Maddie Makes Her Mark

It is amazing how the littlest things excite you when it comes to your own kids. Today, we discovered that Maddie has a birthmark on her left hip. It's very cute. Her ventilator settings have improved, and they have started breathing treatments to expand her lungs and break up the fluid that has been collecting. Although she is still having some issues with desats (drops in her oxygen saturation), the breathing treatments seem to be helping. It is very common for preemies to struggle with desats and apnea, so it is not a major concern at this point. She is still just as feisty as can be; she was adamant on sucking her fingers while we were there. Her bilirubin level was back down to normal, but as a precaution they decided to leave her under the light for another day.
The results of Cadie's head ultrasound were somewhat inconclusive. It looks as though she has developed hydrocephalus, but the increase in her head circumference could be a combination of that and regular growth. They will continue to measure her head daily and she will be visited regularly by Dr. Benner. Some growth due to hydrocephalus is acceptable because infants' heads are naturally able to expand and adjust because the sutures in their skull aren't yet fused together. Once the swelling reaches a certain point, though, it becomes problematic because it begins putting pressure on the nerves, which can lead to brain damage. The doctors will watch her closely, and if it looks as though she is headed in that direction, they will intervene. Hopefully, the swelling will slow, if not cease, and the problem will resolve itself. Cadie was still wrapped up in her bili-blanket and resting comfortably. She always likes to have at least one arm up by her face. Today, it was her right arm, resting next to her cheek; she looked very content.

Ever since they were born, the girls have been classified under a "minimal handling" protocol, which limits any non-emergency medical treatment including checking temperature, changing diapers, changing their position, to every four to six hours, in order to limit stress. If the babies score high enough -- in this case, high is bad -- they are kept under this protocol until they can handle more "handling." Thursday, the girls will be thirty weeks gestation, which will, in terms of points, no longer classify them under "minimal handling." The sooner they are no longer on ventilators or classified as "minimal handling," the sooner we get to finally hold them. As a precaution, Dr. K may keep them under this protocol for a bit longer if she determines they still aren't ready to be taken off. Despite how desperately we want to hold them, we are okay with them remaining under "minimal handling" as long as they need it. We certainly don't want to contribute to their stress. We just can't wait to start Kangaroo Care.

All in all, it was a good day. Both girls were increased to two ml's of milk every three hours and they have not had a single problem. Cadie even got a taste on her pacifier (courtesy of her nurse, Monica), which was an extra special treat.