Hattie Had a Big Day! 1/8/13
Melissa
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!!
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!
Chris will post an update soon about Hattie's birth story. Please stay tuned...