Thankful for the basics

As of yesterday, Farrah is receiving breast milk via her feeding tube every three hours. She has also grown to more than 800 grams. She is on very little oxygen support and is breathing 95% on her own. She has been pooping more after receiving a suppository, which we are all happy to see. It is funny how encouraging all the basic functions are to us at this point. We picked up Ray's mom from the airport yesterday and drove to the hospital. When we arrived, the NICU was closed due to a surgery taking place. NICU babies are too unstable to move to the OR, so all surgeries take place within the NICU. When that happens, the NICU is closed to parents and visitors to create a more sterile environment. Ray's mom loved meeting her little granddaughter and she was there while the rounds were taking place, which meant she got to see Ray change Farrah's diaper (his first poopy one) and take her temperature. While they visited with her, I went to the pumping room. Farrah's nurse told us that she has been working in the NICU for more than 35 years. It is so comforting to know the level of experience that some of her nurses have. While other nurses have less experience, they make up for it in proving incredible around-the-clock care. They removed the phototherapy lights since Farrah's bilirubin numbers looked ok. She will only go back under the lights if the levels go up. Ray and I both can tell that she is more comfortable these days than she was in the beginning. She appears to sleep more peacefully too. Yesterday marked one week since Farrah's arrival. We are so thankful that she is growing and that her body continues to develop outside of the womb.