Weight
21 days -- 6 lbs 2 oz!!!!
Ellie exceeded our goal of an ounce a day by gaining 11 ounces in 7 days. Her length is up to 18.5 inches. She is getting too long for most of her preemie clothes, and is starting to fit in some newborn clothes. We will continue with the calorie packed bottles and check her weight again next week.
Eating
Ellie is getting more coordinated with her eating. We have found that when she is hungry and awake she doesn't get as gurgley or choke as much, but when she's tired and we have to wake her up she doesn't swallow as well.
Breathing
We were able to turn her oxygen back down to 1/16 and she has been able to keep her sats in the high 90s. We still have to turn it up to 1/8 when she eats.
We were able to turn her oxygen back down to 1/16 and she has been able to keep her sats in the high 90s. We still have to turn it up to 1/8 when she eats.
Reflux
We started Ellie on medication for her reflux that seemed to be getting worse. Apparently it's typical for babies in the NICU who have reflux to drop their sats when eating, so we are hoping if we get that under control it will help her breathing and eating. It takes a week or two to see the full effects of the medication, so we will wait and see if it helps.
Cardiology
The best news of the week came from Ellie's appointment with the Pediatric Cardiologist at Primary Children's. She had an Echo done in the hospital as part of a congenital workup. The echo showed a patent foramen ovale (which is perfectly normal in a 3 day old), a small subaortic ridge, mildly thickened aortic valve leaflets, and mild flattening of the Intraventricular septum. The thing they were most concerned about was the subaortic ridge. When we asked the doctor in the hospital what that meant his answer was, "You know the high school kids that drop dead in the middle of a basketball game, they have things like this." A very comforting answer. Apparently a subaortic ridge can lead to coarchation of the aorta, which is a big problem. So we followed up with a pediatric cardiologist this week and she reviewed the Echo and said that she found it to be perfectly normal. She said that because of everything going on with Ellie in the hospital the cardiologist who read the echo originally must have been really picky and pointed out anything that maybe could be a problem, but in her expert opinion there was nothing wrong with Ellie's heart. She recommended we follow up when Ellie is 3 or 4 years old. This was such a HUGE relief. This has been one of the things that has been worrying us the most.
Our goals for this week are continued weight gain, continue weaning oxygen down to 1/32, not requiring as much additional oxygen during feedings, and hopefully her reflux will improve with the medication. We will follow up on all of this with the doctor on Friday. We are hoping to have a better idea after next week if and when Ellie will be cleared to travel out to Omaha.
Tid Bits about Ellie
- Ellie has what I like to call "rabbit feet". Her feet are super long and skinny compared to her short little body. They are probably my favorite unique trait of Ellie's.
- She looooves her big green binky that is the size of her whole face.
- She is not a cuddly baby and does not like being swaddled.
- She is a very alert baby and is awake a lot of the day. She reminds me of Brynn as a baby in this way.
- Mason is great to help me with "Ellie duty".
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| Not the cutest picture of Ellie but a great natural smile on Mason. Also a great shot of her rabbit feet. |
- Brynn has warmed up to Ellie and now completely adores her. She loves to hold her with the boppy on her lap and loves to join her for tummy time. Brynn is such a sweet big sister.
- Unfortunately, Miles has also gotten more comfortable with Ellie and now has been found trying to pull her oxygen off and jabbing her binky in her eyes on several occasions. He has also gotten much better at saying baby.
- Ellie still resides in the living room almost 24 hours a day.
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| Ellie's "nursery" |
- Ellie has super sensitive skin. All of the cords and bands from her monitors irritate her skin. She has had a constant diaper rash since she was in the hospital.
- She is remarkably strong for a little baby that the doctor said had a "floppy neck" in the hospital. The minute we put her on her tummy her little head pops right up and just looks around.
