Roller Coaster Rides

Monday we returned to our normal routines after a stressful weekend. Naomi was back up to 7 mL of milk every three hours and seemed to be doing well. She filled her days with stretching, yawning, smiling, and complaining to the nurse when they measured her belly.

The doctor said she looked better and they were hopeful she'd start digesting. She still didn't have many stools though, but that could also be due to the reduced volume of milk.

Tuesday was a different story. Ana was at the NICU all day with a friend and started to notice a change in Naomi. Naomi was pretty sleepy all day, instead of her usual feisty self. During cares at 5 PM, her temp was low and her belly still had a fair amount of milk in it. After starting her next feeding, she was burping and puking up milk, her belly looked distended again, and she was especially lethargic. By 5:30 PM, the nurse had contacted the doctor and so began a long night.

The doctor ordered several blood draws to check to see if she had any infections. She also ordered feedings stopped for the night and an X-ray for Naomi's belly.

Needless to say, we were having a rough night. Once the results arrived, the doctor stopped by to give us an update. The X-ray showed a large amount of air in her small colon and her CRP (measure of inflammation) was slightly elevated. The doctor said her CRP was still within the limits of normal, but she wanted to start antibiotics as a precaution. We would have to wait a day or two to find out about her other tests.  Thankfully, as the night went on, her temp went back up and she started acting a little more feisty again.

Early Wednesday morning, the doctor decided to try a different approach. She would start feedings again, but Naomi would receive 1 mL of milk per hour, continuously. Previously, her feedings were every three hours and were given over five minutes to 30 minutes depending on the volume. We anxiously waited to see how Naomi would respond.

By Wednesday afternoon we found out Naomi's cultures were negative, indicating no blood infection. Her white blood cell levels were also normal. The doctor said she would continue antibiotics for another two days. Naomi's first tummy check showed she hadn't digested her milk, but the doctor and nurse decided to continue since they were just starting the continuous feed. By Wednesday night though, she had started digesting well and would keep digesting well.

Thursday we arrived around lunch time to visit Naomi. We arrived after cares, so we peeked into her incubator to say, "Hi." We did a double take after peeling back her incubator cover. Naomi now had a head IV. It's not entirely pleasant to look at, but Naomi seems happy. As the nurse stated, "She won't have it on her first day of kindergarten."

Naomi was tucked in nicely as we waited for 4 PM. Ana would try nursing again before cares even though the lactation specialist thought Naomi was a little young to begin nursing. Naomi showed her a thing or two though and was very alert with "very mature behaviors". While not as successful as the first time, it was another happy moment for mom and daughter.

Naomi seems to have returned to her normal self. She stretches and twists her way out of her snugglie and lets the nurse know she doesn't like having her belly measured. She's back to smiling again and letting dad know she doesn't like to have her temperature taken.

And while she is getting poked with a lot of needles lately, she's alert and crying, which can be a good thing from time to time.