Gestational Age: 30 weeks 1 day
Rylee continues to do amazingly! She is up to 16cc's of breast milk already! The doctor said she should (hopefully) be off of the IV fluids completely by tomorrow. YAAAAAAAY! Once she is off of the IV, she will be solely on breast milk. They will be fortifying the breast milk with extra protein and nutrients which will help her gain weight even faster. Hopefully she will start drinking tons of milk when she gets home because we're running low on freezer space.
As of a day ago, she was just shy of 2lbs 10oz. Almost to her birth weight!!!!
Over a week ago, they did a sonogram on her head to see if there was any bleeding or issues with development. Some bleeding is apparently very common in preemies because their brains and blood vessels aren't developed enough. The bleeds, or hemorrhages, are graded from 1 to 4 according to the severity of the bleeding. Small amounts of bleeding (grades 1 to 2) don't typically cause any long-term damage but larger amounts of bleeding (grades 3 to 4) DO cause long-term problems. Grades 3 and 4 cause blood clots that can block the circulation system for the cerebrospinal fluid. These blockages are called hydrocephalus. Fortunately for Rylee, she was only a grade 2 over a week ago. As of this past Friday, her bleed was already resolving itself and getting smaller! They are going to repeat the sonogram in 2 weeks to check it again. Let's hope it's completely gone by then!!
She seems to be filling out a bit, and looks less alien-like and more like a mini baby. :) Her blonde hair is also getting lighter. I really hope it doesn't fall out. It's so pretty!
Doing the Kangaroo Care has been going well. She is still having apnea issues, (she stops breathing and often times her heart rate drops drastically too) so we have to quickly stimulate her and get her heart rate and breathing back up. Usually all it takes is a couple firm taps on the back, or a pinch or two to the feet (which I HATE doing), and she wakes up and remembers to breathe. She has had a few episodes while in the Isolette too. As her muscles grow, and it gets easier for her to take deep breaths, the apnea should go away.
During our morning visit today, I was able to Kangaroo with her for over an hour and a half! And she had no real apnea issues, although her oxygen did drop a little low a few times...a couple rubs on the back and she was back up and running!
Hopefully our visit tonight goes well!
Here is a picture from this morning! Sleeping like her mama. :D
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