and her snuggle up bed cover dirty. We tried.
6.03.2012
New pics from week 30
https://picasaweb.google.com/116053787981267429805/PicsFromWeek30?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIS3o_ipxOHcQQ&feat=directlink
Here is a link to another slideshow of KelliAnne.
Here is a link to another slideshow of KelliAnne.
Week 31 Update
Ok, so sorry for the delay in posting, but we have been waiting for some results of a brain scan on KelliAnne before we wanted to post news of tons of positive steps she has made in the last week. We have nothing but good news this week, starting with the brain scan. KelliAnne had a brain ultrasound on the 23rd that showed she had a slight hemorrhage in her ventricles. I can't remember all the technical details of this, but the doctors actually were quite positive about this, telling us it is very common for a baby born this early. They advised that instead of having a 1 month follow-up scan, that she would need one the following week (May 30). That day was Wednesday, until they literally forgot to do it (good sign they weren't too worried). They finally got around to the scan on Friday and it showed the swelling from the hemorrhage was decreasing as they hoped. There was a big sigh of relief from all of us that were waiting as this was the only thing going that was not extremely great and ahead of the game. So on to that news.
This little baby continues to amaze us with her strength. On her 30 week update I mentioned she was back to her birth weight of 2 lb 4 oz. As of her 31 week (yesterday) she had gained 8 oz and is up to 2 lb 12 oz. We leave the hospital each night around 7 or so and call in about 1030 before we go to bed for updates on her new weight and each night this week they kept giving us the great news. The reason for this is she is handling her feedings (still through a feeding tube) and they continued to increase by 1 mL every 12 hours. She is now getting 22 mL fortified with 4 extra calories, every 3 hours. This is actually enough to give her a very full belly and make her sleep 'like a baby'. They will continue to increase the feeding going forward based on her weight gain and ability to digest without issues.
I mentioned the brady's (b's) before, and those have really slowed down, likely because they figured out her caffeine dosage. She has a few per day, but that is all normal stuff. She has them when she is either very sound asleep or when she has a Desat (further known as d's). A desat is when her oxygen saturation dips below a targeted range. She is having these when she gets a really full belly because it is so hard to take a big breath! They are not worried, so we are learning not to worry.
Other great news: Her PICC line was removed. The PICC is a central IV that was providing her nutrition, but it is no longer needed because she is getting all she needs from the milk her mama is working hard to produce.
She is also now off temp control. We will see how she does with that, but that means she gets to start wearing clothes which makes Robin, the grandmas, and aunts very happy. Luckily, Robin had a shower this weekend with tons of good friends and family that netted lots of baby clothes that we have already cleaned (thanks Grandma Judy) and delivered to KelliAnne's nurses to dress her.
When we get some time, we will add more pics that were taken over the weekend. She continues to look more and more like a baby we are used to seeing. She just looks healthier every day and we love every minute we get to spend with her.
This little baby continues to amaze us with her strength. On her 30 week update I mentioned she was back to her birth weight of 2 lb 4 oz. As of her 31 week (yesterday) she had gained 8 oz and is up to 2 lb 12 oz. We leave the hospital each night around 7 or so and call in about 1030 before we go to bed for updates on her new weight and each night this week they kept giving us the great news. The reason for this is she is handling her feedings (still through a feeding tube) and they continued to increase by 1 mL every 12 hours. She is now getting 22 mL fortified with 4 extra calories, every 3 hours. This is actually enough to give her a very full belly and make her sleep 'like a baby'. They will continue to increase the feeding going forward based on her weight gain and ability to digest without issues.
I mentioned the brady's (b's) before, and those have really slowed down, likely because they figured out her caffeine dosage. She has a few per day, but that is all normal stuff. She has them when she is either very sound asleep or when she has a Desat (further known as d's). A desat is when her oxygen saturation dips below a targeted range. She is having these when she gets a really full belly because it is so hard to take a big breath! They are not worried, so we are learning not to worry.
Other great news: Her PICC line was removed. The PICC is a central IV that was providing her nutrition, but it is no longer needed because she is getting all she needs from the milk her mama is working hard to produce.
She is also now off temp control. We will see how she does with that, but that means she gets to start wearing clothes which makes Robin, the grandmas, and aunts very happy. Luckily, Robin had a shower this weekend with tons of good friends and family that netted lots of baby clothes that we have already cleaned (thanks Grandma Judy) and delivered to KelliAnne's nurses to dress her.
When we get some time, we will add more pics that were taken over the weekend. She continues to look more and more like a baby we are used to seeing. She just looks healthier every day and we love every minute we get to spend with her.
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