Today Aerin had her first eye exam. I think it was worse for me than it was for her. The eye doctor, Dr. Carruthers, put numbing eye drops in her eyes before conducting the exam so she wouldn't feel any pain. She was, however, very annoyed by the light he had to shine in her eyes and she let the world know it. Frankly, it was a struggle not to pull the doctor away from her and beat him to the ground.
Aerin has Stage I Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which is what you'd expect in a preemie of her gestational age. The doctor viewed it as good news and told me that there's no chance she'll be blind and almost zero chance she'll need surgery. It will probably resolve itself. Our NICU has had almost no cases of ROP, so I'm not too worried.
Aerin also had her bath today and she loved it. She was so worn out from all the crying she did during the eye exam that she was happy to relax in the tub. Actually, it's more like a small bucket. She went right to sleep after I tucked her into her freshly-made bed.
Andrew and I are interviewing a pediatrician tomorrow. The NICU nurses recommended him - he used to work in the NICU. He left to open his own pediatrics practice. I really think I'll feel more comfortable with a pediatrician who used to be a neonatologist. I think he'll understand her special issues more than a regular pediatrician. The nurses haven't steered me wrong yet.
Lastly, Aerin regained all the weight she lost and is back up to 2 pounds, 12 ounces.
1 comment:
She's doing so well!
Have the doctors given you any kind of idea of when you might be able to take her home? Is there a target weight/condition she needs to get to first?
Tracy (Farmgirl)
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