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
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