Another good day! Elsie had a messy diaper this morning, her first since they re-started feeding her breast milk. This is a really good sign, meaning that her intestines are anatomically correct and are now working as they should. The dr said that he was really surprised by the results of her intestinal exam last week; he thought for sure that she would need some kind of corrective surgery, but he was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Hooray for poop!
Another first: Elsie's eyes opened! Unfortunately, she was fast asleep while I was there today, so I didn't get to see them. But the nurse said that one eye opened last night and the other opened this morning. We can't wait to see our girl's pretty eyes.
She is still recovering at the incision from her heart surgery. There are 7 tiny stitches on her back, but she is healing well. The tiny metal clip that they used to close the blood vessel will remain in her body for the rest of her life. Don't worry, it's too small to set off a metal detector.
Due to the healing incision on her back, and also because of some lung issues, Elsie has been spending a lot of time on her tummy. She seems to be a lot more comfortable in that position. Her little premature lungs are struggling with inflammation, but could be a lot worse. The doctors are considering giving her small doses of steroids next week to help build her lungs more quickly, because the sooner she can get off the ventilator the better. Ventilators, while necessary to help tiny babies breathe, cause lung damage and scar tissue.
Sometimes I feel like all that I do lately is thank people for kind things that they have done for us. We have such a great support system, and despite the heartache of not having baby Elsie at home with us, we are really doing well. And I KNOW that Elsie is doing so well because of the hundreds of prayers that are offered in her behalf every day. Thank you for praying for our sweet baby. May you all be blessed for the countless ways that you have served our family. Thank you.
PS Another tender mercy: we received the bill in the mail today for our 20 week ultrasound, where we found out that Elsie was a girl. Hard to believe that that was just over a month ago. Anyway, the bill that we were expecting to be over $200 was somehow reduced to a measly $25.44. Definitely a miracle. Thank you again.
We're so glad to hear she is doing so well!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Hooray for poop and triple Hooray for little eyes. I so hope you get to see them soon! Keep growing, baby girl!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I'm guessing little Elsie is anxious to see you, too. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteGood job, baby Elsie!!!
ReplyDeleteglad to hear the good news.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind that I am following you and Elsie. I was the one who put you on that helicopter. Elsie's fighting spirit and the love and strength of your family are inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you are reading our blog! Thanks for all that you and the rest of the hospital staff did to help me and my family. That was a pretty crazy night :)
DeleteYay for Elsie! I love that sweet little girl so much.
ReplyDeleteMegan, thanks again for being one of the many heroes who delivered Ruth safely to the U Hospital. Were you the one who told her she could ride "inside" the helicopter? Everyone still grins about that episode of the story.
ReplyDeleteI think "Megan" is actually Dr. Karjola, who was the on-call OB at Tooele that night. I think my helicopter comment was directed at the Life Flight staff, but I could be wrong :) Hey, it was a cold night, I didn't want to be outside flying!
DeleteYes, it is Dr. Karjola. The only thing I did was ask the helicopter to come...and pray very hard that you remain pregnant until you got to the U. I'm glad to see that Elsie is still doing well. The pictures of you smiling while holding her close are wonderful!
ReplyDelete