Lauren was under the effects of anesthesia most of the night. When she started to come around, the nurse gave her medications for pain. Last night she got some blood during surgery even though the blood loss was minimal (5cc's, or 1 teaspoon). When she got to the NICU after surgery they transfused her again, and she got another transfusion this morning. She was acidotic this morning, so she got some bicarb, and that helped. They increased the ventilator settings this morning. They managed to insert an arterial line into her right wrist last night, and they started an IV on her left arm this morning. Her belly doesn't look as distended as yerterday, but it does look swollen. Her weight this morning was 1 lb, 15.4 oz, almost 2 pounds. She has a lot of swelling, though, so it's probably not a true weight gain. Her kidneys aren't working as well after the surgery, so her urine output is lower than normal. She is back on the TPN intravenous feedings, and there is not much drainage from the gastric tube. The nurse heard a murmur in Lauren's heart this morning, so they ordered an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) to see if there are any abnormalities. The nurse is a little concerned that the stomas look kind of dark red instead of bright red or pink, and she will ask Dr. Bufo about it when he comes in to see her.
11/01/01 6:00PM:
Lauren's echocardiogram showed some small abnormalities in her heart. There appears to be a small Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and a small Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), small holes in the walls that separate the left side of the heart from the right side of the heart. The echo technician was not too concerned about them since they appear to be minor defects, but the neonatologist consulted the pediatric cardiologist nevertheless just to be on the safe side. They discontinued the Amphoteracin today since it is highly unlikely that there is a fungal infection, but they kept her on the Vancomycin and the Tobramycin. Her ventilator settings were increased more during the day. Hopefully they won't keep her on high settings for long, since the more time she spends on the ventilator the higher the risk of lung and eye damage. Lauren's kidneys are back to more normal function and her urine output has increased. Her belly still looks swollen, but Dr. Bufo said everything looks normal when he came to examine her. The cardiologist hasn't come by to see her yet, but it is not an urgent situation. Baby Lauren opened her eyes when Daddy spoke to her and sang her some songs. They have her on a warmer and not in an incubator so it is easier for the nurses. It is also much nicer for Mommy and Daddy to look at her without having plastic between them and their baby...
11/02/01 1:30AM:
Daddy checked in on Lauren by phone. The nurse said that the pediatric cardiologist reviewed the echocardiogram and didn't see any ASD or VSD. The neonatologist will have them repeat the echocardiogram in a week to see if there are any changes seen. She also said that there haven't been any changes in Lauren's condition, although her abdomen looks more swollen than yesterday. They brought her oxygen setting down to 30% from 35%. She has gotten pain medication several times to keep her comfortable (the baby - not the nurse...).
11/02/01 6:00PM:
Lauren looks much better today. She is pink, and her stomach does not look as swollen. Last night she weighed in at 1 lb, 14.4 oz, but some of that is still probably from swelling. Her kidneys are back to normal functioning. Lauren's vent settings were brought back down some, but they are still higher than before due to the fact that she is getting pain medications frequently, and they tend to make her very sleeepy. They took out the IV line in her left arm and put one in on her right ankle, so now she doesn't have two immobile arms. Dr. Bufo said that her stomas look good and that she is recovering well from the surgery. The nurse said today was uneventful and there were no big changes in Lauren's condition. Big Brother Preston came to see Lauren today and blew kisses at her through the window. Lauren wishes she could be home this weekend - it's Preston's 3rd birthday and they are having a party for him... Don't worry, Baby Lauren, next year you can make up for it.