Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
I am packing on the weight now!
Faith has gained an ounce everyday for the last several days! She is getting breastmilk and added calories that are mixed in, so that is helping her gain weight faster. I guess it is working!Saturday, May 29, 2010
Big Girl Bed
I weigh 4lbs 2oz! And, I get to try the "big girl" bed. I need to hold my temp. steady for 24hours to show I can handle the "big girl" bed. More people can start to hold me when I am holding my temp steady and sleeping in the "big girl" bed. Grandpa and Gemma are ready to hold and start spoiling me!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
4lbs and Growing
Tonight, Faith weighed in at 4lbs. We are so proud! She has been receiving my milk through the tube in her nose and they have been fortifying my milk with extra calories. She likes her milkshakes!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
All About Faith!!
Joys
Off all IVs
Weighing in at 3lbs 11oz
Off all O2
New isolette that will help her to ween to regular air temperature
Started wearing clothes
Working up to full feeds
Digesting her food well
Concerns
Still working her her breathing. She had a few spells the other day that required more help to regain her breathing
Has a heart murmur that is heard off and on. They are watching it and may do a scan of her heart to check. May need medication to correct.
Developed reflux with the increased feeds
Billi levels are still a little off and may require her to go back to the 'tanning bed.'
Prayer Requests
That her breathing will continue to stabilize each day and the spells decrease
That her heart murmur would be corrected without any medication or intervention
That she would tolerate the increased feedings with the added formula/extra calories. She really needs the extra calories, but that was what upset her stomach last time.
Faith is showing more and more personality. She seems to be mellow like Daddy and not respond well with too many changes and stresses like Mommy. Wade and I are also really enjoying holding times with her and her more alert wake times! Oh, and she has developed a reputation of the projectile pooper! And, yes, I have witnessed it!
Joys
Off all IVs
Weighing in at 3lbs 11oz
Off all O2
New isolette that will help her to ween to regular air temperature
Started wearing clothes
Working up to full feeds
Digesting her food well
Concerns
Still working her her breathing. She had a few spells the other day that required more help to regain her breathing
Has a heart murmur that is heard off and on. They are watching it and may do a scan of her heart to check. May need medication to correct.
Developed reflux with the increased feeds
Billi levels are still a little off and may require her to go back to the 'tanning bed.'
Prayer Requests
That her breathing will continue to stabilize each day and the spells decrease
That her heart murmur would be corrected without any medication or intervention
That she would tolerate the increased feedings with the added formula/extra calories. She really needs the extra calories, but that was what upset her stomach last time.
Faith is showing more and more personality. She seems to be mellow like Daddy and not respond well with too many changes and stresses like Mommy. Wade and I are also really enjoying holding times with her and her more alert wake times! Oh, and she has developed a reputation of the projectile pooper! And, yes, I have witnessed it!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Faith
This is not a picture of Faith, but this baby looks so much like her...and you know something even more amazing?....This is my all time favorite Anne Geddes photo. I had this photo framed and hanging in my room at college. I simply love this photo!
Faith is doing well! She is off all O2 and working back up to full feeds. She does have a hard time keeping her IV healthy and not having it make her arm puffy. We are praying that she can sustain her weight and gain so she does not have to back to the IV.
We are so blessed with her progress and pray that continues to grow her stronger. This picture reminds me so much of God's love and how HIS hands cover us and hold us through all times.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
Faith is doing well! She is off all O2 and working back up to full feeds. She does have a hard time keeping her IV healthy and not having it make her arm puffy. We are praying that she can sustain her weight and gain so she does not have to back to the IV.
We are so blessed with her progress and pray that continues to grow her stronger. This picture reminds me so much of God's love and how HIS hands cover us and hold us through all times.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Faith is 1 Week Old
It is hard to believe that Faith was a week old yesterday. I am so proud of how hard she is fighting to find her way out of the womb. I can't imagine how much a change her life is today than it was in the womb. The nurses at the NICU are amazing and try very hard to make me feel comfortable and informed. They have a true gift that is for sure.
Things Faith is still working at:
- breathing at a consistent level and rhythm-sometimes she gets too relaxed and her brain forgets to tell her body to breath
- balancing her jaundice level (sorry wish I remembered all the medical terms for things)
- still has a bit of cloudy weather in her lungs
-slight heart murmur at times
Things Faith is doing well:
- tolerating her feedings
-breathing with the high flow nasal canula at 21-25 percent. We breath at 21 percent. So, she is doing all the work to breath herself. :-)
-snuggling up to her mommy during our daily Kangaroo hold time
Silly things Faith does:
- raises her bum in the air while she is sleeping and moving.
Mommy's 'joy' moments
-seeing Faith have her eyes open and looking around for a minute
-holding her
-each night before we leave Wade and I place our hand on her 'tent' and pray for her. This is an especially sweet time and a reminder to me that He has her in His hands.
Mommy's struggle
-being able to provide enough milk for her
- mourning the loss of her not in my belly able to grow
-baby blues-daily breakdowns
Hopefully, I can get some more pics soon. They are kind of strict about taking pictures with a flash. Once she is off the billi light more, it will be easier to get a picture without a flash.
I don't think I could ever say this enough, but thank you for all your support and prayers.
Blessings,
Things Faith is still working at:
- breathing at a consistent level and rhythm-sometimes she gets too relaxed and her brain forgets to tell her body to breath
- balancing her jaundice level (sorry wish I remembered all the medical terms for things)
- still has a bit of cloudy weather in her lungs
-slight heart murmur at times
Things Faith is doing well:
- tolerating her feedings
-breathing with the high flow nasal canula at 21-25 percent. We breath at 21 percent. So, she is doing all the work to breath herself. :-)
-snuggling up to her mommy during our daily Kangaroo hold time
Silly things Faith does:
- raises her bum in the air while she is sleeping and moving.
Mommy's 'joy' moments
-seeing Faith have her eyes open and looking around for a minute
-holding her
-each night before we leave Wade and I place our hand on her 'tent' and pray for her. This is an especially sweet time and a reminder to me that He has her in His hands.
Mommy's struggle
-being able to provide enough milk for her
- mourning the loss of her not in my belly able to grow
-baby blues-daily breakdowns
Hopefully, I can get some more pics soon. They are kind of strict about taking pictures with a flash. Once she is off the billi light more, it will be easier to get a picture without a flash.
I don't think I could ever say this enough, but thank you for all your support and prayers.
Blessings,
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Faith's Birth Story
Miss Faith decided to come 9 weeks early...little stinker! Everything happened so fast and I was in such shock that when thinking back, I don't remember some moments or they don't even feel real.
All day on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 I had what I thought was some bladder control issues. I called the dr. and we both thought it was bladder leakage because the baby was sitting low and pushing on my bladder. Well, in hindsight, it was really amnotic fluid that was leaking. But, being only 31ish weeks along...amnotic fluid leaks was not in my mind. By the afternoon, I was feeling pretty good.
I left work and came home to make dinner. We were having Spaghetti and as I was sitting down to eat it was no more than a few bites when I felt a huge gush and ran to the bathroom. It was very scary to see that much fluid. I yelled to Wade that we needed to get to the hospital right away. We left with the clothes on our backs and our Spaghetti sitting on our plates. It felt like forever to get to the hospital. I was not having any contractions (that I could feel) at this point only fear that I was going to deliver a baby 9 weeks early. I just kept praying that God would be with us all along the way.
We walked into the emergency room and I was directed to a wheelchair. Can I just say that it felt like I was sitting there forever before someone from labor and delivery came to get me. A nurse put a monitor on me to check for contractions and at this point I was having some mild contractions. It was 6:30pm. I think my contractions were about 5 minutes apart, but still very mild. My doctor thankfully came within a few minutes to check me. I will never forget the look in her eyes..."you are fully dialated," she said. I immediately began to cry because this baby was not supposed to come this early. Our doctor prayed with Wade and I and then we headed to the labor and delivery room. At this point I was feeling more contractions and it was getting painful.
I pushed about 5 times and...
At 7:48pm, Faith Brianne was born. The NICU team was there waiting to help her and even though I did not get to hold her, she did cry on her own and I got to see her before they took her up to the NICU. I was so thankful that she was stable enough that they did not have to rush her away from the room.
Our little Faith is a fighter; our little Rocky!
The NICU staff says she is "fiesty." That's my girl...keep fighing to grow!
"My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9a
All day on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 I had what I thought was some bladder control issues. I called the dr. and we both thought it was bladder leakage because the baby was sitting low and pushing on my bladder. Well, in hindsight, it was really amnotic fluid that was leaking. But, being only 31ish weeks along...amnotic fluid leaks was not in my mind. By the afternoon, I was feeling pretty good.
I left work and came home to make dinner. We were having Spaghetti and as I was sitting down to eat it was no more than a few bites when I felt a huge gush and ran to the bathroom. It was very scary to see that much fluid. I yelled to Wade that we needed to get to the hospital right away. We left with the clothes on our backs and our Spaghetti sitting on our plates. It felt like forever to get to the hospital. I was not having any contractions (that I could feel) at this point only fear that I was going to deliver a baby 9 weeks early. I just kept praying that God would be with us all along the way.
We walked into the emergency room and I was directed to a wheelchair. Can I just say that it felt like I was sitting there forever before someone from labor and delivery came to get me. A nurse put a monitor on me to check for contractions and at this point I was having some mild contractions. It was 6:30pm. I think my contractions were about 5 minutes apart, but still very mild. My doctor thankfully came within a few minutes to check me. I will never forget the look in her eyes..."you are fully dialated," she said. I immediately began to cry because this baby was not supposed to come this early. Our doctor prayed with Wade and I and then we headed to the labor and delivery room. At this point I was feeling more contractions and it was getting painful.
I pushed about 5 times and...
At 7:48pm, Faith Brianne was born. The NICU team was there waiting to help her and even though I did not get to hold her, she did cry on her own and I got to see her before they took her up to the NICU. I was so thankful that she was stable enough that they did not have to rush her away from the room.
Our little Faith is a fighter; our little Rocky!
The NICU staff says she is "fiesty." That's my girl...keep fighing to grow!
"My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9a
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Surprise!
We have a little surprise over here (9 weeks early)!
Faith Brianne
May 4, 2010
3 lbs 4 oz 16 in
Our Miss Faith is going to need NICU care for at least 6-8 weeks. Please join us in prayer for her.
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