Lady Ellice

Well we had our first trip to chruch. We tried to be there really early and got there about 5-10 minutes before church started. Lots of "Pretty baby" which is great. Also a few, "boy or Girl" so I pulled a bow out of the bag and put it on her head so no more of that. She started chruch in a pretty green and white outfit with butterflies on it. (picture to come.) She slept through the singing and when the sermon started I took her in the cry room and fed her her bottle. which she droolled all over her cute outfit, but seemed to enjoy. then I took her and changed her diaper and outfit SHe was then wearing a cute little outfit with cherries on the butt. :) We took her down front, because after last year and then the way she starded the world in the NICU we figured we wanted to thank God publicly for her as she is such a huge blessing, and prayer from teh chruch can't hurt ;) After chruch we stayed for the pot luck and business meeting, she did great, grandma and gr...

Feeling better, mentally this morning. Still feel physically drained, weak, and sick, but emotionally I feel better about life, and what not. Laurana slept through the night. and I got up to pump, but things went much better and I already feel a little better. So don't worry I am not depress anymore, jsut sick. :) My plan today is to sleep as much as possible. Still hope to be better in time to come to chruch sunday. PS uncle John this is the jeep stroller your gift bought us. We love it.

on top of the last post about Laurana losing weight, I started shivering this evening, and my right breast suddenly felt like it was going to expolode... oh you guessed it I have a blocked duct or two, and it is infected. I am running a fever over 101.5, I hurt all over, and I can't nurse my own baby right. tonight I feel like one of those big failures. She is spitting all over the place, not sleeping during the day, screaming when we put her down at night, not gaining weight, infact losing weight, I have nursed her wrong and gotten an infected booby and let my self get a temp. Brad has not slept in three days casue the moniter static sound has been keeping him up so he is tired and cranky, and Laurana seems to love spitting up copious amounts on him and not me, so since he takes things personaly when he is tired, she must not like him. and NOW because of me he has to go to lexington at 10:40 pm to get my antibiodic cause there is not a 24 hour pharmacy in Richmond. I feel like a w...

So we went in today and she had not gained weight. In fact she had lost weight. She was down an oz and a 1/2 since last week. So the dr. had us wait and we came in and saw him. We are on to the new plan. with the information we have A. I am producing enough milk (as seen when I pump) B. When she nurses for 1 1/2 hour every 3 hours she gains weight C. When she nurses 1 hour or less every 3 hours she loses weight D. She falls asleep alot while nursing and is not a vigourus nurser (infact she is quite Lazy which I blame on the NICU and their fast flow bottles for an infant.) Plan A was nurser her more I got tired and frustrated she got tired and frustrated and I was spending over 14 hours a day nursing.. End that plan Plan B supplamant after I nurse She would only take the extra bottle about 1/2 the time and still lost weight So We are on Plan C I Pump and she gets a bottle with a prescribed 3 oz every 3 hours (except at night where we can let her sleep as long as she gets 18 oz total a d...

So, She has taken to spitting up. and I don't just mean a little. I mean enough to drench her shirt, daddy's shirt and what ever else happens to be close. she seems to be eatting fine although I am so sore that I have might have to take a break, and pump her a bottle rather than let her nurse for lunch. she is a very vigorous nurser when she is not asleep. As for sleeping, she sleeps at least one 4 hour stretch a night, of course it takes her about an hour to go to sleep. (there is nothing wrong with her lungs.) Brad and I are worn out, but of course that is normal, so no complaint Just pointing it out. Bonnie Came over and watched her so that we could go to the pool once this week and may come again today, which would be great as the pool relaxes alot of stress and gives us a chance to get a little low impact exersise. With my sticthes walking and wading around the pool are about all I am up to right now. My friend who is pregnant just found out she is diabetic, it is going to...

So we were doing some research through our 1st year of baby, and what to expect the 1st year books and found that at this point in her development she is switching for sleeping like a log all the time to being more restless an makeing more noise before and during sleep. We just happened to time trying to put her on a scheudle with her shift in sleep cycles. Oh well, we shall keep going and see what happens. She is nursing much better the last two days, actually nursing the whole time not sleeping through most of it and taking twice as long. So that is an improvement, lets hope things get better. I am exhaused this morning.

Getting down to business. Okay Mom has left and now we have to pick it up and do all the things ourselves. Boy you realize how much she was doing when you have to do it for yourself. But brad has picked up the dishes well and I am helping with Landry, so we should see how it goes. Baby Laurana had her first trip to cracker barell before my mom left cause we love it. She loves to sleep in her carseat. Dr. appointment thrusday went good she was up to 6.11 1/2 so that is good we have to go back next week and just do a weight check. Make sure she is gaining weight. we are also trying to get her use to 45 minute feedings not 1.5 hour feedings. (which after the first one she has adjusted to pretty well. ) MOM- Thanks again you were a great great help and we miss you alhtough Gronk is glad to have his cave back to himself. :) Babywise, so now that she has gained some weight and is 4 weeks old monday, we have decided to really try to work on the babywise book and get her on a schedule that i...

For the record, to the poster who said 32. I am only 31 this year. So today is my brithday and so far it has been a zoo. missing cake pans, Laurana pooped in her bath and brad's hand. then she screamed liked we had cut her poor toe off. there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her lungs now. However she looks much cleaner and smells better now that she is washed. As for her Dr. appointment, she hadn't gained weight infact she had lost an oz. which is insane since she eats when she is hungry and eats for an hour at a time. She still eats like 3 hours apart, but she won't take a bottle, with breast milk, between feedings, or righ after I nurse which is what the dr. said try on Wed. so he said this time, to just keep trying what we are doing, there is no good reason for her to not be gaining and he thinks she will turn a corner and start gaining this week. However, does anyone who reads this have a scale that would hold a naked baby. We are supposed to weight her, but ...

So we went to the Dr. Yesterday. Laurana hasn't gained any weight this week. They want me to start supplementing her feedings iwth Formula. I really don't want to. he also said we can use pumped breast milk, so we are going to do that. Other than that things are going great. Her jaundice seems to be going away (which means she is getting enough to eat) and she is sleeping better. she actually ate 4 hours apart last night, and then 5 hours. I actually had to wake her up to eat this morning, as she was still sleeping and needed to eat. So I actually feel better this morning caue I got 3 hours and then 4 hours of sleep... so that is like a total of 7 which is really a whole nights sleep. PS.. I love Laurana's MC hammer pants in the picture (can't touch this) Brad had a couple of friends over last night for his birthday. Grandma Gullett came over fora while too. It was a lot of fun for brad. I also went for my first walk yesterday. went around the block and saw Lee Dale. Sh...

So baby's and gas. yep she has gas bad. and it is keeping her up, so she is not sleeping, which means mommmy and daddy aren't sleeping. Of course when she looks at you with her big eyes, you jsut melt so it doesn't make you mad. Lucky for me my mom is here so she has been taking Laurana in the morning so that brad and I can get a couple of hours sleep between feedings too make up for the lack there of at night. (and yes we are giving her mylocone, it just doens't seem to be enough for her.) I am starting to feel alot better. my feet start each day close to regular size and end it not as swollen as they had been. Also I can sleep( when I get to) in most positions now with out my stiches hurting, and a shower doesn't lay me out for three hours from the pain. SO all in all I feel much better. I think since my mom is here to watch the baby I might might try to go see a movie later this week. I am dying to see Transformers. Brad's birthday is tomorrow. so if you see ...

Okay- We are setteling into a routine here at home. She started with one day of every four hours feeding, but after making sure that no one was going to stick another needle in her for a while has decided that she is an every 3 hour kind of girl. Laurana has a bad case of Diaper Rash, but the dr. said that was normal, and brad talked to a phamasist and got the low down on the best way to treat it. She is cute as a button and not really a fussy child. she of course with the rash, hates to have her diaper changed but other than that doesn't cry to much, which is nice. She has the normal gas issues, but again that is under control Brad and I are doing okay. Brad is really tired, and I am still swollen and sore. My feet are about two times their normal size and I a still hurt to bend to much. Ironically showers which feel the best at the time leave me feeling the worse afterwards. I guess it is all that standing and lifting my arms over my head to wash myhair. NOTE: Laurana was...

Monday- okay after the dr. came to see us, the nurse took out the IV, they did the Hospital pictures, the lactation person came to help us one last time. we got all dolled up and headed home. WE got home for the first time around 3 o'clock. we did great last night. we slept in about 4 hour stretches, and nursed just fine between them. she would lay awake some times between them but she didn't get worred she jsut cooed and watched daddy get up and check on her, which he did all night long. I got alot more sleep then him, cause when she wasn't nursing and I wasn't pumping, I was sleeping. Which was great. Brad however kept getting up to check on her all night to make sure that she was okay. So he got less sleep than I did. We are both really excited. Mom is a great help. We got our first bath this moring. We liked parts of it but not all of it. Daddy has been great, chaning her diaper, learning about desitin, and giving her a bath.

Laurana- is off everythign but her IV. Which is in the top of her head and looks like a little hat. We got there at 12 and they had moved her to a cart crib rather than the table where the monitered her all the time. They let me feed her, which went better. but still having a little trouble. then the dr. came to see us. They are moving her. she is being moved from the NICU up to pediatrics. Brad and I are going to pack a bag and spend the night with her, feeding, and taking care of her under nurses supevision. In hte morning htey are going to give her the last of her antibiodics and check her Jaundice level. As long as the Jaundice doesn't go up (it has been steady for two days) we will get to take her home on monday. The night went great. she had several great feedings, and didn't need as much bottle (my milk) to fill her belly. However at the 3 am feeding she didn't want to feed, all she wanted to do was sleep. I think if hte nurse hadn't woken her she would...

Laurana- She is off the oxegyn tube and breathing on her own. They are watching her Jaundice level very closely and finishing up her antibiodics (which go to monday at least). we had a big step yesterday we got her to nurse. It took 30 minutes and us tricking her, but she fell for it and then latched on and nurse for about 10 mins so yea for all of us. she was full and content when it was over. she was happy and went to sleep happy and full. so that is a great step. Ellice- is really swollen, and tired. going back and forth to the Hospital is tirering and expenseive. WE are going everyday at 12 and then again at 9. i wish we could be there for all her feedings, but I think that would make me really sick. I need the rest. I am worn out.

Okay Laurana- is getting better, she is getting weaned off her oxegyn, she is also got her Umbilical IV out, now she has a regualar IV sticking out of her head. Which is werird but they said it hurts less and can come out easier when she doesn't need it. She is eating more and more and digesting a good bit of it. WE tired to breast feed yesterday. It didn't go well, but she has been getting a bottle for a few days and it is going to take her a few tires to get the hang of it. So all in all she is doing better. Ellice- came home last night. Hate being here with out her, however it was very nice to get some uninterrupted sleep. Even with getting up to pump I got more sleep than I had been getting so that was nice.

So today they took off the C-pap mask, now she jsut has the little hose in her nose. She is down to 3 on that, they want to wean her down to nothing eventually. they took out her arteral line, so she only has a umbilical IV now. They gave her food through her tube today. she is not digesting all of it but she is digesting enough that htey uped how much she got. They said if we go back at 9 that we can give her a bottle. just a little but a start. She is on an antibotic but she is getting better. It will still be a couple of days before she can go home. but I will go home tomorrow. so this is all good news, We did get to feed her a bottle, and after just a little of mommy's milk, and being held she slept in my arms for about 40 minutes, and since they were worried about the fact that she wasn't sleeping well, and getting all hyped up, the sleep was really good for her, and when we put her in the bed she stayed asleep so that means that being held by mommy is making her better al...

Laurana- she is doing much better. She looks like a regular baby now. She is pink all over and not blue in the legs. She is breathing room level air, but still through a mask, that helps her breath. But htey are slowly weaning her off that as well. the mask might come out tomorrow, which would be great cause then brad and I would be able to hold her. Her IV might come out today or tomorrow as well. so she is doing well, it will mostlikly still be several days before she is allowed out of the NICU. Ellice- much better, walking slowly, and getting a little better everyday.

Ellice- Got a shower, brushed her teeth, got hte catherter out, got the IV out, staples look great, bleeding is a minimum, feels like a human again. took 15 mins to get a bursh through her hair. Ellice is doing great. is beast pumping and saving up food for the baby when she gets to actually eat. Laurana- color is better than yesterday, to isn't perfect, and comes and goes alittle, but is better and is working toward regualar baby pink. Her breathing is better. She is still breath too fast, and it takes too much effort for each breath. she gets oxgen, and a little pressure to remind her to breath, but is technically breathing for herself. She has to wear a horrible littl mask, and we arenot allowed to hold her yet until the mask comes off. Heart and other organs are fine. Dr says she will be fine, it is just a matter of how long that is going to take. nutrition is still coming through her IV but they are hoping to give her some of my early milk stuff tomorrow.

Okay, My catheter is out, I am allowed to get up and about slowly. which means that I can go and see Laurana more. I am recovering well. Not alot of pain, but then I haven't been doing much so nothing to aggrivate it. Laurana (Lor- au -na) (ryhmes with piranha) is doing better. She is down to regular oxegen levels, but still has the little mask on to keep her breathing at a steady rate. Her color is much better. her blood gasses are alot better which is a sign that things are going in the right direction. She is more active, and genreally going in teh right direction. they are still keeping her on antibioditcs and still take lung every couple of hours to make sure her lungs are developing well. the last one looked alot better. and we will get an update when brad goes to see her at 9:00. hopefully by then the dr. will have been to see me and I can go and see her with brad. Brad is being super dad. he is with me and going in to see her every three hours to change her diaper and talk ...

Oaky so We got up at the crack of dawn and went to the PDC to get our amnio. Well after waiting for a while, we went in and they found this great pocket for fluid that they were going to use. However, everytime he stuck me she would move her foot over where he was sticking. The result was after three tires they gave up and didn't do the amnio. insted the two dr. alked and decied to give me a steroid shot. and then wait 48 hours and do the c-section on wed. However when they checked me into the hospital I started having contractions and even after the drugs that were still going and getting stronger. So they decided to get this over and do a c-section. when they did the section they found that her cord was wrapped around her throat twice, so she was not going to make it much longer if they had waited. and my sack had ruptured so she swallowed alot of bloody amniodic fluid. End result. I am doing well, typical recover for a c-section. Laurana is in the NICU, they are giving her meds ...