Lauren continues to do well. She had a nice weight gain today - she weighed 2 lbs, 5.8 oz. Now that she is in Level II care, she is not being seen on a day-to-day basis by a neonatologist. She is being seen daily by the nurse practitioners, but her care is overseen by the neonatologists. Lauren likes to be bundled up and likes to be on her left side - she sleeps very well like that. She does not, however, like to have her arms restrained under the blanket - she tries to get them out from under the blanket to bring them up next to her face.
11/24/01 10:30PM:
Baby Lauren weighed the same today as yesterday: 2 lbs, 5.8 oz. They are starting her on MCT (oil) added to her feedings to increase her caloric intake even more, and she is also getting multivitamins with the feeds. Dr. Bufo mentioned something about taking Lauren back to the operating room and reversing the ileostomy 6 weeks after the last surgery, but it is not for sure. He is consulting a pediatric gastroenterologist to see if he has any suggestions on how to get her to increase weight a bit faster. She is moving her bowels so well that they are giving her Imodium to slow her down. Baby Lauren smiles when she hears familiar voices...
11/25/01 11:30PM:
Grandma Nidia and Grandpa Gilberto got to hold Baby Lauren for the first time tonight. They were elated!!! Lauren gained some weight: today she weighed 2 lbs 6.6 oz. She is tolerating the feeds with the added oil well with no residual volumes. She is having a good night...
11/26/01 11:00PM:
Tonight Lauren weighed 2 lbs 7.8 oz. Lauren is gaining weight little by little, but not fast enough for their liking... The nurse practitioner said that the gastroenterologist will be seeing Lauren tomorrow. It is possible that she might have to go back on the TPN venous feedings or be switched to formula feeds...
11/27/01 10:00PM:
Lauren passed the 2 1/2 pound mark today!!! She now weighs 2 lbs, 8.6 oz. The pediatric gastroenterologist saw her today and made some changes to her nutrition. He switched her back to TPN feedings via the central IV line, and he kept her on the gastric feedings at a lower volume of 10 cc's every three hours. This way she will get the increased calories from the TPN and still get the benefits of Mommy's milk. She is tolerating the changes well with no residual volumes. There is still talk of Dr. Bufo taking Lauren back to surgery to put her intestines back together and get rid of the ileostomy stoma sometime in mid-December. The nurse said that it seems the Imodium is working, since her stools were a little more firm today, and her urine output was a little higher. Get stronger for that surgery, Baby Girl!!!
11/28/01 11:00PM:
Lauren is keeping up her weight gain: she weighed 2 lbs 9.6 oz tonight. She is sleeping well and not being too fussy for her nurse. She is passing a good amount of stool that is not as watery as it was last week, so it seems the Imodium is doing its job. Daddy thinks he should contact the makers of Imodium to see if they would like to be Lauren's corporate sponsors.
11/29/01 11:30PM:
Daddy checked in on Lauren tonight and her nurse said she was sleeping peacefully. They changed her stoma bag today because the one she had was leaking a little bit. The nurse said Lauren has been stable, is maintaining her temperature well, and gained weight again today. She weighed in at 2 lbs 10.8 oz (1.215 Kilos). In addition to the TPN she is getting some IV fluids, but other than that there haven't been any changes. Tomorrow morning they are checking her blood for white and red blood cell counts. Hopefully they're OK.....
11/30/01 11:00PM:
Lauren gained a little more weight again. She was 2 lbs 11.1 oz tonight. This morning's labs showed her red blood cells were low again, so she got transfused with the last unit of blood (THANK YOU!!!) they had in reserve from a direct donor. The neonatologist said that after she goes back to the O.R. in two weeks her red blood cells will probably be low again and she will need another transfusion then. They expect that she will gain weight faster after the surgery. Mommy says that Lauren is looking chubbier every day...