Saturday, October 4, 2008
Bree's Birth Announcement
A friend of mine, Shaunna, made this for us and we are so grateful! Isn't it beautiful?
October 4, 2008
Good morning all!
I am up before anyone else in the house (yes, even Riley) so I figured I would take advantage of the quiet time to do the daily update.
They weighed Bree last night and because of the fluid and antibiotics she recieved she is up to 1lb, 15 oz. However, most of the extra five ounces is water weight, so it is not a real accurate weight. The drainage tube is still in place and as of this morning they have only gotten a small amount of bloody, clearish discharge, which is a good sign.
She did require one more blood transfusion last night, which afterwards they checked all her blood levels. After the second go around, all of her levels were normal and great! They did go up on her rate on the ventilator last night because she had one not so good blood gas. When we left yesterday she was on a rate of 25, so it is now higher than that.
Other than that, her sats have been great the whole night. Everyone is pleased with her new blood pressure. They are keeping her on her pain meds so that she doesn't feel any pain from her surgery at all...I was told they may wean her off a little bit this weekend so we will see. Bree is doing as well as they could expect, so I am thankful and praising God for his goodness! Let's all continue to pray for her continued strength, and a fast recovery from her surgery!
In other news in the family, Riley had a horrible night last night! It was as if she was hurt, but when we went in there to pick her up and rock her, she was fine and would fall asleep in our arms. The second we went to lay her down, she would cry so hard and flail around. Finally we brought her to our bed, which is something we don't do often, and she calmed down and wanted to play! So, Adam went and laid her in her bed, she cried normally for about 5-10 minutes and then was out. It was so odd, I don't know if maybe she wasn't awake enough or asleep enough (kind of caught in the middle), or what...I just hope it doesn't happen tonight!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
I am up before anyone else in the house (yes, even Riley) so I figured I would take advantage of the quiet time to do the daily update.
They weighed Bree last night and because of the fluid and antibiotics she recieved she is up to 1lb, 15 oz. However, most of the extra five ounces is water weight, so it is not a real accurate weight. The drainage tube is still in place and as of this morning they have only gotten a small amount of bloody, clearish discharge, which is a good sign.
She did require one more blood transfusion last night, which afterwards they checked all her blood levels. After the second go around, all of her levels were normal and great! They did go up on her rate on the ventilator last night because she had one not so good blood gas. When we left yesterday she was on a rate of 25, so it is now higher than that.
Other than that, her sats have been great the whole night. Everyone is pleased with her new blood pressure. They are keeping her on her pain meds so that she doesn't feel any pain from her surgery at all...I was told they may wean her off a little bit this weekend so we will see. Bree is doing as well as they could expect, so I am thankful and praising God for his goodness! Let's all continue to pray for her continued strength, and a fast recovery from her surgery!
In other news in the family, Riley had a horrible night last night! It was as if she was hurt, but when we went in there to pick her up and rock her, she was fine and would fall asleep in our arms. The second we went to lay her down, she would cry so hard and flail around. Finally we brought her to our bed, which is something we don't do often, and she calmed down and wanted to play! So, Adam went and laid her in her bed, she cried normally for about 5-10 minutes and then was out. It was so odd, I don't know if maybe she wasn't awake enough or asleep enough (kind of caught in the middle), or what...I just hope it doesn't happen tonight!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Choosing a preemie's Mama
A good friend of mine sent this to me...I thought you all would enjoy to read it as well...
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting hisinstruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles."Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God.
"Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary.When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see-- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice-- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting hisinstruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles."Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God.
"Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary.When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see-- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice-- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
October 3, 2008
Bree came through her surgery like a champ! The heart surgeon even remarked that as soon as he clamped the duct, her body automatically responded and her blood pressure went up to a more normal level. She has had low blood pressure since she was born so we were relieved to see it at a more acceptable level. We were also told that her duct was on the larger side so it is a good thing that she had the surgery.
She has a tube in her chest to help drain any residual blood or air left in the chest cavity, but that tube will be taken out over the next two days. She is on sedatives and pain meds today, and will wean her off over the weekend. As a precaution she is on antibiotics over the next 48 hours. As we were leaving today, they had just ordered a blood transfusion to help her out just a little bit.
Praise God for his goodness! He is a God of miracles and blessings....
FYI: As I am typing this, Riley is running around the living room combing her hair...it's too cute!
Hope this finds you happy, healthy, and in love with life!
She has a tube in her chest to help drain any residual blood or air left in the chest cavity, but that tube will be taken out over the next two days. She is on sedatives and pain meds today, and will wean her off over the weekend. As a precaution she is on antibiotics over the next 48 hours. As we were leaving today, they had just ordered a blood transfusion to help her out just a little bit.
Praise God for his goodness! He is a God of miracles and blessings....
FYI: As I am typing this, Riley is running around the living room combing her hair...it's too cute!
Hope this finds you happy, healthy, and in love with life!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
October 2, 2008
Bree is having a better day today! She was stable with all of her vitals, and....I got to hold her today!! We learned that it depends on the nurse that is setting you up with her on how you get to hold her. As you can see, I got to hold her in the classic "baby" hold...she was just wrapped up in her little bed when I was holding her. The picture that is here on the blog was before I got all situated. They ended up covering her up with two heated blankets and putting a little hat on her to keep her warm. Her little face was allowed to peek out and she even played a little bit of peek-a-boo with me. (she kept opening and closing her eyes) Just being able to hold her was so special and is a feeling and moment that I will never forget in my whole life. 
We were able to talk with the heart surgeon, and the NP that was assigned to Bree today about her surgery. They were able to explain the surgery very well to us, and I was grateful for their reassurance that this is a very common procedure in preemies. They told us that they typically do very well and within a week of the surgery we will see a big difference in her ventilator settings. I feel more confident and strong with her surgery, and I know that she has so many people praying for her.
For the general update, they are still trying to wean her ventilator settings, which is going to be a constant thing until she is off of it. She was on room air oxygen (21%), which is as low as the ventilator will allow the oxygen to be. They did put an IV in her hand to prepare for the surgery tomorrow. They are using it to draw the blood they need for labs before surgery, and for her blood gases. Overall, she has had a good day today. Oh! Also, I changed one of her poopy diapers for the first time today. It is such a small amount, about the size of a pea. Funny enough, the wipes they use in the NICU are bigger than the regular baby wipes! Why?! I do not know. I joked that the wipes were bigger than Bree...ha ha!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
October 1, 2008
Today has been a down day for Bree today. She has had a rough day with her oxygen saturations, heart rate, and just being 'picky' today. I was unable to hold her today due to all of this. However, she had many procedures done on her, so it accounts for all of it. She had blood drawn, a chest x ray, an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of her heart), and then all of the normal stuff for the day. (being fussed with to change her diaper, reposition her, etc.) The reason why she has had to have all of those procedures done is because she is having a surgery on Friday. The surgery is for Patent Ductus Arteriosus or PDA. I am not an expert on these things (I am learning as I go along!), but here is a website link that explains it well:
http://www.meriter.com/living/preemie/problems/patentductus.htm
It does state on that website that they can give medication to help 'shrink' the duct, however, they do not want to go the medicine route with her because in babies that are as young as her it can cause her intestines to not work. Therefore, surgery is the best route. I am very nervous and anxious about this to be honest. Doing surgery on a 1lb, 10 oz preemie has to be difficult and risky. However, I do trust the doctors and nurses that are taking care of her so all I can do is pray, and put my trust in them.
Because she has to have surgery, they have stopped giving her the breastmilk and are back to just giving her the TPN through her IV. This is so her system is completely empty of all food for the surgery.
We did get the results from her brain ultrasound back and her brain bleeds are still at a stage three. However, there is still no new bleeding so we are just waiting for her body to reabsorb the residual fluid.
Adam and I are going back in tomorrow to talk with the surgical nurse practitioner and give her some family history information and information about my pregnancy. So, maybe if Bree is having a better day tomorrow I will get to hold her before her surgery. Obviously, we will be there Friday, and then we are taking Papa and Riley in to see her on Saturday. So my updates may be a little later in the day than usual...however, have faith...I will get them up!
Please be praying for Bree's continued strength and resiliency in the coming days...before, during, and after her surgery. She is an amazing little girl, and I am sure she has many angels watching over her, hundreds of people praying for her, and Jesus watching over her twenty four seven. Everyone's prayers are appreciated and I cannot put into words how much they mean to me...
http://www.meriter.com/living/preemie/problems/patentductus.htm
It does state on that website that they can give medication to help 'shrink' the duct, however, they do not want to go the medicine route with her because in babies that are as young as her it can cause her intestines to not work. Therefore, surgery is the best route. I am very nervous and anxious about this to be honest. Doing surgery on a 1lb, 10 oz preemie has to be difficult and risky. However, I do trust the doctors and nurses that are taking care of her so all I can do is pray, and put my trust in them.
Because she has to have surgery, they have stopped giving her the breastmilk and are back to just giving her the TPN through her IV. This is so her system is completely empty of all food for the surgery.
We did get the results from her brain ultrasound back and her brain bleeds are still at a stage three. However, there is still no new bleeding so we are just waiting for her body to reabsorb the residual fluid.
Adam and I are going back in tomorrow to talk with the surgical nurse practitioner and give her some family history information and information about my pregnancy. So, maybe if Bree is having a better day tomorrow I will get to hold her before her surgery. Obviously, we will be there Friday, and then we are taking Papa and Riley in to see her on Saturday. So my updates may be a little later in the day than usual...however, have faith...I will get them up!
Please be praying for Bree's continued strength and resiliency in the coming days...before, during, and after her surgery. She is an amazing little girl, and I am sure she has many angels watching over her, hundreds of people praying for her, and Jesus watching over her twenty four seven. Everyone's prayers are appreciated and I cannot put into words how much they mean to me...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September 30, 2008
Good afternoon all!
Yesterday was a day of firsts for Adam, Bree, and me. (Hey that rhymes!) Adam got to hold Bree for the first time. Because she is on the regular ventilator she is able to be held. Also, if she is having a down day, we may not be able to hold her. Adam was a little hesitant at first because it is a lot of work for someone to hold her. It takes two nurses to move her from her bed to the person that is holding her. But once Adam and Bree got settled, she was snug as a bug in a rug! We did have some technical difficulties while he was holding her, her oximeter reader that was on her foot wasn't registering her oxygenation level so the nurse had to continually fuss with it to get it to work. (which it never did, she ended up changing it) We found out that Bree makes little noises, which means that she is outgrowing the tube that is in for her ventilator. The noises she makes remind me of a little puppy dog whimpering. (just a lot softer!)
After Adam was done holding her, I got the opportunity to change her diaper for the first time. I
never thought I would so excited to change a diaper! We had a wonderful nurse who helped me a bit, I was a little hesitant because of how small she is. I didn't want to lift her up by her legs and have her leg pop out of the socket or something! (I worry about everything...but that's the mom's job)...She had a little bit of poop in her diaper, like she had a little wet fart or something of that manner. Oh boy, she may be small but she can make it stink when she farts! I was expecting her little diaper to be full of poop, but it was only wet. After it was changed, the nurse Jackie, weighed it and it was 1/2 oz!! That's a lot!
never thought I would so excited to change a diaper! We had a wonderful nurse who helped me a bit, I was a little hesitant because of how small she is. I didn't want to lift her up by her legs and have her leg pop out of the socket or something! (I worry about everything...but that's the mom's job)...She had a little bit of poop in her diaper, like she had a little wet fart or something of that manner. Oh boy, she may be small but she can make it stink when she farts! I was expecting her little diaper to be full of poop, but it was only wet. After it was changed, the nurse Jackie, weighed it and it was 1/2 oz!! That's a lot!She was increased on her feeds yesterday. She is now at 1.5cc every three hours. She has had wonderful blood gases so they haven't really messed with her ventilator settings at all. She had a brain ultrasound and a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) yesterday so we are waiting for the results of both of those. I am hoping and praying that her brain ultrasound comes back that she is the same, or even better!, less than a stage three. I think I would want to cry, throw a party and dance in celebration if it comes back less. Her brain bleeds are what have me worried the most right now.
I want to say thank you to everyone who reads, and posts comments, prays for us, or supports us...it means so much to us and I do not know the words to express my thanks!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
Monday, September 29, 2008
September 29, 2008
Good morning all!
Bree is such an awesome little girl...last night they took her off of the jet ventilator and she is now on the regular ventilator! All her blood gases have been perfect since the switch so all is well. I also found out this morning that since she is on the regular ventilator, we might get to hold her soon!! I wasn't expecting to be allowed to hold her for at least another month so that is so exciting!!!!
She is doing great with her feeds, so great that they have bumped up the time on them. She used to get 1cc every 6 hours, but now she is getting 1cc every 3 hours! She is doing amazing....her brain ultrasound is today so let's make sure to pray for a good prognosis on her brain scan.
Riley had a bit of a fall this morning, she fell face first into her little table. :( Oh boy, did she cry! She snuggled with Daddy and wiped her runny nose all over his uniform until she felt better. We gave her some tylenol, and laid her down for her morning nap. She made a few little cries, and has been fast asleep since then. Poor girl!
Adam went back to work this morning. He has been off of work since Bree was born, so this will be a little bit of an adjustment. He had a bit of difficulties this morning as well. Today is base wide blues day (wearing dress uniform), so he went early to the military clothing store to get his new rank to put onto his blues. They were all out! Everyone else was scrambling to get their uniforms together as well. So now he is in his ABU's, so he is bound to get a little bit of a 'butt-chewing' today.
On the bright side, he only has a class today so he will be done around noon today. We plan on going and seeing Bree after he gets off of work so that I can drive there. I am one of those people that in order to remember how to get somewhere, I have to drive there myself.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
Bree is such an awesome little girl...last night they took her off of the jet ventilator and she is now on the regular ventilator! All her blood gases have been perfect since the switch so all is well. I also found out this morning that since she is on the regular ventilator, we might get to hold her soon!! I wasn't expecting to be allowed to hold her for at least another month so that is so exciting!!!!
She is doing great with her feeds, so great that they have bumped up the time on them. She used to get 1cc every 6 hours, but now she is getting 1cc every 3 hours! She is doing amazing....her brain ultrasound is today so let's make sure to pray for a good prognosis on her brain scan.
Riley had a bit of a fall this morning, she fell face first into her little table. :( Oh boy, did she cry! She snuggled with Daddy and wiped her runny nose all over his uniform until she felt better. We gave her some tylenol, and laid her down for her morning nap. She made a few little cries, and has been fast asleep since then. Poor girl!
Adam went back to work this morning. He has been off of work since Bree was born, so this will be a little bit of an adjustment. He had a bit of difficulties this morning as well. Today is base wide blues day (wearing dress uniform), so he went early to the military clothing store to get his new rank to put onto his blues. They were all out! Everyone else was scrambling to get their uniforms together as well. So now he is in his ABU's, so he is bound to get a little bit of a 'butt-chewing' today.
On the bright side, he only has a class today so he will be done around noon today. We plan on going and seeing Bree after he gets off of work so that I can drive there. I am one of those people that in order to remember how to get somewhere, I have to drive there myself.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
September 28, 2008
Good morning all!
I called this morning at the usual time we call for updates (6:15) and got a good report on little Miss Bree. She did have to be re-intubated last night...which means that her tube that is hooked up to the ventilator, and that goes into her mouth and then into her lungs had to be taken out and changed. When Adam and I were there yesterday I had commented that it looked like it was loose and was coming out. It was moving more than usual and I had tried to move it to where it was more stable. Supposedly last night, they think the tube slipped out of her lungs because her oxygen saturations dropped and her heartreate dropped as well, so they reintubated her and she recovered right away. She was just letting them know that there was a problem.
Since they reintibated her, her blood gases have been really good still. She has still not had any issues with the feeds (thank goodness!), so all is well! The nurse from yesterday, Becky, made a comment to me that Bree is such a fiesty little girl! They were trying to draw some blood for a blood gas and she was kicking, flailing, and giving them a run for their money. She was doing everything she could to not let them draw her blood. Ha ha...that's my girl! Also yesterday, when I was trying to get a picture of her on Adam's phone she kept putting her hand over her face...like I was the paparazzi or something. I think we have a little drama queen on our hands here!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy, and in love with life!
I called this morning at the usual time we call for updates (6:15) and got a good report on little Miss Bree. She did have to be re-intubated last night...which means that her tube that is hooked up to the ventilator, and that goes into her mouth and then into her lungs had to be taken out and changed. When Adam and I were there yesterday I had commented that it looked like it was loose and was coming out. It was moving more than usual and I had tried to move it to where it was more stable. Supposedly last night, they think the tube slipped out of her lungs because her oxygen saturations dropped and her heartreate dropped as well, so they reintubated her and she recovered right away. She was just letting them know that there was a problem.
Since they reintibated her, her blood gases have been really good still. She has still not had any issues with the feeds (thank goodness!), so all is well! The nurse from yesterday, Becky, made a comment to me that Bree is such a fiesty little girl! They were trying to draw some blood for a blood gas and she was kicking, flailing, and giving them a run for their money. She was doing everything she could to not let them draw her blood. Ha ha...that's my girl! Also yesterday, when I was trying to get a picture of her on Adam's phone she kept putting her hand over her face...like I was the paparazzi or something. I think we have a little drama queen on our hands here!
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy, and in love with life!
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