A lot of people have been asking Andrea and I what they can do to help out. We honestly do not have any direct pressing needs, as my parents and Andrea's mom are in town with us right now. If that answer doesn't satisfy you, here's two things that you can do for us.
First, please remember us in your prayers. Second, if you're able to, please donate blood.
Let me explain that second request. 2-pound babies have roughly 100 mL of blood. For you non-metric-system people out there, one-half of a cup is about 120 mL. Babies in the NICU have A LOT of blood tests -- these people in the NICU are like vampires. Even though most tests only require 1 or 2 mL of blood, that adds up really fast when a baby only has 100 mL to start with. For that reason, both girls have averaged one or two blood transfusions each day. Without the gift of blood donations from healthy donors, modern NICU treatment would not be possible.
That was too much text. Let me find a picture......
That's Paige next to what she will be sucking me dry of when she's a teenager.
Not much happened with Aubrey today. I think she had a blood and platelet transfusion, but that's normal for her. She now weighs 1100 grams (there are 454 grams in each pound), or about 2 pounds 7 ounces. That's up from 2 pounds 3 ounces at birth, but the weight gain is probably all water from swelling. That's about all Aubrey did on Day 9, so here's a picture of her with mommy's hands around her (taken with a phone on low quality settings while i was not there, so not that great quality. not sure why no one thought to grab the real camera).
Paige's day was a little more eventful. She had an echocardiogram in the morning (heart ultrasound), and it appeared that she still has the PDA, though the official report still has not come back from the cardiologist as of this posting. Dr Mir came into the room and spoke with me about it. She said that even though the PDA is still present, a biomarker called BNP, a chemical made by the heart and found in the blood, had decreased from about 600 to 70. Dr Mir said that the decrease in BNP may indicate that the indomethacin is starting to work and the PDA is getting better. That's very good news. Additionally, Paige's oxygen levels have been much more steady over the past few days, which is also an indication that the indomethacin may be working to decrease the size of the PDA. The current plan for Paige's PDA is to watch and wait.
One thing I forgot to mention from a day or two ago was that we spoke with the girls' doctors about overall lung function. Their lungs are still pretty bad, but seem to be slowly improving. We discussed the girls possibly needing IV steroids to help their lungs mature. Steroids do a very good job of helping lungs mature. The problem with giving steroids to babies is that brain development can be affected. There have been some studies showing that babies given steroids have a cerebellum that is about 10% smaller than those not receiving steroids. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating complex muscle movements, like dancing, throwing a ball, speaking, and just about anything else that requires some sort of movement in a coordinated fashion. From our discussion with the doctors, it seems like IV steroids would be considered if the girls are not able to wean off the ventilators.
Andrea arrived at the NICU right as I was heading off to work, and she told me that she had a very nice visit with the girls, especially Aubrey. The nurse raised the top of the incubator, and Andrea spoke to Aubrey while cupping her head with her hands for about 10 minutes. When Andrea first touched her and started speaking, Aubrey tried to open her eyes as if she recognized the voice. It was a good bonding moment for mom and baby. The picture above was taken during that 10 minute period.
I'll end the post with a short video I took of Paige. She appears to be sucking on her ventilation tube.
You guys are amazing. The girls are beautiful. They are so lucky to have been born into your family. Our thought and prayers are with you. I bet you feel like you drowning in all the medical terms, tests, meds, etc.
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