Thursday & Friday updates

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday. Time somehow gets away from you at
the hospital.

Wednesday night Trent and I had dinner with some friends from my old
job. We had a great time and it was so nice to do something "normal"
for a bit.

Penelope has been doing really well the past couple of days (knock on
wood). She has had far fewer apnea/brady/desat episodes. She is still
on cpapp to help her breathe. But yesterday and today I held her for
over an hour each day and she didn't have any breathing help at all!!!
This is such an important step. Early next week the team may even try
to see if she can breathe on her own all the time. We are really
encouraged by this but are remembering, as always, that she will do
these things in her own time and she may not be ready yet.

Thanks for checking in. I'll update more later.

5/12 update and baby it's cold outside - REVISED

Sorry for the earlier post.  Last time I update on the iPhone instead of a computer.

I just want to point out that it's mid May and it is like 45 degrees and rainy. I actually had a hot chocolate because I got cold walking down the street.  It's May.

Not a lot of exciting news today. The team isn't changing any of Penelope's treatments. She weighs 1100g. The switch to all breast milk seems to have upset her tummy a little bit but this common.  Her tummy just needs some time to adjust. The nurse we have today is really nice and has let me change her diaper and take her temperature several times.

Penelope is starting to show some personality. She has developed a  preference for lying on her tummy (don't have to worry about SIDS while she is hooked up to all those monitors) and throws a tantrum if
a nurse tries lay her on her back. This is actually good because it shows she's strong and feels good enough to put up a fuss. I'm sure I won't think it's nearly as great in a couple of years when she's throwing a tantrum in the grocery store because she wants candy!

Thanks for checking in. I'll update more later.

Rounds update, 5/11

Before giving the update I want to take some time to say thank you.
From the time Penelope was born, the outpouring of love, support and
encouragement from our family, friends, and even people we've never
met has been incredible, overwhelming and humbling. We've always said
we have the best friends in the world and this experience has only
solidified that feeling. So many people have reached out to us. From
my sister dropping everything in her busy life and flying up here to
be with us the day after the c-section, to our parents putting
together our apartments in New York and Houston, to our friends
unpacking our boxes in Houston and dealing with the movers, to all the
beautiful flowers we received in the hospital, to our New York friends
taking the time to visit our daughter and making sure we get out of
the hospital once in a while, to all the emails and phone calls
sending love and encouragement, and so much more - we can never thank
you enough. This is what is getting us through this incredibly
difficult time.

Rounds went well. Penelope is 3 weeks old today! Her feeds are being
increased to about 136cc per day and her weight should start to sky
rocket soon. She had very few episodes of bradies, apnea and desats
last night. She has a minor eye infection in her right eye due to a
clogged tear duct. This is really common and will probably be a
recurring ailment for the next 4 weeks or so. Right now she is
sleeping peacefully and I'm hanging out at her bedside (I finally
figured out how to update the blog on my iPhone, although it will
probably have way more typos).

Thanks for checking in. I'll update more later.

Eating and sucking paci at same time. So talented!

So sleepy

Morning update and Happy Mother's Day!

Happy belated mother's day to all my fellow moms!  I celebrated my first Mother's Day by sleeping in, getting brunch and then having dinner at Nobu.  It still seems preposterous that I am old enough to be a mother to anyone, except maybe to my dog. 

Penelope had a good day yesterday.  She also opened her eyes really wide for the first time.  It was truly amazing and although she hasn't really learned to work her eyes yet and probably couldn't see anything, it seemed like she was really interacting with us for the first time.  Trent got a good photo and I'll post it later.

This morning, Penelope weighs 1100g (about 2.43lbs).  The blood transfusion she had on Saturday has worked.  Her coloring looks much pinker and she has had far fewer desats, bradies and apnea.  Starting today she will get her nutrition almost exclusively through breast milk, although it may have to be fortified with iron and some other nutrients.  This is a big milestone.  It means her digestive system has matured enough to digest breast milk, just like a full term baby.  I am not breast feeding her though.  Preemies are not able to suck right away, this takes a lot of coordination their brains are not ready for yet.  She is getting the milk through a feeding tube that goes into her tummy.  Eventually she will be able to eat with a bottle or breast but just not yet.

The team thinks she may have a urinary tract infection and the test results should arrive sometime today.  UTIs are very common in baby girls and the team doesn't seem to think it is a big deal if she does have one.  This makes me feel comfortable; if they aren't worried, I'm not worried. 

Thanks for checking in.  I'll update more later.