Thursday, August 22, 2013
Pictures
Here are a few pictures of our little miracle, Emma Grace. All pictures were taken by Adorn Photography. Please check out the website www.adornstudio.com and call Tiffany for your next photo session! Not only does Tiffany take beautiful pictures, but she is a beautiful person and has been such an encouragement to me through this journey with Emma, as she is going through a similar journey with her own little girl. Her photography is truly from the heart.
Friday, August 9, 2013
NICU Graduate!!!!
Emma Grace graduated from the NICU this afternoon! After 7 1/2 long weeks, many tears, many prayers, and many blessings, we brought our little miracle baby home! Driving away from the hospital with both of our girls in the backseat and tears in our eyes was such an incredible feeling. We cannot thank you enough for your support, encouragement, and prayers through this journey with Emma. We absolutely would not have made it through without all of you.
Emma will continue to take the diuretics daily until we follow up with the cardiologist in 3-4 weeks to see how she has progressed. She will start physical therapy in the next week or so. The main thing is, she is home, and she is healthy!
Here are a few pictures from Emma's homecoming. Her big sister Laney and our sweet dog Belle did not want to leave her side!
Emma will continue to take the diuretics daily until we follow up with the cardiologist in 3-4 weeks to see how she has progressed. She will start physical therapy in the next week or so. The main thing is, she is home, and she is healthy!
Here are a few pictures from Emma's homecoming. Her big sister Laney and our sweet dog Belle did not want to leave her side!
Ready to go home! Emma is wearing the same dress
I wore to go home from the hospital, and her big sister wore it too!
Precious girl.
Laney loves having a backseat buddy!
Belle and Laney are so excited!
Proud Big Sister!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
So Close!
* Emma was taken off her cannula this morning! She is breathing great and seems much happier!
* She is also bottle feeding every time starting today! Today is a big day for her, so it will take a little time to adjust and build stamina. Her feeding tube will stay in until she has been bottle feeding for 24 hours.
* Emma had another echocardiogram this week and while the hole in the top of her septum is the same size, the overall function of her heart has improved a lot so the diuretics have been helping! We will continue to give them to her until the cardiologist feels it isn't necessary anymore.
* If Emma continues on the road she is on, we are hoping to bring her home by next weekend! Words can't explain how excited we are for this news! Please pray that Emma stays strong, we are so ready to bring her home and start our lives as a family of 4!
* She is also bottle feeding every time starting today! Today is a big day for her, so it will take a little time to adjust and build stamina. Her feeding tube will stay in until she has been bottle feeding for 24 hours.
* Emma had another echocardiogram this week and while the hole in the top of her septum is the same size, the overall function of her heart has improved a lot so the diuretics have been helping! We will continue to give them to her until the cardiologist feels it isn't necessary anymore.
* If Emma continues on the road she is on, we are hoping to bring her home by next weekend! Words can't explain how excited we are for this news! Please pray that Emma stays strong, we are so ready to bring her home and start our lives as a family of 4!
No cannula!
We finally took Laney in the NICU to meet her little sister Emma for the first time!
She pet her head, then poked her in the eye. We'll have to work on that..
Sweet girl
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Moving Forward
* Emma has been breathing much better since taking the diuretics, which just flushed all of the fluid from her body. She is now on 1 liter of oxygen, and breathing 21%-25%. She will continue to get one dose daily of the diuretic.
* Emma had her swallow study and upper gastrointestinal study done on Tuesday, and everything came back normal! She was very close to aspirating the breast milk/formula during the swallow study, so that is something we will have to continue to monitor until she has developed more. The good news, is that she started bottle feeding again! She still has to learn the suck-swallow-breathe rhythm, but she is already pacing herself rather than me having to lean the bottle away to remind her to breathe. That is huge progress!
* They have not repeated the echo cardiogram to see if the hole in the top septum of her heart has closed yet.
* Emma is continuing to improve during her daily occupational therapy sessions. There is a wide range of "normal" muscle tone for babies Emma's age and weight, and Emma is on the lower end of that range. Because of this, she will need continued physical therapy after we come home.
At this point, the only thing keeping Emma in the NICU is learning how to feed from a bottle, and weaning from the oxygen. Come on Emma Grace, you can do it!
There are very few moms that can understand the heartache of carrying a baby in your body then being separated from them after birth for an extended amount of time. This has been a very difficult journey for Justin and I, and although we rely on God for our strength, that doesn't take away the pain of not having Emma at home with us. We are so thankful for all of the prayers, and ask that you continue to pray for Emma and our family.
* Emma had her swallow study and upper gastrointestinal study done on Tuesday, and everything came back normal! She was very close to aspirating the breast milk/formula during the swallow study, so that is something we will have to continue to monitor until she has developed more. The good news, is that she started bottle feeding again! She still has to learn the suck-swallow-breathe rhythm, but she is already pacing herself rather than me having to lean the bottle away to remind her to breathe. That is huge progress!
* They have not repeated the echo cardiogram to see if the hole in the top septum of her heart has closed yet.
* Emma is continuing to improve during her daily occupational therapy sessions. There is a wide range of "normal" muscle tone for babies Emma's age and weight, and Emma is on the lower end of that range. Because of this, she will need continued physical therapy after we come home.
At this point, the only thing keeping Emma in the NICU is learning how to feed from a bottle, and weaning from the oxygen. Come on Emma Grace, you can do it!
There are very few moms that can understand the heartache of carrying a baby in your body then being separated from them after birth for an extended amount of time. This has been a very difficult journey for Justin and I, and although we rely on God for our strength, that doesn't take away the pain of not having Emma at home with us. We are so thankful for all of the prayers, and ask that you continue to pray for Emma and our family.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
1 Month Old
Emma is 1 month old today! It is hard to believe so much time has passed, but she has come so far! We can't wait for the day when we get to bring her home to join our family!
* Emma is done with her antibiotics, her IV is out, and her group B strep is gone! She seems to be feeling much better, but we are still not sure why her breathing is progressing so slowly. She is still on 3 liters of oxygen and receiving 25%-30% of air. There are quite a few theories as to why she is still needing oxygen support. She is receiving a diaretic to help flush out any fluid that may be around her lungs and heart. Emma has an opening in the wall between the top 2 chambers of her heart, which is normal for preemies, but it should be closing soon. If there is fluid around her heart it could be slowing down the closing process, so we are hoping the diaretic will help that. Another reason for her needing oxygen support could be that her reflux has forced some spit up into her lungs. When her oxygen support is lower, we will have a "swallow study" done and they will monitor where the formula goes into her belly and make sure everything is going to the right place.
* Emma was moved into an even bigger crib today so that she can have a mobile above her. The nurse said during her bath this morning she seemed bored so that is a great sign that she is maturing! The occupational therapist said that her muscle tone has also improved quite a bit, which is impressive since she has been so sick the past 2 weeks. Way to go, Emma!
* Emma is over 7 lbs now, and she has grown a few inches too! She is currently around the 50th percentile.
* Emma is done with her antibiotics, her IV is out, and her group B strep is gone! She seems to be feeling much better, but we are still not sure why her breathing is progressing so slowly. She is still on 3 liters of oxygen and receiving 25%-30% of air. There are quite a few theories as to why she is still needing oxygen support. She is receiving a diaretic to help flush out any fluid that may be around her lungs and heart. Emma has an opening in the wall between the top 2 chambers of her heart, which is normal for preemies, but it should be closing soon. If there is fluid around her heart it could be slowing down the closing process, so we are hoping the diaretic will help that. Another reason for her needing oxygen support could be that her reflux has forced some spit up into her lungs. When her oxygen support is lower, we will have a "swallow study" done and they will monitor where the formula goes into her belly and make sure everything is going to the right place.
* Emma was moved into an even bigger crib today so that she can have a mobile above her. The nurse said during her bath this morning she seemed bored so that is a great sign that she is maturing! The occupational therapist said that her muscle tone has also improved quite a bit, which is impressive since she has been so sick the past 2 weeks. Way to go, Emma!
* Emma is over 7 lbs now, and she has grown a few inches too! She is currently around the 50th percentile.
Sleeping beauty, one month old!
New crib!
Emma's battle scars: The two scars on her back are from the shunts that were put in to drain the fluid while she was still in my belly.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
No Meningitis!
Emma Grace does NOT have meningitis! PRAISE GOD!
When I was at the hospital today Emma was awake and very alert! She has been sleepy the last week since she has been sick so it was wonderful to see her beautiful eyes again! She lost a little weight while she was sick so the doctor increased her feedings to a little over 2 ounces every 3 hours so she should start gaining weight again quickly! Hopefully in the next few days she will continue improving and they can start weaning down her oxygen again.
Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of our hearts for praying for Emma Grace and our family! God is so good!
When I was at the hospital today Emma was awake and very alert! She has been sleepy the last week since she has been sick so it was wonderful to see her beautiful eyes again! She lost a little weight while she was sick so the doctor increased her feedings to a little over 2 ounces every 3 hours so she should start gaining weight again quickly! Hopefully in the next few days she will continue improving and they can start weaning down her oxygen again.
Thank you, everyone, from the bottom of our hearts for praying for Emma Grace and our family! God is so good!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Fighter
It was confirmed yesterday that Emma does have Group B Strep, so she started receiving penicillin to treat it. She is already showing improvement, and the doctor was even able to turn down her oxygen support to 3 liters. This afternoon, the doctor performed the spinal tap procedure, and Emma did great during that. They gave her something called "sweeties" to make her comfortable so she wouldn't feel pain. When the doctor drew her spinal fluid out, he said it looked very clear. Usually if it has bacteria then it would be cloudy, so we have hope! We should get preliminary results back late tonight or tomorrow morning. These results will just give her white blood cell count, which are the cells that fight infections, so if it is in a normal range it should mean there is no meningitis. Justin and I got to hold Emma and love on her after the spinal tap, and she seemed very comfortable! Nothing phases this little girl, she is so strong!
If everything goes well from this point and Emma heals from her infection, the main thing keeping her in the NICU is learning how to feed from a bottle. Preemies are not physically able to grasp the rhythm of suck, swallow, breathe, so when we did try the bottle (we had to stop because her oxygen support went too high) Emma would just suck & swallow several times, then try to catch up on her breathing. I have no doubt she will be able to conquer the bottle quickly!
Thank you for your continued prayers. Even days when it is hard to find strength, I know God will provide it because all of you are praying for our family, and our precious little girl.
If everything goes well from this point and Emma heals from her infection, the main thing keeping her in the NICU is learning how to feed from a bottle. Preemies are not physically able to grasp the rhythm of suck, swallow, breathe, so when we did try the bottle (we had to stop because her oxygen support went too high) Emma would just suck & swallow several times, then try to catch up on her breathing. I have no doubt she will be able to conquer the bottle quickly!
Thank you for your continued prayers. Even days when it is hard to find strength, I know God will provide it because all of you are praying for our family, and our precious little girl.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)