Had a good time Wednesday afternoon with Sara. I got to kangaroo, very cool. In fact, due to the nurses being busy my time was almost 3 hours. And despite a moderate case of numbuhonkas it was a great time. Jennifer and I had a little competition about who could keep her numbers higher when we were holding her. We judge by the blue number, which measures how well her blood is getting oxygenated. If it drops to 84 the machine starts beeping. It usually stays between 92-100. I had a rough start, but then we got settled and we hummed along around 98-100. That was a tiny bit better than her mom yesterday, but she won't agree. I did spend more time in the mid 80's - so maybe we'll call it a tie.
The neurosurgeon came around and said no more withdrawals of fluid this week. He will be out of town and won't see her until Saturday. This is all good news. Her fontanel is very soft, which means less pressure. He is thinking a CAT scan next Wednesday and we are praying that God would continue to amaze all of us.
One thing to pray for - the neurosurgeon didn't like the kangaroo hold. He has legitimate concerns. He and the other doc will work it out. Pray we can still hold her even if it isn't skin to skin. Thankfully, she has been doing so well and hoping he will see the benefit outweigh the risks.
She is up to 6cc's per hour. One nurse mentioned when she gets to 15-20 cc's per hour they will begin looking at scheduled feedings. I'll check on her weight tonight to see if she hit the big 3.0 Off to VBS.
I am very surprised that the neurosurgeon didnt like it. If you read about kangaroo care the list is endless as to the bennefits a preemie gets from it. Also stats will often be low during kangaroo care ,our docs said its b/c the baby relaxes so much b/c they are sklin to skin w/you that sometimes they are so relaxed they dont breathe enough. One time when I was doing it w/our son ,he actually stopped breathing and his alarms went off they had to come in and give him oxygen off the wall-I was so freeked out. But they had me keep holding him and they acted like it was no big thing...I an the other hand was freeked out! He recovered fine.
ReplyDeleteIts such a great thing I hope they let you continue to enjoy it.
I agree with jensoup!! It's Brock's mom (Stacey) here...like I commented before, thank God for Neurosurgeons, but they don't know it all either. I would like to know why he didn't like the Kangaroo Care and it be a valid reason, considering it is one of the BEST things besides breastmilk that you can do for a baby, especially a preemie. I say fight for your Kangaroo time and do it as often and for as long as they will let you! My husband and I did it with Brock for the entire 9 weeks Brock was in the NICU and he spent many hours a day, for several months on my chest once we brought him home. Another thing I would recommend that is great for her brain is to get a crib CD player and get Baby Einstein or any other classical music CD's and play them for her in her isolette as often as possible. Leave it up there with her and ask the nurses to play it for her even when you aren't there. It is wonderful stimulation for her little brain. There is a lot of research to back it up too, just as with the benefits of Kangaroo Care. Just remember that you are Sara's biggest advocate! Always follow your gut on things and don't be afraid to question or challenge things the Dr's try to do or say if something doesn't seem right to you. Chances are you're right. They have so many babies to keep up with day in and day out, that many times you actually know your baby better than they do. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Stacey Danford
staceydanford@hotmail.com
HA! I remember the numb behind struggle too! Hidden blessings in this whole experience... clarity in what really matters most... when was the last time you willingly sat completely still for 3 hours!! Add to that, enjoying simple pleasures with your wife... the heart/breathing monitor game can offer hours of entertainment! When you get home with Sara you will actually be suprised how many times you catch yourself looking up to take a glance at that monitor! Praying for the days when all of this is behind you and you can look back and see how God gave you so many chances to experience true moments of simple joy!
ReplyDeleteDena Payn
houston, tx
I hate to ask questions as I know how busy you are, but could you share WHY the neuro didn't like the kangaroo hold? I'm just really curious as to the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI took my son to Mayo Clinic for a condition and the first doctor I saw disagreed with something I was doing. Another doc he's seeing now COMPLETELY agreed with me.
Just wondering...