Hattie’s Blog

Filtering by Category: Photos

Eye Exam Day 2/11/13

February 11, 2013Melissa

I got to the hospital first thing after shift change this morning to be sure I was there for Hattie during her eye exam. I didn't want to miss a thing! Hattie got three rounds of dilation eye drops every thirty minutes beginning at 8 a.m. While we waited for the eye doctor to arrive, two different nurses and Dr. Palma warned me that Hattie may not handle the exam well. They told me she might desat or brady during the exam and afterward throughout the day. I appreciated the preparation and was feeling quite nervous for my sweet baby. We're happy to report that the exam wasn't as bad as I had imagined and I'm proud of Hattie for being so brave. Hattie's stats stayed up all day and, other than the dilation, she didn't seem to be affected too much by the stress of the exam. We kept her room very dark all day so the light wouldn't bother her.

At around 10 a.m. the neonatal ophthalmologist and his two nurses arrived. I stayed in the room to watch the exam. Wearing a light on his head like a spelunker, the eye doctor inserted the metal contraption into Hattie's left eye first, pried it open and used a probe to push her eye from side to side, then repeated it on her right eye. The whole exam lasted less than four minutes. Hattie cried a cry I've never heard before. It was a "you're hurting me" cry rather than her little "you're annoying me" cries we are used to hearing when we bother her during her hands on time. The eye doctor said Hattie's eyes looked good and were measuring in "zone 2" which is exactly where she should be at her gestational age. She'll have another eye exam in two weeks.

After the exam, April gave Hattie a treat to comfort her. She put a little sugar water on the tip of a pacifier. It's called a "sweetie" and Hattie absolutely loved it. She has never been so happy to have a paci!

Chris and I had a bit of a role reversal this afternoon. I had an event to go to for work with Team Awesome so Chris got to the hospital at around noon to take over for me. We didn't want Hattie to be alone today in case she reacted poorly to her eye exam. He and Hattie kangarooed all afternoon. Hattie took a little longer than usual to settle down but otherwise she was perfect. She did work out a very, very big poop while Chris was holding her which was likely caused by the dilation medicine.

Hattie weighs 1,448 grams. She lost a few grams since yesterday; it's not a big deal and we're attributing it to the dilation medicine and her big poop this afternoon.

Hattie and I nuzzled and then kangarooed tonight. We were both in a dead sleep when an alarm frantically went off. It turns out it was the hospital's fire alarm which oddly sounds very similar to the alarm that dings when Hattie's heart rate or oxygen saturation level decreases. My mommy instinct kicked into high gear! I shot up in the chair and before my eyes ever even opened I started rubbing Hattie's back. (Sometimes when we are kangarooing, Hattie gets into a very deep sleep and can drop her heart rate or desat. When that happens, we've been told to rub her back to stimulate her and wake her up.) It turns out Hattie was perfectly fine, her stats were normal and the fire alarm was all clear about ten minutes later. I hope she enjoyed her spontaneous back rub...

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Five Weeks Old! 2/10/13

February 10, 2013Chris

Our little family of three had a great Sunday! Hattie is five weeks old today! She now weighs 1,471 grams (3 lb., 3.8 oz.) and has moved up to 27 cc of milk every three hours. Her oxygen desaturations have all but disappeared. And the cutest part is her little budding personality that we just can't get enough of. We are so proud of her! I had grand plans to get up this morning to take down the Christmas lights in our front yard. But instead of taking them down and storing them neatly, I had to throw most of the strands away because the landscapers came yesterday and cut the tree back, lights and all. At least I didn't have to get the ladder out!

After church and a quick bite to eat, we were off to the hospital to see our little girl. Before I kangarooed with her, we tried something a little different. The nurse wrapped Hattie in a blanket and put her on the Boppy pillow in my lap, facing me. She stayed there for her whole feed and looked all around the room and back up at me until she drifted off to sleep. I just love looking at her up close!

The whole thing put Hattie into a deep sleep, but we had to wake her to change the massive mess she had made of her diaper. I won't get too graphic, but the word everywhere comes to mind. After her lap time, she kangarooed with me for four hours.

Tonight, Hattie nuzzled with Melissa during her feed. She is still getting the hang of practice breastfeeding and spends most of the time exploring and making strange noises. We are amazed that she knows what to do and we're confident that she'll do well when it comes time to breastfeed for real in the next few weeks.

Please pray for Hattie in the morning. The neonatal ophthalmologist and his nurse will visit Hattie for her first eye exam. Her eyes will be dilated and then they will use a contraption to hold her eyelids open for the exam. It shouldn't last more than a few minutes but the stress of it all usually makes babies unhappy for the rest of the day. Please pray that Hattie handles it well and that the doctor doesn't have any concerns.

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Daddy-Daughter Day 2/9/13

February 09, 2013Chris

Today was relatively uneventful and we don't have that much to report. Melissa went to a friend's baby shower today, so Hattie and I spent the afternoon alone (well, as alone as you can get in the NICU). We kangarooed for about four hours and both got in a good afternoon nap. I think the best part was when Melissa got back. She went right to the sleeping Hattie and said hello. Almost immediately, Hattie opened her eyes and I could feel her legs start to kick. She is in love with her mommy and was so excited to see her!

Later this evening our wonderful friends Patti and Brian stopped by to meet Hattie and take us to dinner (thanks guys!). After shift change, Hattie nuzzled with Melissa during her feed and they are peacefully kangarooing as I write this.

What a great day!

Of course, we can't forget to update you on Hattie's stats. She now weighs 1,434 grams (3 lb., 2.5 oz.) and is still at 26 cc of milk every three hours. For context, there are about 30 cc in an ounce. As for her weight, her next big milestone is at around 1,500 grams; that's when we will start weaning her off the heated incubator to prepare her for an open-air crib.

We talk a lot on this blog about how thankful we are. Honestly, a day doesn't go by where we don't mention to each other something we are thankful for.

Our small group often discusses that there are basically only two prayers that you need to ever pray. The first is, "Help me. Help me. Help me." And the second is, "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." Days like today—and like so many we have experienced these past five weeks—leave us standing before God with an indescribable gratitude, only able to pray that second prayer.

So as you say your prayers today, we humbly ask that you help us thank God for all He has done with little Hattie. Our list of things to be thankful for is long, but here are a few.

We are thankful...

...for bringing Hattie into the world right on time and in her own special way.
...for Hattie's good health, growth and overall progress so far.
...for the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and so many others who have spent countless hours training and preparing to care for Hattie and other babies in the NICU.
...for Dr. Alexander, that he happened to be on call the day Hattie was born.
...for the advancements in medicine that have brought neonatology to a place where more premature babies live than don't.
...for Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies and the foresight that Melissa and I had to select it for Hattie's birth.
...for the equipment inventors and manufacturers who created the life-sustaining tools that Hattie relies on.
...for the nameless friends and coworkers at Disney who donated their own earned vacation time so that Melissa can spend as much time with Hattie during these critical first months of her life.
...for the overwhelming kindness we have witnessed from so many people who read this blog and have offered their prayers, kind thoughts, gifts and encouraging words.
...for the fact that our list of things to be thankful for is longer than our list of requests.
...for a God who is not limited by our inability to let Him know how thankful we are.
...for the absolute honor that God chose us to be Hattie's parents.

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Uneventful 2/8/13

February 08, 2013Melissa

Hattie Has Hiccups

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Coffee Talk 2/7/13

February 07, 2013Melissa

I met my girlfriend Michelle for coffee this morning. It's amazing what deep conversation with a fellow mommy, a few tears and a gingerbread latte can do for my spirits! When I got to the hospital this morning I noticed the night nurses had decorated Hattie's incubator with an arts and crafts project to celebrate her one month birthday! She's so spoiled!

Hattie pulled her feeding tube out again today so we finally decided to move it to her nose. She didn't really mind when April inserted it but sneezed about 50 times (no exaggeration!) as she was trying to get used to something being in her nose. After a month of not seeing her little chin for more than a few minutes at a time I love looking at it!

We nuzzled again today but Hattie fell asleep about 15 minutes in to her feed. I kangarooed her all afternoon and loved every single minute of it. I could hold Hattie all day every day and feel like I still want to hold her longer.

Hattie weighs 1,360 grams. She lost 9 grams since yesterday but she's still 3 pounds!

Please pray for rest for Chris and me. We are tired. We left early tonight to try get some sleep. But leaving is so hard, especially when Hattie is still awake. As Hattie is getting older she's more alert than ever and developing her own personality. Even though we realize she's not old enough to miss us when we're not with her, we can't help but wonder if her little alert eyes are watching us leave at the end of the night.