Another Week Begins

Happy Monday everyone!

Today marks 6 weeks and 3 days in the NICU.  We're still close to discharge, but I don't allow myself to get as excited as I was last week.  Judith has to master the whole body temperature and feeding thing before we can even consider it.  She's getting there - it's going to take more time, and I just don't see her coming home before the end of the week.

We're still within the original time frame the neonatologist gave us (6-8 weeks) when we had our consultation before Judith was born.  He even said this weekend that we're moving to get her ready to go home, but didn't give a time frame.  So I'm preparing myself for another tiring week of travel, and on top of that the possibility of really crappy weather tomorrow.  It very well might be the first day in 6.5 weeks that I won't make it to the hospital to see my baby.  I've already put in a special request to the storm system that it changes itself to plain rain quickly so I can get up there!

Judith got her weekly measurements last night, so here are her current stats:
Length: 41 cm
Head Circumference: 31 cm
Weight: 4 lbs 5.8 oz
Isolette Temperature: 27 C (room temperature!!!)

Yes, you read that right - her isolette temp is back to room temperature!  Her body temp was normal last night, but it was starting to creep up toward the 99 degree range, so her nurse decided to knock the temp down to the 27 degree mark.  They didn't put Judith back in one of the giraffe isolettes - they put her in a spare one that they use on the intermediate side for babies like her, that were weaned in the giraffe and went into an open crib but had problems maintaining their body temperature.  They could pop the top on the giraffe.  They can't do that with this isolette.  So she'll have to stay in the closed isolette for 24 hours and then will be allowed to go into an open crib.  She should go into that crib around 9:00 tonight.  I had set a goal for this week that she would go back into an open crib, and it looks like she'll get to do that sooner rather than later.  Hopefully she can maintain her body temps this time and won't have to go back into the isolette.

She's doing well with her feeds, but still tires out after taking a bunch of them.  She did really well at her 9:00 care last night - she took 40mL for me in about 15 minutes.  What a little pig!  That was the second feed in a row that she took 40mL.  Right now, they're feeding her by gavage if she's not taking all of the bottle.  I'd rather get her into the open crib first and have success there, then work on the feeds.  Mastering the feeds is my goal for the latter half of this week into next week.  She should be able to get the hang of this soon - she'll be 36 weeks on Wednesday.

I think the dogs will be excited to have her home.  They're getting curious about the bassinet.  Both of them (not necessarily together) will get up on the bed, look into the bassinet, and sniff. I have a feeling I know where they're going to be sleeping once she's home!