Blue Light Special 1/9/13

Hattie loves to stretch out her long legs!

We have a lot to be thankful for.  Overall Hattie had an uneventful day. She spent the day chilling out under her blue rays. She was very calm most of the day and we (especially my mom and I) spent a lot of time at her bedside.

Hattie sunbathing.

We spoke with Dr. Alexander, Hattie's neonatologist, today. He is impressed with Hattie's progress. Hattie will have a brain ultrasound when she is one week old to check for bleeding in her brain.  Her eyesight will be tested in about five weeks and they'll check her hearing before she is discharged.  Hattie is showing no signs of apnea and breathing well on her own.  I asked Dr. Alexander if Hattie is doing as expected or better or worse than expected. He replied "far better than expected!"

Chris donated blood today in case Hattie will need a blood transfusion in the future. Dr. Alexander doesn't think this will be necessary but suggested Chris get tested just in case.  His blood will be tested to see if he's a match for Hattie. If he isn't a match, his blood will go to help someone else.  Donating blood is not Chris' cup of tea-he's a good daddy for doing this!

We learned that most preemie babies decline some after their first week of life. There's a possibility Hattie could form an infection or may need a breathing tube again.  We hope Hattie defeats these odds and continues to progress.

Specific prayer requests for Hattie:

• For Hattie to poop!
• For Hattie's bilirubin score to have decreased again when they check in the morning and for her blue light to be removed. And for us to be able to hold our sweet girl soon!
• For Hattie's nose cannula to be removed. Please also pray Hattie continues breathing on her own and will not need any assistance breathing in the future.
• For our anxiety about Hattie's brain ultrasound to be eased and for the scan to come back completely clear!

Don't worry about anything: instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and mind as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

—Philippians 4:6-8

All Smiles!

We could not wait to get to the NICU this morning to visit sweet Hattie! Hattie had a great night. Her bilirubin score dropped to 6! She is still sunbathing under the blue light. The glow worm blanket she had to lay on yesterday has been removed and we can tell Hattie is much more comfortable. Please pray her bilirubin levels continue to decrease.

She continues to tolerate and digest my milk well and is still working on pooping.

We are convinced she keeps smiling at us today!

Hattie Had a Big Day! 1/8/13

We are so blessed to have sweet Hattie in our lives.  It's not at all how we planned it but it's further proof that we are not in charge. God has a mighty plan for Hattie and we continue to thank him for her every minute of every day. Thank you so much for your outpouring of love and support!  We are humbled and incredibly grateful to have such wonderful friends and family. Hattie had a big day!  She continues to impress us with how well she is doing!

She received her PICC line this morning at 4:00 a.m. and is much happier without the tubes in her belly button. It was a sterile procedure in Hattie's incubator that took close to two hours. Hattie tolerated it well and they got the line in on the first try. The PICC is in her right arm and has a tiny catheter that travels up and around and ends right over her heart. She is receiving caffeine, fats and other nutrients through it. The nurses say she's eating her "cheeseburger and Gatorade" to fatten up. Hattie is off all antibiotics and is showing no signs of infection!

Hattie showing off her new PICC line.

Hattie's bilirubin (jaundice) score spiked this morning so she is still sunbathing. Yesterday it was 4 and this morning it was 11.  She has the blue photo light on top of her incubator and a glow worm blanket underneath her. Please pray her bilirubin score drops soon so we are able to hold our sweet girl and start kangaroo care.

She's receiving 1 cc of my milk through her feeding tube every 4 hours. The feeding tube is in her mouth and goes directly into her belly. She is digesting the milk well. Adding milk to her diet instead of only liquids will help her poop which will also help her decrease her bilirubin score.

Hattie's first feeding of breast milk through her feeding tube.

I got to take her temperature, help change her diaper and clean her eyes and mouth today. She got a new nose cannula because the other one was too small for her and rubbing her little nose raw.  It was comforting for me to hear the nurses say something was TOO SMALL for our tiny baby.  She was very alert and even opened her eyes to say hello when we took off her sunshades!!

Hello Mama!

I was discharged this evening. It was strange to leave the hospital and go home without our baby. We know she is in the BEST place for her! The doctors and nurses are amazing. Thankfully both of our moms are here helping us get settled. We had a homemade dinner together tonight and Chris and I went back to the NICU to visit Hattie.

How sweet is this!? Hattie "holding" her pacifier!

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Chris will post an update soon about Hattie's birth story. Please stay tuned...

A Hand Holder

Hattie holding Daddy's hand!

Hattie held my hand today!

More photos

Our friend Katie always takes great photos and that was certainly the case today.  Check out a few she shot while in the NICU.