Day 30: One Month Old!

Aerin is one month old today! She celebrated by needing a very low percentage of oxygen - room air most of the time and going up to 12 cc's with her feeds.

Day 29: Part 2

Bath time was great - I felt more confident this time. Aerin's nurse, Jennifer, showed me a new way to wash her hair. We swaddled her in a blanket and took her out of the isolette. Then I held her in a football hold and washed her hair with a baby brush. She loved it and I loved holding her like that. I really liked having Andrew there and he did a great job of capturing everything on film (we're still trying to figure out how to get video footage online). After her bath, I got to kangaroo her, which is always sublime. Jennifer told me that a mother's body will adjust to whatever temperature will benefit the baby - if the baby is cold, the mother will warm up and if the baby is warm, the mother will cool down. I know that there are some who will say that this is biology, but they're wrong - it's mothers' love.

Aerin is up to 2 pounds, 5 and 1/3 ounces!

Andrew and I often talk quietly while I kangaroo Aerin, as we did this evening. The things that most new parents are starting to find tedious by the time their babies are one month old are fantastic for us. Giving Aerin a bath is the highlight of our week and we're thrilled when she has poopy diapers (it means that her digestive system is working like it should). We know how special these things really are. And in some ways, it'll be easier for us when we bring Aerin home. We'll know what we're doing, because the NICU nurses are such good teachers and they really encourage us to be involved in her care.

Today we said good-bye to Aerin's New York City grandma, Rita Marx. We had a great visit and can't wait to see her next month!

Day 29

Aerin has been breathing room air (21% oxygen) off and on for most of the day! Her blood gas was very good and her bilirubin was low enough that she came off the lamp. That is so much faster than it would have been on the biliblanket. She's up to 11 cc's with her feedings.

I am going to give her another bath this evening and Andrew is planning to watch for the first time.

Day 28: Later

I just got back from the hospital - I just wanted to spend some more time with my baby girl. It's so hard being separated from her. Leaving the hospital is awful - it's like that old song, "Every time we say good-bye, I die a little..." I always thought that song was overly sentimental, but now it describes exactly how I feel.

Aerin is doing so well. She slept the entire time I was there, except when Jennifer, her night nurse, and I did her care (diaper change, temperature check, eye drops, etc.). I did the diaper change and temp, which I always do when I am there. I have mastered the art of making a regular preemie diaper fit my micro-preemie (lots of intricate folding). She was pretty happy to get the eye drops and opened her eyes wide and smiled - it was so adorable. She's back up to 2 pounds, 4 ounces and is taking 8 cc's per feeding.

Day 28: 4 Weeks Old

Aerin celebrated her 4-week birthday by having her best respiratory day, ever. Her Vapotherm was turned down to 2 liters and she went all the way down to 21% oxygen at one point. That's room air! This is a very good sign - it means that she's closer to being off any supplemental oxygen.

Her feedings are up to 8 cc's with no problems.

She's still under the bililight, but she'll get another blood gas tomorrow morning and they'll check her bilirubin level.

I kangarooed her for about an hour today and she was mad when she had to go back in her isolette. She didn't cry, but she made a face like, "I am not happy with this turn of events." Then she fell asleep.

March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is an organization that is very special to Andrew and me. Their Prematurity Campaign is so important, not just to our family, but to the families of the 500,000 infants born prematurely each year. We've set up a band for Aerin in the MoD bandingtogether program, whereby people can make contributions in her name. We hope you'll consider donating to the cause.

Day 27

Today Aerin is 30 weeks gestational and she had a good day. She's still in the 30's on the Vapotherm and her feeds are up to 5 cc's. Her stomach x-ray was great. The plan is to bump her up 1 cc every 3 feeds. She's still under the bililight, but she's comfortable enough to sleep all day and night.

I got to hold her for about 2 hours today! It was bliss. She had a brief bradycardia while I was holding her. It was so fast that her alarm didn't even have a chance to ring off and she brought herself right out of it. One of the nurses, Chris, said that she was just so relaxed being kangarooed that she forgot to breathe for a second. Aerin's day nurse, Debbie, showed me a new kangaroo technique. The old method is me sitting in a chair and the nurse taking her out of the isolette and handing her to me. With the new method, I lift her out of the isolette and put her to my chest and sit down with her. It's a new method that the nurses just learned in their latest clinic. The idea is that it takes less time for the babies to settle down and I can tell you that it works. Aerin didn't even open her eyes when I picked her up and put her to my chest. She snuggled right down and her stats stayed exactly the same. I love this method because it gives me the most hands-on time with her and because it's such a normal thing for a mother to do with her baby - pick her up out of her bed and hold her.

Day 26

Aerin is even better today. Her feedings resumed at 3 cc's. So far, so good. She'll go up to 4 cc's tomorrow morning if things continue to go well. Her cultures from Thursday are still negative, which means that there is definitely no infection! Her bilirubin is up again, so she's back on phototherapy. I asked Dr. Falterman to put her under the bililight, rather than the biliblanket. It was funny - he told me that he thought he was going to have to talk me into the bililight. Aerin doesn't mind the eye mask, but she just can't get comfortable on the biliblanket. She's much happier on a soft mattress, with her sheepskin and blanket, than on the hard, plastic light panel. Also, the bililight works much faster. I'd rather her be on the bililight for a couple of days than be on the blanket for a week.

Today was a big day - Aerin's paternal grandmother, Rita Marx, came to visit from New York City, it was the first time Andrew got to hold her, and the first time she wore her own hat. It was just wonderful for me to see Aerin being held by her Daddy. She settled right down and seemed to really enjoy it. She looked so cute in her hat, which is still a little big on her. The hat was a gift from our dear friends: Jim, Amy, and Emily Anne.

Day 25: Part 2

The transfusion really made Aerin feel better. She's breathing much easier and her oxygen percentage is back in the 20's and 30's. She looks a lot better, too.

Despite being off feedings, she didn't lose any weight. She's still at 2 pounds, 3 ounces. She will probably start back on feeds tomorrow morning, after the doctors get together to make their report.

Aerin has graduated from peewee diapers to preemie diapers. They're huge on her, but the peewees just weren't doing the job. She might be allowed to start wearing hats, too. It'll be a while before we can dress her, though.

I got to give Aerin a bath for the first time. We both loved it! I was a bit nervous, but Aerin's nurse, Natalie, was beside me the entire time. She assured me that I did great. It was just a sponge bath, but I did use real infant soap. Aerin was awake and alert the entire time and she didn't get stressed out at all. She frowned a bit when I washed her back, but she cheered up when I washed her hair. She was so happy to be shampooed that I swear she smiled. She has never looked more adorable and that's saying something. It was such a joy to be able to bathe her that I'm still walking on air.

Day 25: One Step Back...

Aerin is taking a step backward - they are putting in another PIC line. Her latest x-ray showed that there was dilation in one of her bowel loops again. It resolved itself by her next x-ray, but the doctor doesn't feel comfortable keeping her on such high feedings. She'll need the line for the nutrients that they have to give her so she'll continue to grow. The doctor doesn't think it's NEC, which is the one to worry about. He thinks it's just that she's having motility issues because her bowels are immature.

She's also getting a blood transfusion because she's anemic, which is very common in young preemies. Other than that, she's fine. In fact, her breathing is actually much better than it was. She's on a lower percentage of oxygen and she hasn't had any apnea episodes.

We're disappointed, but not overly upset. Dr. Fraker assured us that the PIC line will come out once she's back on full feeds, which will hopefully be later this week. They're going to start them back much more slowly than they did before.

This is prophylactic medicine - they're not treating anything that's acute, they're just taking preventative measures. I'm glad about that - it will keep Aerin on a benign course.

Day 24: Part 2

I am happy to report that Aerin is officially over her NEC scare. She's back on feedings! They started her at 10 cc's and she's tolerated them beautifully. They'll bump her up 5 cc's every 3 feedings until she's back to 20 cc's.

She had a good day. She had one very brief apnea episode, which the nurse thinks was from reflux. It's a big change for a tiny baby to go from no food to 10 cc's, so some reflux is to be expected. She was a little warm in the afternoon, so the nurse turned her isolette temperature down. That ended up making her too cool to be held today. Andrew is going to try tomorrow and I'm looking forward to seeing Aerin being held by her Daddy for the first time.

They monitor Aerin's temperature so closely that even a tenth of a degree change is noticed. When I say that she was warm, I mean that she was about .1 of a degree warm. She didn't have a fever or anything like that. She was about .2 of a degree cool, but they don't want to take any chances. Preemies are extremely sensitive to temperature changes.

Day 24

Aerin is sleeping peacefully. She had a good night - no episodes at all and she was even down to 25% oxygen at some point. She's at 38% now, which is still a significant improvement. She seems to be adjusting to the shift from the Aminophylline to caffine. Her bilirubin is up a bit, but they're not putting her back on the biliblanket for now. I asked her nurse (Michelle today) to request that they put her under the bililight if she needs more phototherapy. Since she has to wear an eye mask either way, I really think she'll be more comfortable - the biliblanket is not very comfortable.

We'll know the results of the latest stomach x-ray later today. The doctors haven't said anything to the nurse yet, which is a good sign. If it was bad, they'd have read it in-depth immediately and issue new orders. As usual, no news is good news.

Andrew and I will be going to a support group meeting that they hold in the hospital every first and third Thursday of every month. We went to one last month (it was on the day I was discharged and I was a wreck) and found it very helpful.

Day 23: Part 2

Aerin had an uneven day today. We got a heart-stopping call from the hospital informing us that they were stopping her feedings because her stomach x-ray showed that there was some dilation in one of the loops of her bowel. Her stomach had looked a bit distended, which is why the x-ray had been ordered. The doctor thought it might be NEC, even though she didn't have any other symptoms and her CBC was fine. However, between the phone call and the time Andrew and I got to the hospital, Aerin had made an epically huge poop. She filled up 2 diapers in under a minute. Even the nurse described it as "disgusting." Afterward, her stomach was much less distended and her x-ray was almost completely normal and her bowel sounds were vastly improved. The doctors and nurses are almost certain that it's not NEC and her feedings will resume tomorrow if her morning x-ray is normal.

As if that weren't enough, Aerin had 2 quick A&B (apnea and bradycardia) episodes while we were there. They were over so fast that we didn't even have time to get scared. The nurses weren't worried - it's normal for small preemies to have As and Bs (as they refer to them). If she was having 3 an hour, that might be cause for alarm. Aerin has had 3 total in her life, which is pretty remarkable. She's been fine since the episodes and is sleeping peacefully. She's finally off the biliblanket, so she's much more comfortable.

Aerin's grandmother (my mother), Elizabeth Gardner, went home today. She came up the week before Aerin was born, when they thought I was going to deliver. She has been a wonderful source of loving support, both before and after Aerin's birth. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been here, taking care of the house and fixing all of our meals and running all of our errands and doing everything else we needed so that Andrew and I could concentrate all our energy on Aerin. She hasn't even been gone for one day and we already miss her so much.

Day 23

Aerin decided to start the new year off right. She is all the way up to 2 pounds, 5.39 ounces! Her sodium is up and her bilirubin is down, which means that she may be able to come off the biliblanket. Her oxygen percentage is in the 30s, which is great.

Day 22: Shana Tova

Aerin had a great Rosh Hashanah. She's getting 24 extra calories with her feedings. The doctors don't want to give her any more than 20 cc's of milk because she's so small, but they want her to gain even more weight. She was 2 pounds, 3 ounces as of yesterday (she hasn't been weighed yet today). Her sodium is low again, so they're giving her another supplement. She got a head ultrasound yesterday and it was completely normal. She'll get them every two weeks or so, which is routine for preemies.

Happy 5766!

Three Weeks Old!

Aerin is 3 weeks old today. She is doing so well that the doctors have decided to reduce her treatments again. Instead of the Aminophylline, she'll be on caffine to prevent apneas. They tried her on the nasal cannula, but she didn't like it, so she went back on the Vapotherm. I knew she wasn't ready for the cannula. Her sodium is low, so they're giving her supplements. They don't want to bump up her feedings any more, because she's getting so much for such a tiny baby, so they're going to put caloric supplements in the milk so she'll gain weight at a good pace.

She was loving her binky today - she sucked on it for about an hour during a feeding. She'll be ready when it's time to nurse in about 5 weeks.

Her nurse today was Sarah, who was at her birth and hasn't seen her since. She was amazed at how well Aerin is doing - it's truly wondrous that she's only on a Vapotherm and that she's eating 20 cc's.

Day 20: Part 2

Aerin continues to do well. Her gestational age is 29 weeks today. She is maintaining her weight of 2 pounds, 2 ounces and breathing oxygen in the 30's.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but every day Aerin receives Theophylline or Aminophylline (the difference is delivery - one goes through her PIV and the other goes through her Vapotherm). She's gotten it since the day she was born. It keeps her from having apnea episodes (i.e. helps her remember to breathe). I'm just so glad that they have this medication available - our family owes so much to medical technology.

I want to thank everyone who has been reading and commenting on this blog. Your comments are very special to Andrew and me and we plan to save them to show Aerin some day. It encourages us to think of all the people who love our baby girl. I am sorry that we can't respond to everyone individually, but we just don't have the time. Special thanks to Anne (kq), Alan A., Jenna, Anna, Tracy (Farmgirl), Kwea and JenniK, Breyerchic, shelly, Amy, Jim & Emily Anne, Jim Lamb, Wendybird, Rabbi Shapiro, and Big Momma.

On another note - happy birthday to Aunt Cara (aka Cara Phillips), who has been my best friend since high school. We can't wait until she gets to meet Aerin.

Day 20

Aerin had a great night. The x-ray of her stomach came back completely normal. I knew there wasn't anything wrong with it, but I'd rather have over-cautious doctors than otherwise. She's up to 20 cc's of milk over 2 hours.

Day 19: Part 2

I got to hold Aerin for a full 30 minutes today. She settled down immediately and it was fantastic. Dr. Seguira said she's "doing great." She's up to 19 cc's with her feedings. They're being given over 2 hours because it's such a lot of food for such a little baby.

I thought I might be coming down with a cold, so I wore a mask today. You're allowed in the NICU if you have a cold, as long as you don't have a fever (which I did not). Obviously, I asked the doctors before I went to the hospital.

Day 19

Aerin had a great night. Her oxygen is in the 30's and she's up to 18 cc's with her feedings. She settled into her new spot nicely.

She weighs 2 pounds, 2 ounces!