May 8, 2011

Eleanor is continuing to grow.  She is 3 lbs - 2 oz. (1425 grams).  She is however, extremely slow to grow so the doctors are now letting her take as much breast milk as she likes.  They fill her bottle and we let her go.  She has been taking 45 ml at most of her feedings.

We are happy that she is taking more milk and growing, but she has a serious reflux issue.  She will vomit, stop breathing and turn blue at any moment - without warning.  It scares us so much because the doctors say this is common in all preemies and that she can have this issue for the first six months to three years of her life.  We are taking a special preemie CPR class soon.  We will have to watch her constantly and know how react and to get her to breathe again all on our own.  We can also try to limit the episodes by the way we hold her.  She will need to lay at a forty-five degree angle when she sleeps and she needs to be held upright for at least thirty minutes after feeding. I am hoping that when Eleanor is discharged from the nicu, we will be sent home with an oxygen saturation monitor.   The doctors say we will get really good at reacting and eventually she will out grow it.  ...

I look just like Daddy

Sweet Love

I love being in Daddy's arms

Mommy feeding me

Cute shot... she makes us laugh