Morgan Kate

Wow! Our baby girl has made it to 1lb and 15oz. I guess the increased feedings and added calories are paying off. Tomorrow is her 2 week birthday and she could very well hit 2lb. God is good!

Morgan Kate had several heart rate drops last night and earlier today. When she stops or pauses her breathing it's called apnea and when her heart rate drops because of this it's called bradycardia or "brady" for short. They call these two things the A and B of prematurity. Usually she is able to pull herself back up almost instantly. However, several of these "bradys" required stimulation - a back rub or a pinch on her foot. Dr. Yajnik, one of the other great neonatologists, said that if this continues then Morgan Kate will have to go back on the CPAP. She was on the CPAP the first night of her life, but has been off ever since. It's NOT the ventilator and doesn't work like one. It simply helps keep her lungs open, but does not breathe for her. It's bigger in size and a step up from the clear tube she has now. This is a great website for more information on the CPAP - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/medical_problems/aop.html 

Of course this wasn't what I wanted to hear because it seems like step backward, but if it's going to help her then I am all for it. I just pray that if she has to go back on the CPAP then it will be short and she will be off of it soon. It's a much larger tube and covers up her pretty little face. We did not kangaroo with her today because of all the bradys and because we did not want to tire her out. 

She is continuing to tolerate her increased feedings. Tonight she is up to 5.8 cc's. My prayer is that she continues to tolerate her feedings and that she will be off of all IV's soon. I also pray that I can keep up with her increased feedings. For several days she had quite a stock of my milk, however, with increased feeding times and volume the stock has started to diminish. 

Today Mom and Dad came up and are spending the night. It was such a blessing! Our house has been quite neglected over the past few weeks and Mom helped out tremendously - laundry, vacuuming, dusting, straightening, EVERYTHING. Dad ran errands and made trips to the grocery store for things we needed. Everyone has been so helpful and generous! We are forever grateful for all the support, help, encouragement and prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!