Baby Steps

Well... pardon the pun... :)

Jessica had a rough morning today. She was real fussy and fidgety. That is until we turned her on her tummy. That is by far her favorite position, and once we did that she calmed down and started breathing a bit easier. She's now getting a little boost in her feedings, to supply her with more calories to help her start putting on some weight. No South Beach or Atkins diet for her :)

We just checked in with the nurse, and they have been able to remove her PICC line. This is a line that is similar to a IV, but can be left in longer if necessary. The nurses used this line to get Jessica her medicines. Since she has been able to handle her feedings well, they can add her medicines through her feedings. This is good progress, and it is one less thing for Jessica to try to stick in her mouth!

Evelyn had another ultrasound of her heart today to see if the flap that is causing the murmur had closed. This particular flap is called a patent ductus arteriosis, or PDA. The ultrasound showed the the flap appeared closed, which is a good thing. When we checked with the nurses this evening, Evelyn was down to 22 % on her oxygen, which is about a good as that has been in a week. The PDA can cause extra swelling around the lungs, which can prevent her from getting the oxygen she needs. Now that the PDA is closed, she should be able to use her lungs easier.

Part of the treatment for the PDA was to reduce the amount of fluids that Evelyn was getting. Now that the PDA appears closed, they can start to increase the fluids slowly. We don't want to increase them at too fast a rate, becuase it could cause the PDA to reopen. Evelyn should start getting small feedings tomorrow that will increase over the next couple of days.