Two Pounds! 1/17/13

January 17, 2013Melissa

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.

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Thankful 1/16/13

January 16, 2013Melissa

Hattie is such a blessing! She had a fairly uneventful day; which is excellent news in the NICU. Her bilirubin level crept back up to 5.2 but thankfully it wasn't high enough to put her back under the light. It will be checked again on Friday. Hattie continues to tolerate her feedings well. She will increase to 8 cc of milk every three hours at 2 a.m.

Hattie's caffeine was increased today because she had two episodes of apnea last night. Apnea is extremely common in preemies. Dr. Alexander said Hattie self corrected very quickly and he isn't worried unless the apnea continues, increases in severity or she cannot self correct. I think it's comical that I practically avoided caffeine while I was pregnant and now Hattie is receiving her "cup of coffee" daily via her PICC line.

I kangarooed Hattie for three hours today. I am so thankful for the quality time Hattie and I get to spend together. Words cannot express how amazing it is to hold her. I am in complete awe of our baby girl.

Chris and I went to small group and then went to the hospital to say goodnight to Hattie. She had another bath tonight because she had an explosive diaper. She weighs 890 grams, or 1 pound 15 ounces. Hattie is gaining weight!

Please pray Hattie continues to do well in the NICU; that she will continue to grow and no other complications will arise. Chris and I continue to be worried about the "honeymoon phase" and are praying hard that Hattie continues on the up and up!

As we settle into our new normal, please pray Chris and I get rest. It is so hard to leave Hattie at night. Pray we remember we need to take care our ourselves so that we can be good parents for our sweet Hattie.

categories Hattie Updates

Bath Time 1/15/13

January 15, 2013Melissa

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.

categories Hattie Updates, Photos

Huge Praise 1/14/13

January 14, 2013Chris

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).