Expanding Our Vocabulary

First things first, Elsie got a good report yesterday. She is now 1 lb 14 oz, and is up to 4 CCs of breast milk every three hours. Each time she is increased to 4 CCs, she seems to have some sort of set back. This happened Tuesday when she needed a blood transfusion. So when we did not receive a phone call early this morning, I was relieved. Today the nurse practitioner said they were watching her; as her stomach seemed a little distended/round this morning. She is stooling, and still eating well. To be on the safe side they did take blood work to be sure there was no infection. She is having a few episodes where she forgets to breathe, but fixes most of them on her own. Yesterday, she only had three in a 12 hour period that the nurses had to stimulate her to get her heart rate back up.



As I was sitting there today, watching her breathe, I couldn't help but think about all the new vocabulary terms we have learned and come to use in our conversations. So here are a few:



BRADY (or 'A's and 'B's) - this is what the episodes are called. Apnea and Bradycardia is when she stops breathing and her heart rate drops. It is wild to feel her do this while she is laying on my chest. I wait a few seconds and if she doesn't start to come back up then I rub her back or move her head slightly. This usually stimulates her enough so she'll take a deep breath and her heart rate comes up again.



GROCERIES - this is what the nurses call her breast milk. If I am sitting with her, the nurse will say "okay Mrs. Bailey, I've got to go get her groceries and then I'll feed her; be right back." This is hilarious to me. I thought maybe it was just this one particularly funny nurse, but nope they all say it.



CONTAINMENT - this is what the nurses call me 'holding' her in her isolette. I firmly place one palm on her head and the other on her bottom. Aside from bonding with your baby, the nurses say this reminds the baby of being in the womb. The pressure on their head and lower half makes them feel safe and warm, similar to how they felt in utero.



SKIN TO SKIN - or Kangaroo Care; this is the term used when I am actually holding her on my chest, outside her isolette. The nurses will ask, "are you ready to do skin-to-skin now?" This seems like a crazy question (of course! what mother is NOT ready to hold her preemie?), but you have to sit there for at least an hour. I usually hold her for an hour and a half to two hours. So I have to make sure I've gone to the ladies room and have some water before I get started.



DESTAT - when Elsie's heart rate, respiratory, or oxygenation rates drop below a certain number. Each baby's numbers could be different based on their gestational age. Think of Dr. Arizona on Grey's saying she's "DESTATing." And then giving her a little rub on the back to get her heart rate to come back up.



So now, when I use these terms on the blog you'll know what I'm talking about!



Totally switching directions here, we got a call from Fancy today about a family friend today. We are praying for strength and wisdom. We appreciate all the prayers from Second Baptist and are happy to return the prayers for another in need.



Love Y'all,


Ellen