Eleanor Update 3

March 30, 2011
Eleanor is getting more precious by the day. She just finished her 5th day with us and is working on her 6th day. She made some great strides today. She is off the antibiotics. She is off the ventilator and breathing with the help of some oxygen which is very important. She has doubled her breastmilk intake and she does not need the bili light for the jaundice.

The doc kept her on the antibiotics for 5 days because of the chest tube they took out a few days ago. Her lung has healed well and no more oxygen has seeped into chest. No need for antibiotics.

She is breathing much better. Doctors keep lowering the amount of oxygen in her ventilator. Basically that means Eleanor is making more of her own breaths than the machine and since the lung healed, they were able to take her off the ventilator and just have oxygen tubes in the nose to help her get the oxygen she needs. Her oxygen saturation level is very good and stable since the ventilator came out - so the docs are pleased. It also makes her much more comfortable. 

She started taking breastmilk at 1 ml every 3 hours. Yesterday we learned she was taking 1 ml every hour for 6 hours with a two hour break then repeat. Today we learned she is taking 2ml every hour for 6 hours then repeat. So today she doubled her breastmilk intake from yesterday!

The Docs said the jaundice went away so no more bili light.

All Babies loose weight in the first week of life. Eleanor started at 2.77 and now she is at 2lbs 4 ounces.

I love being all together!

Right now she has the feeding tube which goes in the tummy, heart monitor on her chest, and the oxygen saturation detector on her foot. Taking away the other stuff has made her very mobile. When we got to the hospital today the nurses were laughing because she would not stay still. She had wiggled her way to the bottom of the incubator by using her head and feet to lift her body. Slowly but surely she moved down the incline of the bed to the bottom. 

She is very in tune to where her wires and tubes are. It is clear she does not like them because she has managed to locate the oxygen tube in her nose and pull it out twice. The doc was using her stethoscope on Eleanor and she did not like it.  She used one hand to push it off of her chest.  When one hand didn't work, she used both hands to try to push it off her chest. The doctor was so amused.  She is strong!  All this with the eyes closed as well.

One of the only ways to keep her calm is to cover her chest with our hands.  When we do this she stays still.  She likes this to be done all the time. She also likes being held. Eleanor had her first all out cry- hand waving feet kicking, body twitching. Em lifted her up in the incubator and she fell right to sleep. They said tomorrow we may be able to hold her outside of the incubator.

1. MaMare singing to Eleanor as she falls asleep.
2. Wrapped in Daddy's Hand. Compare her arm to my fingers.

She is doing much better! 

All for now keep yall posted,

Love Robert