Heidi-Rae NICU: Day 4

Well, hello pretty girl!
Mommy loves to see your eyes open!
I feel like I actually get to see what she looks like.
She has some swelling from the CPAP mask.
I'm excited to see what she looks like tomorrow! 

We have made HUGE steps today! I got to the hospital at 12pm, Heidi was still on the CPAP. She had drank ALL the milk I left. They are slowly weening her off the IV fluid that was keeping her belly full the past few days. While I was there today, she continued to take the bottle of pumped milk and breathe! They took the CPAP off around 2pm and replaced it with a nasal cannula.
The difference: The CPAP forces positive pressure humidified air into her lungs, the nasal cannula is a cons tad flow of supplemental oxygen, so that when she breathes in she gets clean air. The CPAP was forcing her to breathe, the NC just increases the amour of oxygen she is breathing!

The Nurse Practitioner was excited to see her improvement today. She said she thinks she will be off the NC by tomorrow and breathing room air. Also, if she continues to improve as well as she is and continues to eat well, "There is no reason she can't go home after her antibiotics are finished." That means WEDNESDAY! That is only 3 days away! Now, I'm not getting my hopes too high. I want to be open to the possibility that she may need a few more days. But it's nice to hear the NP so hopeful!

Snug as a bug in a rug!

Thank you for continuing to pray for our sweet girl!! 

Bobby sent me this picture while I was at the hospital:
#SAHD

A dear friend set up a meal plan for us! Here is the link:
http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=MMWZ6089&welcome=1

Heidi-Rae: NICU Day 3

Beautiful eyes!

Our day went from ok, sorta showing improvement to HUGE improvements!
Beginning of the day: She's still on cpap at 28%. Her white blood count is a little lower. She's looking jaundice, they are watching, it's not billi light worthy at this point. Since, they haven't been able to wean her off the CPAP they still don't want her to nurse because they are worried about taking milk in her lungs. So, I'll keep pumping and storing. We give her milk on a cotton swab to moisten her lips and let her taste it in her mouth. She was also moved to a "big girl" bed because she doesn't need her temperature regulated.

Then by her 3pm feeding. . . They said, "Ok, go ahead and try to nurse as long as her breathing stays below 80." SHE LATCHED!!!! Only a few times and she probably only got a few drops. But, that's HUGE progress! She also drank about 3cc from a bottle. After her feeding and skin to skin we were able to turn her CPAP off to manual, meaning she can pull from it when she wants. She did very well! 
At her 6pm feeding, she wasn't interested in latching. BUT she drank 10cc from a bottle! What a great day! Gigi Came to visit today! I love the picture below where she got her little fingers inner mouth!

Whoever said, "Don't cry over spilled milk." was obviously NOT a breastfeeding mom with a baby in the NICU!
EVERY drop counts! Yes, I did cry! yes it was 3am! yes I am exhausted. No, I don't feel bad! 

I took a video of Heidi's breathing. Her chest is sinking in too much.

Thank you so much for your prayers! A dear friend set up a meal plan for us! 

Heidi Rae: NICU Day 1

After spending 24 hours with our tiny angel, We have finally chosen a name:

Heidi-Rae Lauren Martens

As of today, her struggles are:

1. Transient Tachypnia of New Born TTNB: transient means that it comes and goes. Tachypnia means rapid breathing. A new norm respiratory rate should be 40-60 per minute, Heidi Rae is breathing 80+, and sometimes over 100 per minute.

2. Pulse rate is normal, but her oxygen saturation dips when her respiratory rate slows below 60.  Normal oxygen saturation is 99-100%, low saturation starts at 95% and goes down to 90%; any thing below that is cause for alarm and intervention (which usually consists of repositioning or increase the oxygen concentration for her. She is on a CPAP ( continuous positive air pressure) device that assists her in taking full breaths by blowing humidified, oxygenated, and lightly pressured air directly into her airway through her nose. She has an OG tube (oral gastric) that is taped to her chin. It runs down her Esophagus to the stomach to relive any bubble that might form in her stomach from the CPAP. 

3. Her white blood cell count is slightly elevated which gives rise to the suspicion of an infection. She has been on antibiotics since hour 2 and they will continue until hour 48. 

4. She has had chest X-rays every 12 hours to monitor the progress of the "foggy lungs", which they are concerned is pneumonia. 

Oddly, she is 24 hours old and hasn't eaten yet, the Staff thinks she cannot breath adequately to nurse without choking or de-satting (Oxygen saturation drop). We will find out if we will feed her by OG Tube soon. Kikis milk is coming in slowly as expected. Mommy and Heidi got to sit skin-to-skin today for 3 hours. Kiki couldn't have been happier. 

Jeremy and Capri came for a visit. They had a blast! Pushed around in a wheelchair, ate lunch with us, we bought them fun books as "big siblings" gifts, ate ice chips AND they got to video chat with the baby. 

Video chat and eating ice balls!

Going for a walk. . .Well, KiKi kinda waddled! 

Thank you Zia for the CUTE shirts!

 I'm sorry we can't respond to each text and phone call right now. We will keep you posted as we can on Facebook and here. Thank you everybody for your prayers!