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Hattie’s Blog

Filtering by Category: Photos

Go Away Desats! 1/20/13

Melissa

We love the weekends because we get to spend time together as a family! We are so thankful for our baby girl and can't get enough of her! It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since Hattie was born. Sometimes it feels like it's been six months and sometimes it feels like our journey into parenthood started yesterday. We cannot imagine our life without sweet Hattie and continue to praise God for her! Hattie wasn't being herself today. She was a little fussy and her machines were beeping a lot because her oxygen saturation was dipping into the high 70s. Her saturation should be between 85-95 and she usually hangs out in the mid to high 90s. The Respiratory Therapist put her nasal cannula back in with just a little bit of oxygen (room air plus 1% oxygen) to help stimulate Hattie's breathing and remind her to take deeper breaths. The RT did not seem concerned and said this is normal behavior for a 28 weeker, but Hattie was worrying us a little bit. We aren't used to her machines beeping! Chris kangarooed Hattie but it was a hard for him to enjoy because Hattie was desating so often.

Hattie's feeding tube was changed today. It's a surprisingly easy procedure the nurse did right in Hattie's bed. It took less than two minutes for the nurse to remove Hattie's old feeding tube and put a new one in. We got to see Hattie's cute little chin with no tape on it for the first time!

Hattie had more visitors today. She is quite popular and Chris and I feel very loved by the continued outpouring of support from our friends and family.  Thank you.

We stayed at the hospital until after 11 p.m. waiting for the doctor to make rounds. Dr. Brown met with us and made us feel much better about Hattie's desats today. She said Hattie is acting her age and we should not be worried. Since Hattie's feedings have been increasing so rapidly her little belly is getting very full and pushing up on her diaphragm making it harder for her to take deep breaths. Imagine the feeling after Thanksgiving dinner when you're so full you feel like you can't breathe. Dr. Brown said the nasal cannula will annoy Hattie just enough to remind her to take deeper breaths.

Please pray Hattie does not continue to desat. Please pray she is able to come off the nasal cannula quickly and will not require further breathing support.

2 Comments
categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Level 2.5! 1/18/13

Melissa

Hattie's bilirubin level was back up again to 6.3 but not high enough for her to go under the light. She continues to tolerate her feedings well and is now up to 11 cc of milk every three hours.  She will increase to 12 cc at 2:00 a.m. Once she is up to full feeds her PICC line will be removed! I kanagrooed Hattie for four hours today and we both loved it! She had both arms and legs sprawled out on me like a frog; I think she was trying to give me a big hug. One of the nurses told me if all mommies and daddies visited their babies and kangarooed as often as Chris and I do their babies would be as healthy as Hattie!

Right after I put Hattie back in her bed I overheard the charge nurse say baby Harper would be moving. Great news; Hattie graduated from level 3 NICU in pod 2 to "level 2.5" NICU in pod 3!  Pod 3 is still technically considered level 3 NICU but it's a small step down and a small step closer to Hattie coming home! I am feeling a little nervous about the move knowing it's only been 12 days but realize the doctors would not make the decision to move Hattie if she wasn't ready.

The nurse informed me they would be moving Hattie in about an hour. I called Chris to share the good news and he was on his way. I quickly ran downstairs to get some water and use the bathroom and when I came back up Hattie had been moved! I was a little upset I missed them moving her in the less than ten minutes I was gone. I must have envisioned a graduation ceremony or parade complete with confetti, music and applause. In reality, it was just a few nurses unhooking all of her machines, wheeling her bed down the hall and hooking all of her machines back up in her new room. Nevertheless, moving pods was a big milestone for Hattie and I was sad I wasn't there to see it happen.

Pod 2 has nurses in the room 24/7, each nurse caring for two babies. The rooms have four to eight babies in them. There is often a lot of dinging and noise from other babies, parents, nurses and Respiratory Therapists. Pod 3 is a little different. Here, two babies share each room and each side is divided and very private; they feel less like a hospital room. Hattie's new room even has a window! Each nurse cares for three babies and won't be in the room 24/7, but are central monitors that are watched constantly.

We are grateful Hattie is stable enough to move to pod 3. Praise God! It makes us a bit nervous that this has happened so quickly because we still have the fear of the honeymoon phase in the back of our minds. Please pray Hattie continues to thrive in her new environment and for us to give our worries to God.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give him thanks in song.

— Psalm 28:7

4 Comments
categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Two Pounds! 1/17/13

Melissa

I spent a few hours holding Hattie today. She was very peaceful; it was our best kangaroo time yet! When we kangaroo she places her hand on my chest and gently opens and closes her fingers into a fist. I love to feel her teeny tiny fingers moving around on my skin. I think it's her little way of saying hello mommy! Dr. Alexander wanted to test the caffeine level in Hattie's blood today. He said as she's growing she may be metabolizing the caffeine she is receiving through her PICC line faster and he wants to ensure he's administering the proper dosage. The caffeine helps to develop her nervous system and stimulate her breathing.  The nurse pricked the heel of Hattie's foot and drew a small vial of blood. Hattie was not happy about having to give blood! I placed my hands over her head and held her arms down to calm her. This gives her boundaries so she feels like she's back in the womb. The nurses call this a "time out" and do it while they're taking her blood pressure to ensure a proper read. I wonder if it'll always be that easy to calm her down?

Hattie's feedings are back to increasing every 12 hours. She went up to 9 cc of milk at 2 p.m. Her feeds will increase again to 10 cc of milk at 2 a.m. Tonight Hattie weighed 916 grams, just over two pounds! She is a piggy!

As Chris holds Hattie now I am fighting back happy tears as I stare at the two loves of my life. It's incredible to see God's presence in Hattie's little body.

5 Comments
categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Bath Time 1/15/13

Melissa

Hattie had another great day! We are utterly amazed by her strength and determination. Chris returned to work today. I went to the hospital this morning and
 spent all day with our sweet girl. Chris and I met back at home to
 have dinner together and then headed back to the hospital to see
 Hattie.

Hattie had some residual in one of her early morning feeds so they've 
decided to increase her feedings every 24 hours rather than every 12. 
Her feeds will increase to 7 cc of milk at 2 a.m.

I snuggled with Hattie for almost four hours today! It's awesome to
 feel her tiny, warm body on mine. She sneezed a few times while I was 
holding her and it was adorable! I never thought I'd get so tickled
 over sneezes, hiccups, poopy diapers, squeaks, baby smiles, etc.

Dr. Alexander stopped by while I was kangarooing and reiterated what
 Dr. Brown told us yesterday. Hattie's brain ultrasound showed a tiny 
amount of blood in the ventricles in the right side of her brain and
 he is not concerned. He will order an MRI before she goes home. Dr. A
 said he continues to be impressed with Hattie, especially considering
 the way she was born.

When we got back to the hospital tonight the nurse told us she was
 going to put us to work! We got to give Hattie her first bath! She is
 too little to go into the bathtub and her PICC line cannot get wet, so
 we gave her a sponge bath in her bed. We washed her eyes and face.
 Then I soaped up her hair and body and we rinsed her off with little gauze wash cloths. Her skin and hair are so soft. I replaced all of her
 leads and temperature probe with fresh, clean stickers. Once she
 recovered from the initial shock of bath time, she seemed to like it.
 We are grateful the nurses let us be so involved in Hattie's care.

Her reward for doing so well with her bath was kangaroo time with
 daddy. Chris and Hattie were both conked out!

Besides reading several books a day, I've been reading Hattie all the 
loving and encouraging comments on her blog. Thank you for lifting our
 little family up! I know God has his hands on sweet Hattie and is 
knitting together a beautiful life for her.

12 Comments
categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Huge Praise 1/14/13

Chris

One of Hattie's doctors, Dr. Brown, talked to us about the results of Hattie's brain ultrasound this morning. The ultrasound looks for excess blood on the brain and is measured on a scale of one (no issue) to four (not so good). The left side of Hattie's brain is completely clear. The right side is listed at a level one, though the doctor said she is not sure she would even classify it that high. She told us there is no reason to be concerned and that level one will completely resolve itself over time with no longterm effects. They will measure her again via an ultrasound or MRI before she goes home, but they don't expect to find anything. This is such great news and a definite weight off our shoulders! Thank you to all who prayed for sweet Hattie leading up to this important milestone. As for other news, Hattie's bilirubin level dropped to a 4.2 (from 4.7 yesterday) and they took her off the light. No more sunglasses (at least until she makes it to the beach)!

Hattie is also well on her way toward full feedings. She is up to 5 cc of milk every three hours and will increase every 12 hours.

We both got to kangaroo Hattie today; I held her this afternoon for more than three hours and Melissa is holding her right now. The nurses are great about it, despite it being a lot of work for them. We're pretty much only limited to the amount of time we can sit in the chair before we need to go to the bathroom and we're definitely planning to spend as much time holding Hattie as possible.

Selfishly, kangarooing with Hattie is about the best feeling in the world. The feeling afterward is like you've just had an expensive massage and a long nap. But it's great for Hattie as well. Kangarooing has so many benefits for her development, including stress reduction and brain development. You can read more about kangaroo care on the March of Dimes website.

I am going back to work tomorrow and our little family will need to settle into a routine. Please pray for a smooth transition into our new normal. Also, please pray that Melissa and I are able to get enough rest (another mommy in Hattie's room got sick from not getting enough rest this week and had to spend two whole days away from her baby).

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. — 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

16 Comments
categories Hattie Updates, Photos