Back on the Breathing Tube

Farrah got to meet her other grandma on Thursday. My mom came to town and was so excited to meet Farrah. It worked out that I got to hold her that first day, so my mom got to spend time with her up close. I regret that we did not get any photos of the three generations of women, but there is more time for that later.

On Monday, as we were parking our car in the hospital garage we found out that Farrah needed to be re-intubated because there were multiple signs that she was getting too tired. We knew that she was needing more and more support but kept hoping that she would be able to keep the nasal cannula in. The final sign was a chest xray that made her doctor write the order for the vent or breathing tube. We couldn't argue with a chest xray, and preemies end up going backwards when they get really tired. Ray and I had a little trouble accepting the step back, and we had figured that Farrah would not go back on the breathing tube because it had been more than a week that she had been off of it. Farrah's nurses tell us that this step back is common for preemies, and it should only be a matter of another week or two before they will try the ram cannula again. Hopefully by that time, she will be bigger and stronger. There will be a day when she no longer needs a breathing tube, but it feels so far away right now. Since she has been back on the breathing tube, she has appeared way more relaxed than she was during the past week. We want her to be comfortable as she continues to fight her way home to us.

I don't think I have mentioned yet that while Farrah did not have the breathing tube in, we heard noises coming from her for the first time since her delivery. The noises included soft cries and little squeaks and squeals. Some of the noises were just typical baby noises that a newborn might make. It was music to our ears! It happened a lot during the times when we were holding her. What we dislike the most about her having the breathing tube back in is that we cannot hear her for now. Apparently, Farrah did not like it when they put the tube back in and immediately was tugging on it. She is still her feisty little self and we were told that Farrah has had significant weight gain in the past week. She was up to 2.5 pounds at one point, but some of it appeared to be edema. She received lasix and has gone down to 2 pounds again. We want her to gain weight, but not when it is only extra fluid. One change that her doctor made is that extra calories are being added to the breast milk she gets through her feeding tube in the hopes that she will start growing more steadily and faster. Her feedings have increased to 14 ccs every three hours, and she has been tolerating her feedings well even with going back on the breathing tube. She is peeing and pooping as she should be, which we are thankful for. She has grown one inch in length since birth (now 14 1/2 inches). She is way more alert now during the times when the nurses or we change her diaper, take her temperature, and move her to a different position.

Farrah is doing well, but she is not out of the woods yet. We would appreciate your continued good thoughts and prayers for her. There are a lot of things that could complicate her course and we pray every day that she would not have to deal with any of those things. We attended a support group for parents of babies in the same NICU, and we were surprised to learn that Farrah was one of the larger babies of the group. The majority of the women delivered at 24 or 25 weeks, and their babies weighed less than 1 pound, 5 ounces when they were delivered. We praise God that we were able to get an extra 3 weeks for Farrah to grow inside of me. When a baby is delivered at 28 weeks, their odds of survival go up to 95%. When they are delivered at 23 weeks, they have 50% odds. It was helpful to talk to other parents who are dealing with similiar yet different circumstances, and it is nice to see them around the NICU and know a little bit of their stories so that we are not all strangers.