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).