Getting Stronger

For the first time, the hospital staff has recommended that we plan to take the discharge class soon and start getting everything in order for when Farrah comes home. We still haven't been given a discharge date or even week, but Farrah has shown lots of promising, steady growth in the past week and a half. Due to Farrah's low birth weight and potential future health issues, Farrah will be followed by a state organization that supports premature babies and their families once they leave the hospital. We are thankful for the various organizations that support the families of preemies. Farrah will also have a lot of doctors' appointments during her first year.

Farrah has been nippling the majority of her feeds and is getting bigger. Last night Farrah weighed 3 pounds, 14 ounces. Farrah's face is filling out too. One of Farrah's nurses told us that it is very possible that Farrah could come home weighing less than 5 pounds. It all depends on how Farrah does in the next few weeks in terms of adjusting to an open crib, continuing to gain weight, etc. Farrah still occasionally breathes fast, and her medical team is watching that. They don't seem too concerned about it. Today she was breathing especially fast, but she had a busy day with physical therapy, nippling, and her eye exam, so those events could have gotten her a little more worked up. Farrah's eye test today came back normal - yahoo! Farrah will have another eye exam in two weeks. They also took Farrah's oxygen down to 3/4 liter. They are weaning little by little and we appreciate how conservative her team is being, as everyone wants Farrah to cruise along until she goes home. Ray and I have some important decisions to make about Farrah's vaccinations. We know that being vaccinated in the NICU can cause set backs for preemies and have thought that waiting until her adjusted age would be better, but we have been urged by the NICU staff to vaccinate her while she is still in the hospital being so closely monitored. We have also been urged by the NICU staff to vaccinate Farrah sooner than later since she was so sick. We have some reservations about the NICU vaccination timeline and don't want to make any decisions regarding vaccinations too quickly.  Farrah also has an upcoming hearing test (no date scheduled yet) and we pray that she will pass that test with flying colors. Farrah seems to be more alert each day. Farrah is a social baby and her nurses say that she loves to be held by them as they walk around her "suite."

We continue to pray that Farrah will keep getting bigger and stronger; that Farrah's breathing will regulate; that her eyes will mature and she will keep have normal results from her eye exams; that her hearing test will be normal; and that Farrah won't have any other infections or major setbacks.

I held Farrah tonight for her feeding, and it was the first time I've seen her nippling. I am amazed by our little girl. She knows to pace herself but also has a sense of urgency when it comes to taking the entire bottle. Nippling makes Farrah tired and she has been resting very well lately, which is exactly what should be happening.