Thursday, March 3, 2011
Eyes
I'm pretty tired tonight, so I'm going to keep this short. This morning brought the awesome surprise the Penny opened her eyes! She didn't show them to me very much, but they were certainly open! I tried to get a picture, but every time I got ready to take it she shut them tight. A nurse from the cardiology team came down to talk to me about the PDA Ligation, and I feel pretty comfortable with all of that. So we are pretty much in a holding pattern until Monday. Oh, and her weight today is 1lb 13oz! So we are on our way!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
PDA Update
Well despite all our hopes, the medication did not close the PDA. After talking to another mother I found out that even if the medicine closed it, for the next 4 weeks there would be a concern that it would reopen. In her son's case, it closed and reopened 3 times, and they still had to have the surgery. So Penelope will be having her surgery on Monday morning. The procedure is relatively quick, I think I was told about 30 minutes, but I'm not 100% sure on that time frame. The doctors are expecting her to do fantastic since she is such a fighter. Once we get over this hurdle we will be able to increase her feedings by 100%, so she should start gaining weight quickly. While I am not looking forward to it, I will be glad to be done with all this PDA business.
As for me, I'm holding up better than I expected. It's hard to be away from Lucy and Jeremy, but I know this is where I need to be. I have my 2 week blood pressure check on Monday as well. I moved it to the afternoon because I'm pretty sure it will be through the roof if they try to do it in the morning. My edema is gone, so I've lost about 25lbs in 12 days. The rest of the preeclamptic symptoms have also disappeared. I'm really hoping I can go off the blood pressure medication after this check up. I will have a surgical follow up in a few weeks.
So despite today's roller coaster, my day was pretty good. I had dinner with two mothers that are going to be here for a few weeks as well. It was nice to have a normal mom conversation. You know the kind, picking on your husband, talking about your kids stinky socks, and most importantly laughing. Something we all need to do a little more of.
As for me, I'm holding up better than I expected. It's hard to be away from Lucy and Jeremy, but I know this is where I need to be. I have my 2 week blood pressure check on Monday as well. I moved it to the afternoon because I'm pretty sure it will be through the roof if they try to do it in the morning. My edema is gone, so I've lost about 25lbs in 12 days. The rest of the preeclamptic symptoms have also disappeared. I'm really hoping I can go off the blood pressure medication after this check up. I will have a surgical follow up in a few weeks.
So despite today's roller coaster, my day was pretty good. I had dinner with two mothers that are going to be here for a few weeks as well. It was nice to have a normal mom conversation. You know the kind, picking on your husband, talking about your kids stinky socks, and most importantly laughing. Something we all need to do a little more of.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Support Group
Penelope had her last dose of medicine this evening. Her repeat EKG will be tomorrow. I spent the day hanging out in her room, helping with diaper changes, etc. One of her nurses made a pink bow for her and stuck it to her head with the sticky gel they use for monitors. Her eyelids are also starting to separate, so we should see those peepers soon! I'm hoping they are open by this weekend when Jeremy comes to visit.
This afternoon I went to the NICU Mom's Support Group. I met two moms who had to go through the PDA surgery. They told me that it wasn't as scary as they imagined it, and that now, a few weeks later, you can barely even see the scar. So that alone was worth my time. I got a little discouraged when I found out that one of the mom's due date is tomorrow and she is still weeks away from discharge. She gave birth at 25 weeks to a 1lb 14oz baby. I don't know the circumstances that caused her to deliver, or what complications they have had along the way. I'm sure that her situation is completely different than mine, but I'd still like to know if she's willing to share.
This evening there were two Search and Rescue/Therapy dogs here. Their handlers had little videos about some of the rescue they have been on. Most of the people in the room were fixated on the stories. Not me, I was laying on the floor snuggling with Hawk, the biggest German Shepherd I've ever seen! Seriously, his head was bigger than Beans, and his paws were took up the whole palm of my hand. You can't help but smile when you see a beautiful dog like that and hear how many lives he's saved (and bad guys he's caught!)
This afternoon I went to the NICU Mom's Support Group. I met two moms who had to go through the PDA surgery. They told me that it wasn't as scary as they imagined it, and that now, a few weeks later, you can barely even see the scar. So that alone was worth my time. I got a little discouraged when I found out that one of the mom's due date is tomorrow and she is still weeks away from discharge. She gave birth at 25 weeks to a 1lb 14oz baby. I don't know the circumstances that caused her to deliver, or what complications they have had along the way. I'm sure that her situation is completely different than mine, but I'd still like to know if she's willing to share.
This evening there were two Search and Rescue/Therapy dogs here. Their handlers had little videos about some of the rescue they have been on. Most of the people in the room were fixated on the stories. Not me, I was laying on the floor snuggling with Hawk, the biggest German Shepherd I've ever seen! Seriously, his head was bigger than Beans, and his paws were took up the whole palm of my hand. You can't help but smile when you see a beautiful dog like that and hear how many lives he's saved (and bad guys he's caught!)
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