Froemmings

01.28.08 Brynn's first tub bath was tonight. She didn't quite know what to think at first, but then she decided it was alright. Uncle Jason, Papa, and Mama all gave Brynn her first bath together. Pictures are courtesy of Auntie Christel. We had a blast giving her a bath! It was a lot of fun, especially since she didn't scream the whole time. Who knew it would take so many people to wash a baby who weighs less than 5 lbs!

01.28.08 Christel and Jason (Dana's sister and her husband) have come to stay for awhile this week while Dana is on a business trip to Memphis, TN. I feel like I have a nanny and personal chef here! How nice!

01.28.08 On Friday the public health nurse came to check Brynn over. She weighed 4 lbs 12 oz. Today we went for her first check up to her pediatrician, and she now weighs 4 lbs 15 oz. So, almost to 5 lbs! She's off the bottom of the charts in the zero percentile. The chart does not take into account her actual age, and so she is measured against other term babies who are her age. So, the doctor said not to worry, since her weight gain has been good. She is still going to be on her increased calorie diet for awhile longer.

01.22.08 Brynn is home! It is so great to have her home with us now. We roomed in then at the hospital last night. Since she is going home with a fortified diet, it was especially nice to room in while we were still getting that all figured out. She is now on a schedule of every other feeding I breastfeed her, and the in between ones we feed her fortified breastmilk with a bottle. We're coming up here on 7 hours or so that we've kept her alive by ourselves, so hopefully we are well on our way. :-) We will continue to take many pictures of Brynn and post them on the blog, so keep checking back often for more updates about the new adventure that is life with Brynn! Brynn all cozy in her bassinett. Fatty checks things out.

01.20.08 Now we're looking at going home on Tuesday. Her temperature is still good. So, I think we're in the clear on that. Her doctor just wanted to see more of a weight gain. Therefore, he pushed her back another day. It was disappointing, of course, but at least it's better than another week.

01.20.08 We just got back from feeding her a little bit ago. She did really well over the night. She ate lots and kept her temperature up well on her own. She also gained weight again, which was also good. She is up to 4 lbs. 3.1 oz. now. So, sounds like we're still on track to go home tomorrow. Yay!

01.19.08 In her bassinett. She has been in her bassinett now for about 9 hours. She is hanging in there, but not by too much. They are checking her temperature every hour. If she falls below 97.7 degrees twice, she is done and has to go back into the incubator. She has hit 97.7 once already. She has kind of been hovering around 98 degrees. If she has to go back into the incubator, it will probably be another week in the hospital. When they have to put them back in the incubators after they've failed in recovery, it is 48 hours before they'll at least even try to start weaning back out of the incubator again. Then, we can figure another 48 for weaning and another 48 for recovery. So, we are praying that she does well over the next 24 hours. They have on her a onesie, a sleeper, a sleep sack and a blanket. She is quite toasty when we're holding her. We just got back from the hospital no w, and I think Dana and I were both almost contemplating sleeping the night there and just...

01.18.08 We just got back from the hospital, and she wasn't quite out of the incubator yet. The temperature in her incubator is almost at room temperature, and she is almost at no humidity. They ordered the crib up to her area, so I think it's just a matter of hours until she goes into that. The next time we go there she'll mostly likely be in the open crib. So, since they were weaning her so slowly, we're now looking at going home on Monday, rather than Sunday. Of course, we wish it could be as soon as possible, but on the other hand, we certainly don't want to get her home and have issues with her here. So, it's good that they take things slowly, and don't let her move on before she's ready. We are going to be "rooming in" with her on the night in the hospital. MeritCare offers this option of staying one (or two) night in a patient room down the hall with your baby. No monitors or anything, but the nurses are available if you need assistance ...

01.18.08 Brynn is now off her bili light completely, and as of yesterday afternoon has started weaning out of the incubator. She should be in an open crib by tonight. The process is going well so far. The doctor thinks she is probably going home on Sunday, barring any setbacks, of course. She is now up to 4 lbs 2 oz, so not too far away from her birth weight. She is continuing to eat more and more. We'll continue to keep you posted!

It's 7:00 am on 01.17.08. I'm just heading in now to feed her. When I called just now they said her bilirubin has gone down to half of what it was when they put the overhead light on her. Good news - hopefully she will be off the light today! She is still gaining weight and is at 4.03 lbs now. Her umbilical cord stump fell off now, so tonight we'll give her a real tub bath. Yay!

Brynn is continuing to do well. Her bilirubin went up, so she now has an overhead light, instead of the bili blanket. It is more intense, so hopefully she'll be done with it faster. The doctor said she is "rounding the corner" into recovery care. Once she is in recovery care, she will be in an open crib, and no longer in the incubator. So, we are hoping to hit "recovery" soon! She will probably be in recovery care then a couple of days. She continues to nurse very well. Mom goes and visits her and feeds her about twice a day, and then Mom and Dad go up and give her a bath and feed her in the evening. She also is continuing to slowly gain weight.

01.14.08 On Saturday Mama and Papa got to give Brynn a bath for the first time! She didn't even make a fuss, so it was a lot of fun. Papa even washed her hair. And Mama brushed it, so she looked all pretty! It's difficult to maneuver while she's in her incubator, but hopefully that won't be for too much longer. She is gaining weight now and still eating very well. Yesterday they took her off her bili blanket that she had been on for her jaundice. We will wait to find out what her bilirubin was at today to see if she would have to go back on it. Hopefully she will be good to go without it though. It is so much nicer holding her without it on. And it was hard to see her with those "sunglasses" that she had to wear. Seeing all the other babies that are in the NICU, it just makes us so grateful that Brynn is doing so well. God has really given us such a blessing, and we couldn't ask for anything better. She is absolutely a sweetheart. Thank you for everyone...

01.09.08 Brynn had to be placed into the NICU when she was born because she is so little. She is doing very well. Other than being a little jaundice, she doesn't have any other problems or complications. As long as she is in the hospital, she will stay in the NICU. 01.10.08 Today Brynn's status changed from "intensive care" to "intermediate care." It doesn't mean anything different as far as her care, except that it just means she's moved to a better status. She will still remain in the ICU. The next stage is "recovery care" and then home. They are saying she might be able to go home middle to late next week. 01.11.08 Brynn is still doing very well. She is great at breastfeeding and she also takes formula from a bottle well. Just to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated, they are supplementing breastmilk with formula. She does great going back and forth between breast and bottle. Today Mom and Dad came home without Brynn. It was hard to ...

Welcome to the world, Brynn! Brynn Marie was born at 8:37 am on 01.09.08. Born at only 35 weeks and 5 days, she is premature. She weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz. and was 17 inches long at the time she was born.