Eleanor Lynne Birtel born on March 25, 2011 at 11:21 am 2.77 lbs and 13 inches long. She came 8.5 weeks early but is strong-willed like her mama. She was breathing on her own and crying at birth which is great news. She is a little bigger than we thought she would be and looks much healthier than we expected. Eleanor had her Apgar test and at 1 minute she had 8 out of 10. At 5 min she had 9 out of 10 which is great for how small she is. (she takes after her mother. I made Cs). After some time being evaluated the NICU pediatrician noticed apnea and decided to put her on a ventilator which will help her completely inflate her lungs. I was able to touch her and be with her for a while. She squeezed my finger with force and responded to my voice. She even opened up her eyes. She is kicking and moving and doing well.
Because her lungs were not fully developed and she needed the ventilator she was transfered to Ashford Hospital where the NICU is bigger and she will have 24 hour supervision. She had her first ambulance ride and made it over with no problem. The doctor reported that once stabilized at Ashford, Eleanor is doing well. The doc said that she would try to take out the ventilator b/c she is breathing at 92% and higher. The ventilator was removed and as of right now Eleanor is breathing on her own! She is just amazing!
Emily is just as amazing. She did a great job. She was able to see Eleanor for only a few seconds after birth but she was still able to give her a kiss. Emily is sore and groggy from the c-section and will be discharged on Monday. Since Eleanor moved to Ashford and Em is at Pavia she will not see her until she is discharged. It is not easy on us, but we are doing the best we can. Tomorrow Emily has to begin to pump the breast milk. We have to take it over to Eleanor for her first feeding (feeding tube). They plan to mix a small dose of mama's milk with 'preemie milk' for the first feeding and then adjust the ratios as needed.
Eleanor only has to conquer one day at a time! She will leave the hospital when she would have been 35 weeks of gestation - no earlier. She will also have to reach 4.5 lbs.
-Robert
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| Emily, Jay, and Me. Getting ready for the OR |
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| Her first moment is a victory! |
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| Mommy's kiss |
Emily & Robert, I love that y'all have a blog now, what a great idea to keep everyone in the loop! Eleanor sounds like an exceptional baby already, she must take after her parents. It's hard to believe how tiny she is, but in the picture with Robert, I was really able to get a sense of how small. I told Jay that I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that you two are now parents, wow! Lot's of love sent your way!!! And that Kangaroo blanket is too adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, Amy