Lauren continues to tolerate the nasal CPAP and is restful. She occasionally shows very mild signs of increased work of breathing, so they gave her a medicine called aminophylline to help boost her respiratory system. Grandpa Gilberto visited for the first time and got to see her pretty eyes open. Grandma Nidia got to touch her toes for a little bit. Daddy serenaded her with a touching rendition of "twinkle, twinkle little star.."- amazingly, she didn't get upset.
10/05/01 9:30PM:
Lauren was in the process of being cleaned up when we arrived. She had a diaper full of peepee so we know her kidneys are continuing to function well. She hates being stimulated too much and today we finally got to hear our little girl cry - it is a beautiful sound. We got to touch her some more, and it is very hard to keep from reaching in there and making physical contact with her. It is only the knowledge that we might harm her by too much tactile stimulation that keeps that yearning in check. Lauren continues to open her eyes when her parents speak softly to her. Mommy got to touch her fuzzy back with her finger, and the look on her face when she did so put a big lump in Daddy's throat. The effect of Mommy's voice softly saying Lauren's name rhythmycally is very calming to Lauren - her heart rate slows and her breathing becomes more even. After all - it is the voice she knows best... Today brought some very tragic news: Lauren's little neighbor across the room died today. He was slightly premature at 35 weeks (2 1/2 months older than Lauren at birth) and about 5 times her size. He was only 1 day old and his condition was grim from the start. We feel very lucky that our little girl is still with us, and just imagining what his parents are going through is enough to bring tears to my eyes. I will pray for the little boy who died tonight. Please do the same...
10/6/01 11:00AM:
Lauren had an uneventful night. She rested all night and didn't give her nurse any trouble. She now weighs 1 lb 3.4 oz, so she has not dropped that much since birth. Today marks Lauren's first week in the outside world, and to commemorate that they took the Saran wrap off, since the neonatologist feels that by now her skin is just thick enough to prevent her from losing moisture though evaporation. Today they also took the gastric tube off suction, so it will no longer "suck" out any contents that the stomach might have. This is the first step towards "normal," or "p.o." feedings. It's a good thing, because Mommy now has quite a large stock of pumped milk for Lauren in her freezer. She is still on the nasal CPAP, but they have lowered the oxygen to 21%, so she is now breathing the same air that we breathe. Dr. Bufo saw her today and said that she now has bowel sounds and she is passing stools, so her gut has started working again. They are thinking about moving her from the bed with the "french fry" warmer to an isolette "condo" (incubator) of her own. Mommy and Daddy both sang to Lauren. They make a great duet: Mommy has the voice and Daddy remembers the words...
10/6/01 11:00PM:
Lauren is now in her isolette, and she is resting comfortably. This is the place where she will do most of her growth, since it is a warm, enclosed space that is well insulated so she does not get so much stimulation from the ambient noise in the unit. She is still on CPAP, and they have had to go up and down on the oxygen settings because she sometimes gets so sleepy that she takes very shallow breaths. Although she is tolerating the nasal prongs well, I can't help but feel that she will get tired at some point and have to be reintubated. She is still so tiny - and breathing is such hard work at this stage. She had a couple of bradycardic episodes again, but does not seem to be in much distress. Tonight she weighed in at 1 lb 4.6 oz (582 grams) so she has gained a little weight. Her gut has started working but she has not had anything in her stomach, and her stomach acids are irritating her and causing some blood to come out of the gastric tube. She is getting some Maalox for that to neutralize the acids.