From the beginning of Emma's stay in the NICU, the doctors and nurses have been preparing us for setbacks. They keep warning us that babies in the NICU take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Emma took a giant step forward today, they took her off of the CPAP. She's still got a nasal cannula, but she's still getting just room air and the pressure going into her nose is much lower than when she was on the CPAP. She's tolerating it very well, keeping her blood oxygen up and keeping her heart rate up as well.
Now for the 2 steps back that they've been warning us about. The CPAP was doing a great job helping her breathe, but unfortunately it seems to have been pumping too much air into her stomach as well. Her bowels aren't working very well, and because of that they have decided to hold her feeds until she can get a little more regular. It is a very common problem in babies her size. Their little tummies are just very immature and need some time to get working properly. She last had a meal on Monday at 5pm. And this was when they were talking about the possibility of actually increasing her food intake as soon as today. We are a little disappointed, but we can't say they didn't warn us! The nurse practitioner told us today that if things weren't going wrong they would be worried because that is how it is always is with these babies.
The sincere hope is that with the removal of the CPAP they will be able to get her little tummy working properly again. They're not concerned at this point that it is anything serious, but they will watch her very closely. They're keeping her comfortable with IV fluids and she doesn't even know she's hungry due to the nutrients they're giving her through those fluids. And she was still able to gain an ounce today over where her weight was yesterday! She's almost back up to her birth weight now, just one week after her birth.
Britne has gotten to hold her the last couple of days, and tonight it was my turn. They took her out of her isolette and placed her directly on my chest, where she stayed for about an hour. The first 20 or so minutes she was looking up at me with her eyes open, and then she went right to sleep for the remainder of the time. And she even had a little production from her bowels while she was there! It wasn't enough for them to re-institute the feedings, but hopefully that little bit will get things moving and she can get back to eating again and keep her weight trending in the right direction.
So we know that what's going on right now is completely normal and we're not alarmed. The doctors have assured us that if there were something to worry about, they would tell us. But it is definitely an emotional roller coaster having a kid in the NICU. Just when things are starting to look up, something happens that brings you back down. We know that this pattern will probably continue for quite a few weeks, but with time the good days will far out number the bad days. We look forward to those days, but we know that we have the strength to make it through these tougher times. That's due in large part to the outpouring of support and prayers from everyone we know. So thank you guys for everything. We could not make it through this without you!
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