Hello Everyone,
What a fabulous two days for Claire with great accomplishments! Yesterday the NG tube was removed as she has tolerated bottle feedings over the last 24 hours. And, today she was moved into an open crib to see how well she can tolerate life outside of the isolette. If she continues to do well, she may be home this week!!!
Claire continues to tolerate bottle feedings and had her first tub bath yesterday. We were given a demo and then it was Claire's turn. She cried at first and when she finally figured it out, she really liked it :) She wasn't too slippery and I feel very confident that we will do well at home. Only two tasks remain on the patient teaching list - infant car seat and CPR video. After that, we will be good to go to begin our new life with Claire at home. It has felt like we have a baby on lay-a-way and can only visit briefly!! Claire weighs in at an impressive 4 pounds 5 ounces and is taking 37cc's per feeding.
Needless to say, we are totally excited that a new day is dawning and we are almost thru the tunnel. The last six weeks have been a whirlwind and unless you have experienced life in the NICU, mere words can not describe the environment and emotional impact of life in the NICU bubble. We remain extremely thankful for the doctors and nurses of the NICU whose skilled hands and caring hearts have assisted Claire to grow and develop outside in the real world. Today she is six weeks and has reached 38 weeks gestation. If we were still pregnant, she would have two weeks to go until her due date of December 10th. What a strong baby and how very proud we are of Claire that she has done so very well.
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers. This journey would have been even more challenging if not for the support of all our loved ones and friends and family.
More soon,
Denise & Alan
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Hello,
At this time of year we take time to reflect on our many blessings. We are thankful for good health, loving friends and family, and our supportive work families. We are especially thankful for the gift of Claire and her team of medical professionals that have assisted in her progress since birth five weeks ago.
Speaking of Claire, she is edging in on 4 pounds and is currently weighing 3 pounds 14 ounces! Her doctor said she is starting to be a "chubber" - yay for Claire!! She is still working on mastering suck, swallow, and breathing coordination and has been doing beautifully on the bottle. The breast is still a challenge but we know that she will figure it out soon. Her feedings have been increased to 32 cc's and she is starting to show more personality. So far she seems to be a very mellow child but time will tell.
We look forward to Claire coming home but it still depends on her ability to tolerate oral feedings. We are told that she can take off quickly once she has mastered the art of suck coordination so it is a matter of time. The medical staff will advance Claire to an open crib when she is eating better which will be followed by her release to home. We remain patient with the process and thank you all for your continued support.
Wishing you and your families a lovely Thanksgiving holiday.
xo,
Denise & Alan
At this time of year we take time to reflect on our many blessings. We are thankful for good health, loving friends and family, and our supportive work families. We are especially thankful for the gift of Claire and her team of medical professionals that have assisted in her progress since birth five weeks ago.
Speaking of Claire, she is edging in on 4 pounds and is currently weighing 3 pounds 14 ounces! Her doctor said she is starting to be a "chubber" - yay for Claire!! She is still working on mastering suck, swallow, and breathing coordination and has been doing beautifully on the bottle. The breast is still a challenge but we know that she will figure it out soon. Her feedings have been increased to 32 cc's and she is starting to show more personality. So far she seems to be a very mellow child but time will tell.
We look forward to Claire coming home but it still depends on her ability to tolerate oral feedings. We are told that she can take off quickly once she has mastered the art of suck coordination so it is a matter of time. The medical staff will advance Claire to an open crib when she is eating better which will be followed by her release to home. We remain patient with the process and thank you all for your continued support.
Wishing you and your families a lovely Thanksgiving holiday.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Hello,
Today Claire has reached 37 weeks gestation and weighs 3 pounds 10 ounces! She is slowly learning to eat via bottle and has successfully latched to the breast. Her feedings are up to 30 cc's and she is gaining weight as expected and is looking more like a chubby baby. Alan is going to update the blog so you can view more recent photos.
Claire is spending more time awake during our visits as we are taking part in her feeding schedule. She is very bright-eyed and attempts to focus on our faces which is so cute. We will be visiting again shortly and will update you soon. The nurses have all fallen in love with Claire and visit her in our absence - even the L&D nurses that cared for us when I was in the hospital!
Thank you for your support.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Today Claire has reached 37 weeks gestation and weighs 3 pounds 10 ounces! She is slowly learning to eat via bottle and has successfully latched to the breast. Her feedings are up to 30 cc's and she is gaining weight as expected and is looking more like a chubby baby. Alan is going to update the blog so you can view more recent photos.
Claire is spending more time awake during our visits as we are taking part in her feeding schedule. She is very bright-eyed and attempts to focus on our faces which is so cute. We will be visiting again shortly and will update you soon. The nurses have all fallen in love with Claire and visit her in our absence - even the L&D nurses that cared for us when I was in the hospital!
Thank you for your support.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Hello,
Claire is officially one month old today! She has been moved to the less intensive care "suite" with the other feeder/grower babies - a huge milestone. Claire took an entire feeding on Tuesday of 28cc's via bottle!! She hasn't repeated that performance and is averaging around 18cc's as of today. The best news is that she is learning to coordinate suck/swallow/breathe sequencing which is necessary for her before she can come home.
Claire's feedings have been increased to 30cc's which she is tolerating well. She has had an occasional residual during the night-time but the doctor is not concerned. We know that she will continue to progress and will successfully tolerate all oral feedings as she masters the art of eating. The isolette temperature is gradually decreasing and she is tolerating time out of the isolette. We look forward to when she can transfer to an open crib.
Alan and I are now able to take Claire out of the isolette and return her without the nurse's assistance. We are enjoying more time with Claire, especially the hands-on cares. The bassinet has been set up and is ready for Claire when she can come home. It will happen when Claire is ready which is estimated within two weeks. She currently weighs three and a half pounds - woo hoo!
Thank you for your support and good wishes. More soon.
xo,
Denise and Alan
Claire is officially one month old today! She has been moved to the less intensive care "suite" with the other feeder/grower babies - a huge milestone. Claire took an entire feeding on Tuesday of 28cc's via bottle!! She hasn't repeated that performance and is averaging around 18cc's as of today. The best news is that she is learning to coordinate suck/swallow/breathe sequencing which is necessary for her before she can come home.
Claire's feedings have been increased to 30cc's which she is tolerating well. She has had an occasional residual during the night-time but the doctor is not concerned. We know that she will continue to progress and will successfully tolerate all oral feedings as she masters the art of eating. The isolette temperature is gradually decreasing and she is tolerating time out of the isolette. We look forward to when she can transfer to an open crib.
Alan and I are now able to take Claire out of the isolette and return her without the nurse's assistance. We are enjoying more time with Claire, especially the hands-on cares. The bassinet has been set up and is ready for Claire when she can come home. It will happen when Claire is ready which is estimated within two weeks. She currently weighs three and a half pounds - woo hoo!
Thank you for your support and good wishes. More soon.
xo,
Denise and Alan
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Hello,
Claire had her first bottle feeding yesterday and was able to take 18cc's...hooray for Claire!! She is having more issues with the breast but this will come in time. She is interested but doesn't quite know how to coordinate the suck as it is more work for a small baby on the breast.
Claire now weighs 3 pounds 7.5 ounces and is fast approaching 4 pounds. The calories have been increased in her feedings to assist weight gain and she begins vitamin supplements as well today. The nurses have let us hold Claire and walk around the unit which has been wonderful. Alan was able to hold and walk with her today and he was a very proud Dad. He took her temperature and changed her diaper too which helps to keep him in the loop. He doesn't see Claire as often as I do so it is nice for him to spend time with cares to share 1:1 time with Claire.
Claire is considered a "feeder and grower" now so the stress of the NICU has definitely decreased and our visits are more relaxing now. Thank you again for all of your support. We will write again soon.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Claire had her first bottle feeding yesterday and was able to take 18cc's...hooray for Claire!! She is having more issues with the breast but this will come in time. She is interested but doesn't quite know how to coordinate the suck as it is more work for a small baby on the breast.
Claire now weighs 3 pounds 7.5 ounces and is fast approaching 4 pounds. The calories have been increased in her feedings to assist weight gain and she begins vitamin supplements as well today. The nurses have let us hold Claire and walk around the unit which has been wonderful. Alan was able to hold and walk with her today and he was a very proud Dad. He took her temperature and changed her diaper too which helps to keep him in the loop. He doesn't see Claire as often as I do so it is nice for him to spend time with cares to share 1:1 time with Claire.
Claire is considered a "feeder and grower" now so the stress of the NICU has definitely decreased and our visits are more relaxing now. Thank you again for all of your support. We will write again soon.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Hello,
Claire has reached 36 weeks gestation today and tomorrow she will be one month old! Today was a wonderful day as the IV was discontinued. She is up to 28cc feedings via gavage and is doing well. She latched on today without any difficulty and even had her first small feeding. The evening nurse was wonderful and unhooked all of the monitors so that I could hold Claire and walk around the NICU with her in my arms. It was the first time that I have been able to hold her un-tethered and it was so special. The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to grow brighter :)
The goal now is for Claire to continue to increase her feedings as tolerated, introduce the bottle and nipple feeds, and wean her from the isolette to an open crib. When she is able to demonstrate continued weight gain, can maintain her body temperature outside the isolette, and is free of any illness or issues, she will then be able to come home. I know her discharge day is coming soon as the staff has started to do a lot of teaching related to care while at home and making sure that we have everything in place and are ready for Claire.
We remain positive and are so very proud of Claire. She is doing her job of sleeping, eating, and growing very well. Considering she is still a month away from her due date, she has made remarkable progress. Thank you all again for your kind thoughts and prayers. Your support has truly helped our family through this process of learning more than we ever thought we needed to know about preemies. More soon...
xo,
Denise & Alan
Claire has reached 36 weeks gestation today and tomorrow she will be one month old! Today was a wonderful day as the IV was discontinued. She is up to 28cc feedings via gavage and is doing well. She latched on today without any difficulty and even had her first small feeding. The evening nurse was wonderful and unhooked all of the monitors so that I could hold Claire and walk around the NICU with her in my arms. It was the first time that I have been able to hold her un-tethered and it was so special. The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to grow brighter :)
The goal now is for Claire to continue to increase her feedings as tolerated, introduce the bottle and nipple feeds, and wean her from the isolette to an open crib. When she is able to demonstrate continued weight gain, can maintain her body temperature outside the isolette, and is free of any illness or issues, she will then be able to come home. I know her discharge day is coming soon as the staff has started to do a lot of teaching related to care while at home and making sure that we have everything in place and are ready for Claire.
We remain positive and are so very proud of Claire. She is doing her job of sleeping, eating, and growing very well. Considering she is still a month away from her due date, she has made remarkable progress. Thank you all again for your kind thoughts and prayers. Your support has truly helped our family through this process of learning more than we ever thought we needed to know about preemies. More soon...
xo,
Denise & Alan
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hello All,
It has been a busy week with visiting Claire twice daily at the hospital. The current goal is to work with Claire so that she can learn to coordinate suck/swallow/breathe activities. She is a little trooper and doing well. She fatigues pretty quickly but is very alert and wide-eyed with the entire process called nonnutritive sucking. She is showing more interest and latching on so her progress is great.
Claire is up to 20cc's with her gavage feedings and the IV is slowly weaning. She will start bottle feed supplementation when she has demonstrated that she can tolerating her gavage feedings. So far her tummy is doing well and her residuals have been small.
Alan and I continue to provide more cares as we visit. Hopefully the IV will be discontinued within the next few days which will free Claire from one more monitor. Speaking of monitors, we are beginning to become accustomed to the chiming but it does give you pause. Thankfully Claire's monitors have quieted as she is stable with few issues. Typically they will alarm due to positional issues.
Claire is no longer the smallest baby in the NICU. She is still the senior resident but she is doing fabulously. We hope she will be able to come home by Thanksgiving (we are keeping our fingers crossed) but are ready for an early December date if the additional time is needed by Claire. We will post a new blog tomorrow
when Claire has reached 36 weeks gestation.
Love,
Denise and Alan
It has been a busy week with visiting Claire twice daily at the hospital. The current goal is to work with Claire so that she can learn to coordinate suck/swallow/breathe activities. She is a little trooper and doing well. She fatigues pretty quickly but is very alert and wide-eyed with the entire process called nonnutritive sucking. She is showing more interest and latching on so her progress is great.
Claire is up to 20cc's with her gavage feedings and the IV is slowly weaning. She will start bottle feed supplementation when she has demonstrated that she can tolerating her gavage feedings. So far her tummy is doing well and her residuals have been small.
Alan and I continue to provide more cares as we visit. Hopefully the IV will be discontinued within the next few days which will free Claire from one more monitor. Speaking of monitors, we are beginning to become accustomed to the chiming but it does give you pause. Thankfully Claire's monitors have quieted as she is stable with few issues. Typically they will alarm due to positional issues.
Claire is no longer the smallest baby in the NICU. She is still the senior resident but she is doing fabulously. We hope she will be able to come home by Thanksgiving (we are keeping our fingers crossed) but are ready for an early December date if the additional time is needed by Claire. We will post a new blog tomorrow
when Claire has reached 36 weeks gestation.
Love,
Denise and Alan
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Hello All,
Claire is nearly 3 pounds 4 ounces and 15 3/4" long. She is up to 16 cc for her gavage feedings and is doing well with minimal residuals!! She is wearing clothes now so we have brought her preemie onesies to the hospital so that she can wear them before she outgrows her preemie wardrobe. If she continues to do well, there is a possibility that she will be able to come home for Thanksgiving. It is more likely that she will be ready to come home the first week of December.
The IV may come out by the end of the week if Claire continues to tolerate increasing volumes with her feedings. This will be a huge milestone for our daughter. The current focus is for transition to oral feedings. She isn't too interested right now but we are confident that she will do well. Claire has proven that she is a great fighter and a strong baby.
Claire is good-tempered and only fusses if there is a reason. We are providing cares now and she barely cries with diaper changes. She has begun to open her eyes more frequently and she is so cute as she tries to focus on our faces. Claire continues to do her job of sleeping and growing. We are so happy with her progress and are able to hold her more frequently now. I am visiting twice daily now and am able to spend more 1:1 time handling Claire.
We are going to visit again this evening and I will update you soon. Thank you all for your support.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Claire is nearly 3 pounds 4 ounces and 15 3/4" long. She is up to 16 cc for her gavage feedings and is doing well with minimal residuals!! She is wearing clothes now so we have brought her preemie onesies to the hospital so that she can wear them before she outgrows her preemie wardrobe. If she continues to do well, there is a possibility that she will be able to come home for Thanksgiving. It is more likely that she will be ready to come home the first week of December.
The IV may come out by the end of the week if Claire continues to tolerate increasing volumes with her feedings. This will be a huge milestone for our daughter. The current focus is for transition to oral feedings. She isn't too interested right now but we are confident that she will do well. Claire has proven that she is a great fighter and a strong baby.
Claire is good-tempered and only fusses if there is a reason. We are providing cares now and she barely cries with diaper changes. She has begun to open her eyes more frequently and she is so cute as she tries to focus on our faces. Claire continues to do her job of sleeping and growing. We are so happy with her progress and are able to hold her more frequently now. I am visiting twice daily now and am able to spend more 1:1 time handling Claire.
We are going to visit again this evening and I will update you soon. Thank you all for your support.
xo,
Denise & Alan
Monday, November 8, 2010
Baby Claire is 3 weeks old today!
Wow - what a difference a week has made! Claire is doing beautifully. She is gaining weight & growing and tolerating time outside the isolette. I was able to hold her yesterday for nearly 2 hours and assisted with her cares during that time. She was very alert and awake prior to her dinner and had her little eyes open and was very expressive. It was a treasure as we don't see her awake much as she spends her time sleeping and growing. Sisters Emma & Mary and boyfriend Zach visited Claire too. As I was holding her outside the isolette, they were able to better see her up close and personal. They were happy to spend time with their little sister and look forward to the time when they can hold her.
Today was Alan's turn. He held her for over an hour and put her into her first outfit. She is actually ready to wear clothes so we are thrilled!! We will also start to be more active in her care as she is now stable. It is time for us to get ready for the transition when she is ready to come home. I will begin spending time in the NICU twice daily to start nippling which will prepare Claire for oral feeds. She is still being fed via gavage feedings and is up to 12cc's. So far she is tolerating the feedings but it could still be a little while until she is ready to be up to full speed. Her IV is slowly decreasing as the volume of her gavage feedings are increasing. Once Claire has learned what the breast is all about and can coordinate suck/swallow, she will likely take off and start making greater leaps.
We are s-l-o-w-l-y starting to breathe easier but this continues to be a day by day process. The good news is that she has remained stable and as she grows larger, her incidence of preemie issues will decrease. We are extremely thankful that Claire continues to do well. Thank you all for the positive thoughts, prayers, and good wishes.
More soon,
Denise & Alan
Today was Alan's turn. He held her for over an hour and put her into her first outfit. She is actually ready to wear clothes so we are thrilled!! We will also start to be more active in her care as she is now stable. It is time for us to get ready for the transition when she is ready to come home. I will begin spending time in the NICU twice daily to start nippling which will prepare Claire for oral feeds. She is still being fed via gavage feedings and is up to 12cc's. So far she is tolerating the feedings but it could still be a little while until she is ready to be up to full speed. Her IV is slowly decreasing as the volume of her gavage feedings are increasing. Once Claire has learned what the breast is all about and can coordinate suck/swallow, she will likely take off and start making greater leaps.
We are s-l-o-w-l-y starting to breathe easier but this continues to be a day by day process. The good news is that she has remained stable and as she grows larger, her incidence of preemie issues will decrease. We are extremely thankful that Claire continues to do well. Thank you all for the positive thoughts, prayers, and good wishes.
More soon,
Denise & Alan
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Hello,
Baby Claire now weighs 3 pounds 1 ounce! We are so very happy that our daughter continues to do well. She is getting 8cc feedings every 3 hours. The feeds are being advanced slowly to allow her tummy to digest the breast milk. She is being followed closely and hopefully she will continue to tolerate gradually larger feedings. She remains in the isolette which allows her to continue to grow and put on weight.
Claire is now the senior member of the NICU ward :) There are 10 babies currently receiving care which is keeping the staff busy. I was able to hold Claire today again which was wonderful - for an hour! She slept most of the time but cooed on occasion, became cranky when it was time to eat, and then mellowed again and was quite alert with eyes wide open after eating. She is so incredibly cute - I can't wait until she can come home. Alan called while I was visiting Claire and I placed him on speaker phone so that he could talk to her. Claire recognized his voice and opened her eyes!
We learned that there is a car seat test that Claire will need to pass before she comes home. It is likely that she will be less than 5 pounds when she is ready for discharge and the test is required for preemie or small babies. Basically they will monitor her to make sure that she is in proper position which will allow for appropriate oxygenation. It is an easy test - she just sits in the car seat with the pulse ox monitor in place for an hour. We haven't reached this milestone but it is nice to know what is around the next corner.
Claire, Alan, and I appreciate all of your support - thank you for checking in. I will visit Claire again tomorrow and and will update you as to her progress.
Thanks again,
Denise & Alan
Baby Claire now weighs 3 pounds 1 ounce! We are so very happy that our daughter continues to do well. She is getting 8cc feedings every 3 hours. The feeds are being advanced slowly to allow her tummy to digest the breast milk. She is being followed closely and hopefully she will continue to tolerate gradually larger feedings. She remains in the isolette which allows her to continue to grow and put on weight.
Claire is now the senior member of the NICU ward :) There are 10 babies currently receiving care which is keeping the staff busy. I was able to hold Claire today again which was wonderful - for an hour! She slept most of the time but cooed on occasion, became cranky when it was time to eat, and then mellowed again and was quite alert with eyes wide open after eating. She is so incredibly cute - I can't wait until she can come home. Alan called while I was visiting Claire and I placed him on speaker phone so that he could talk to her. Claire recognized his voice and opened her eyes!
We learned that there is a car seat test that Claire will need to pass before she comes home. It is likely that she will be less than 5 pounds when she is ready for discharge and the test is required for preemie or small babies. Basically they will monitor her to make sure that she is in proper position which will allow for appropriate oxygenation. It is an easy test - she just sits in the car seat with the pulse ox monitor in place for an hour. We haven't reached this milestone but it is nice to know what is around the next corner.
Claire, Alan, and I appreciate all of your support - thank you for checking in. I will visit Claire again tomorrow and and will update you as to her progress.
Thanks again,
Denise & Alan
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Hello again,
Claire weighs 2 pounds 13 ounces today! The IV line has been discontinued and she only has the PICC line in place. Her feedings were increased to 7cc today and so far so good. She is doing very well and has become a boring patient again. We had a nice talk with the Neonatologist and the feedings will be gradually increased with a close eye on the TPN/lipids which will decrease as she tolerates the gavage feedings. The doctors are very happy with her progress as she approaches 35 weeks gestational age. They have been great at including us in Claire's care plan and keeping us constantly updated as to her progress.
Claire tolerated being held again today and of course I loved every minute of our time together. The NICU had a pair of twins arrive as we were leaving today. That brings the baby total to 10 at this time. There are student nurses providing cares which reminded me of being a nursing student back in the day. Two local colleges, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, have nursing programs which rotate students into the NICU.
Alan took some photos of Claire today so we hope to add a few new pictures soon. We remain thankful for Claire's amazing progress and continue to look forward to the day that she can come home.
Thank you for your support. We appreciate all of the kind thoughts and prayers.
More soon,
xo
Denise & Alan
Claire weighs 2 pounds 13 ounces today! The IV line has been discontinued and she only has the PICC line in place. Her feedings were increased to 7cc today and so far so good. She is doing very well and has become a boring patient again. We had a nice talk with the Neonatologist and the feedings will be gradually increased with a close eye on the TPN/lipids which will decrease as she tolerates the gavage feedings. The doctors are very happy with her progress as she approaches 35 weeks gestational age. They have been great at including us in Claire's care plan and keeping us constantly updated as to her progress.
Claire tolerated being held again today and of course I loved every minute of our time together. The NICU had a pair of twins arrive as we were leaving today. That brings the baby total to 10 at this time. There are student nurses providing cares which reminded me of being a nursing student back in the day. Two local colleges, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, have nursing programs which rotate students into the NICU.
Alan took some photos of Claire today so we hope to add a few new pictures soon. We remain thankful for Claire's amazing progress and continue to look forward to the day that she can come home.
Thank you for your support. We appreciate all of the kind thoughts and prayers.
More soon,
xo
Denise & Alan
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Hello,
Claire graduated to a bigger diaper today. Actually, the next size is too big but can be folded to fit her as the smaller mini size is getting a little snug. She continues to tolerate her feedings and increased to 5cc's every three hours today. She is doing what she does best, sleeping and growing which is what she would be doing if she was still in the womb.
The next milestone is around the corner. The doctor tells us that after 21 days of life, the risk for premie-related issues decreases. As Claire will be three weeks old on Monday, November 8, 2010, we will begin to breathe a little easier after that date. Claire continues to do well. I was able to hold her again and she snuggled right in and was cooing - so very sweet. The nurses love to take care of her and everyone says she looks just like Alan. We are happy that she has had another good day and has begun to gain weight.
Thank you for the positive thoughts and prayers. We appreciate the support.
More soon,
xo
D
Claire graduated to a bigger diaper today. Actually, the next size is too big but can be folded to fit her as the smaller mini size is getting a little snug. She continues to tolerate her feedings and increased to 5cc's every three hours today. She is doing what she does best, sleeping and growing which is what she would be doing if she was still in the womb.
The next milestone is around the corner. The doctor tells us that after 21 days of life, the risk for premie-related issues decreases. As Claire will be three weeks old on Monday, November 8, 2010, we will begin to breathe a little easier after that date. Claire continues to do well. I was able to hold her again and she snuggled right in and was cooing - so very sweet. The nurses love to take care of her and everyone says she looks just like Alan. We are happy that she has had another good day and has begun to gain weight.
Thank you for the positive thoughts and prayers. We appreciate the support.
More soon,
xo
D
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Hello -
Claire weighs two pounds eleven ounces! She is tolerating her feeds for two days now which is a great sign of her recovery. The doctor will advance the feedings to correspond with her weight gain. It will be a gradual process but hopefully the slower pace will agree with Claire and we won't have any additional problems with her tummy.
Alan was able to hold her skin to skin and enjoyed the time with Claire. We changed her diaper and took her temperature too. She still needs to be in the isolette to monitor her temperature and the other monitors continue to measure her heart rate and respiratory status. Because she is a premie, she is still learning how to monitor her breathing and temperature. The monitors are necessary to keep her stable and notify the Rn's of any change in her status. This is a slow process but we know the hospital is exactly where Claire needs to be. It is difficult to leave her but we know that she will come home when she is strong and safe to start life with us.
The NICU was very busy today. I think the baby count was 9 which included the triplets which were transferred into the NICU when we were visiting. There was a lot of staff present from MD's to RT's - a very busy place to take care of the littlest ones as they start life!
We remain positive and know that Claire will continue to thrive. The nursery furniture was delivered today, the bassinette should be delivered by the end of the week, and we ordered the car seat and stroller today. We are slowly getting the house ready for Claire's arrival. In that sense, it is a good thing that she isn't ready to come home because we don't have everything in place quite yet. Of course we would make do if she was able to come home before we were ready. :)
Again, thank you for all of the good wishes. Your support means so much to us!
More soon,
xo
D
Claire weighs two pounds eleven ounces! She is tolerating her feeds for two days now which is a great sign of her recovery. The doctor will advance the feedings to correspond with her weight gain. It will be a gradual process but hopefully the slower pace will agree with Claire and we won't have any additional problems with her tummy.
Alan was able to hold her skin to skin and enjoyed the time with Claire. We changed her diaper and took her temperature too. She still needs to be in the isolette to monitor her temperature and the other monitors continue to measure her heart rate and respiratory status. Because she is a premie, she is still learning how to monitor her breathing and temperature. The monitors are necessary to keep her stable and notify the Rn's of any change in her status. This is a slow process but we know the hospital is exactly where Claire needs to be. It is difficult to leave her but we know that she will come home when she is strong and safe to start life with us.
The NICU was very busy today. I think the baby count was 9 which included the triplets which were transferred into the NICU when we were visiting. There was a lot of staff present from MD's to RT's - a very busy place to take care of the littlest ones as they start life!
We remain positive and know that Claire will continue to thrive. The nursery furniture was delivered today, the bassinette should be delivered by the end of the week, and we ordered the car seat and stroller today. We are slowly getting the house ready for Claire's arrival. In that sense, it is a good thing that she isn't ready to come home because we don't have everything in place quite yet. Of course we would make do if she was able to come home before we were ready. :)
Again, thank you for all of the good wishes. Your support means so much to us!
More soon,
xo
D
Monday, November 1, 2010
Baby Claire is 2 weeks old today!
Hello,
Claire is doing great - she has gained a little weight and will start feeds again today. All of her lab work and x-rays are normal so she has done well following the latest hiccup in her recovery. We were able to hold her again yesterday. It is called kangaroo care which is skin to skin contact for mommy and baby. She was very relaxed and showed no signs of distress so clearly our little one is starting to do well outside the isolette.
We will visit again today and I will provide an update after our visit. The NICU is busy once again - three new babies admitted yesterday and triplets expected on Tuesday. Claire is in good company - she remains small but is very feisty and full of energy.
Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayers. Your support is greatly appreciated.
xo,
D
Claire is doing great - she has gained a little weight and will start feeds again today. All of her lab work and x-rays are normal so she has done well following the latest hiccup in her recovery. We were able to hold her again yesterday. It is called kangaroo care which is skin to skin contact for mommy and baby. She was very relaxed and showed no signs of distress so clearly our little one is starting to do well outside the isolette.
We will visit again today and I will provide an update after our visit. The NICU is busy once again - three new babies admitted yesterday and triplets expected on Tuesday. Claire is in good company - she remains small but is very feisty and full of energy.
Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayers. Your support is greatly appreciated.
xo,
D
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