Just Cruisin' Along
Emma had another uneventful day :)
She was off CPAP, breathing on her own, for 10 hours again today and required very little supplemental oxygen.
Emma also seems to be tolerating the re-introduction of breast milk well. Although she (not surprisingly) didn't gain weight while her feeds were being withheld last week, she's been gaining well over the weekend and is up to 1192 grams (2 pounds, 10 ounces). Her nurses will be increasing her intake by 1 cc every 24 hours so it will take a while before she is at "full feeds." As of tomorrow she'll be getting 5 cc every 3 hours and she'll need to be taking approx. 24 cc every 3 hours before she's off the intravenous drip entirely. The docs are being very conservative with her intake because they don't want to over-stress her tummy after the problems Emma had last week. At the same time, getting off of the IV fluids sooner is better because the IV line is a great entry point for all manner of infections that we'd like to keep far, far away from Emma.
Emma is going to have her first 'round of immunizations this week as it is recommended that preemies receive their shots at the same schedule as full-term babies (i.e., they're given according to chronological age rather than corrected age)* So, even though she is still 8 weeks away from her "due date", in this case, Emma is considered to be 2 months old).
She's also going to have her second eye examination this week. The docs are monitoring Emma carefully for any indication of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity)-- see: http://retinopathy of prematurity for more information. Our hope is that if the docs see any evidence of problems, they'll be able to start treatment early.
*An 'adjusted or corrected age' for a premature baby is the amount of time since the baby was supposed to be born (the due date). This is different from the baby's 'chronological age' -- the amount of time since the baby was actually born). For example: If baby was born 10 months ago, but was 4 months premature, her 'adjusted or corrected age' would be 6 months.
She was off CPAP, breathing on her own, for 10 hours again today and required very little supplemental oxygen.
Emma also seems to be tolerating the re-introduction of breast milk well. Although she (not surprisingly) didn't gain weight while her feeds were being withheld last week, she's been gaining well over the weekend and is up to 1192 grams (2 pounds, 10 ounces). Her nurses will be increasing her intake by 1 cc every 24 hours so it will take a while before she is at "full feeds." As of tomorrow she'll be getting 5 cc every 3 hours and she'll need to be taking approx. 24 cc every 3 hours before she's off the intravenous drip entirely. The docs are being very conservative with her intake because they don't want to over-stress her tummy after the problems Emma had last week. At the same time, getting off of the IV fluids sooner is better because the IV line is a great entry point for all manner of infections that we'd like to keep far, far away from Emma.
Emma is going to have her first 'round of immunizations this week as it is recommended that preemies receive their shots at the same schedule as full-term babies (i.e., they're given according to chronological age rather than corrected age)* So, even though she is still 8 weeks away from her "due date", in this case, Emma is considered to be 2 months old).
She's also going to have her second eye examination this week. The docs are monitoring Emma carefully for any indication of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity)-- see: http://retinopathy of prematurity for more information. Our hope is that if the docs see any evidence of problems, they'll be able to start treatment early.
*An 'adjusted or corrected age' for a premature baby is the amount of time since the baby was supposed to be born (the due date). This is different from the baby's 'chronological age' -- the amount of time since the baby was actually born). For example: If baby was born 10 months ago, but was 4 months premature, her 'adjusted or corrected age' would be 6 months.
posted by Laurie at 22:24
2 Comments:
Has it already been two months?? Wow!
Glad to hear you are doing so well, Emma! Keep up the good work!!
xo Dani and family
Uneventful is wonderful. Boring is beautiful - just grow strong and well, little Emma, so you can go home to your family soon.
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