We have had a very busy week so I will try to fill you all in on everything. Makinley is now over the 5 lb mark! 5lbs 2 oz to be exact. She is 42 cm long. She seems so big already! Here is the update on Makinley:
- Andrew and I have really been pushing for them to bottle Makinley. As of now she has just been getting breastmilk through her NG tube. We think she shows signs that she is ready. On Tuesday they gave her a feeding readiness test. She scored a 13 out of 17 which is not enough to pass. A baby can only miss two signs in order to try bottling. Makinley missed rooting, aroused before feeding, sucks on hands prior to feeding, and she could not suck her pacifier for 30 seconds straight. These all seem like such minor things but we will be patient and try again in a couple of days.
- On Wednesday we moved away from the back wall of the NICU. YAY! This is just another step closer to going home. The back wall is used for critical babies so moving to a side room is a good thing even though the room itself is smaller. Room #3575 is our home for now and we are thankful we still have a window view.
- On Friday, the nurse decided Makinley was going to try her first bottle. They do not let parents five the first bottle because they want to catch the early signs of choking or gagging she might display. So Andrew and I just watched for now. She was very alert and she ended up taking 5 mL which I thought was pretty good for her first time.
- We tried to feed her again on Saturday but she was not interested this time. They want to wait a few days now before trying again.
- The genetic testing from Makinley came back completely normal. Since everything is normal we can only assume her clubbed feet came from low fluid amounts. It is amazing to me how they knit pick everything when your baby is in the NICU. For instance the genetics person told us Makinley only has one crease on the palm of her hands and we are supposed to have two. OKAY??? They proceeded to tell me there is nothing to do for it but it is just another "deformity." Really? I proceeded to ask how you get creases in your hand. Their response was moving your thumb inward creates one and forming a fist/folding your fingers down makes the second. Wouldn't common sense kick in yet? Makinley had no fluid in the womb. Her hands did not move freely like most babies. She probably has not had the time to create those lines and truthfully what does it matter. That is my vent! Just another example to listen with open ears but sort out what is REALLY importat and let the other stuff go.
- Makinley's red blood cells are currently low. Last Monday they were 32 and now this Monday they are 28. Doctors do not like to see them low and she will need a blood transfusion if they fall to 25. For now we will continue to monitor her numbers. I always think negative thoughts when it comes to getting a blood transfusion but I guess it is pretty typical for preemie babies. I asked if I could give Makinley my blood since we are both O Positive blood type. Unfortunately, they said no. It takes a while to go through the necessary screening process and they assured me the blood given to preemie babies goes through more testing to make sure it is all safe.
- They also did an ultrasound on Makinley's kidney's today. They wanted to check on one kidney that was slightly enflamed during pregnancy. Makinley is also showing some signs of High Blood Pressure which they do not like to see in babies so they would like to rule out any kidney problems. We hope to know the results in a few days.
Here is one more picture for the week - probably one of my favorites thus far!
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