6 lbs!!!

Kayley made the 6 lb mark! She went up 45 grams today to 2745 grams or 6 lbs. That, as you all may know, is double her birth weight. It's another great milestone that Kayley has passed. If I remember back to when I first discussed Kayley's weight and what she'd weigh if she gained her 1 oz a day until she was 37 weeks and possibly on her way home, I believe it was just over 6 lbs. Well, maybe we'll shoot for 7 lbs before she goes home. She's only 34 1/2 weeks and she hit the 6 lbs already. And just to do some comparisons, I put two pictures together of her foot at 3 days old and her foot tonight. See above. Can you believe the difference? I bet her hands and face would look the same way.

We are not stopping there either. The doctors upped Kayley's feedings to 51 cc's today. Maybe she can top Drew's birth weight of 8 lbs 8 oz before she goes home. I really don't think that will happen but she's surprised us a lot so far.

Kayley's bottle feedings went a little better today. The nurse got Kayley to take 15 cc's when she tried. Then tonight, Kayley took 17 cc's from me...her highest mark yet. Maybe...just maybe we're starting to turn the corner. We hope so.

The night nurse told me something I really didn't want to hear tonight. Don't worry. It's not bad for Kayley. It's bad for Megan and I. Evidently Kayley is the most awake at her 3 am feeding. I really feel sorry for Megan because after all, I'm not the one that has to get up and breast feed her at that time. I would gladly do it if I could but I guess God just wants me to sleep at that time.

And the last update of the day is that Megan and I are now trained in infant CPR. We resuscitated our baby dummies very well today if I may say so. But seriously, it's very comforting to know that we can do it. We hope to never use it, but we'll have it handy if we ever need to.

Where's My Red Bull?

Surprise. Surprise. Kayley had another good day...except for that eating thing. But, we're letting her slide a bit because she's still pretty young to get the hang of it just yet. She did take 15 ccs from the nurse today and 10 cc's from me tonight, but she's still not real interested in breast feeding. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon.

There are a couple updates from this weekend that I have just become aware of. Kayley was taken off caffeine this past Sunday. Normally they just let them outgrow it unless they show signs that they need it. Kayley was still receiving a dose that a 3 lb baby would get. So, she basically outgrew it. If there are any signs that she still needs it (apnea, slowing heart rate) then they will start it up again. We don't think she'll need any though because she was on such a small dose.

Kayley's length was measured at 17 3/4 inches on Sunday. It's amazing how much she's grown during her time here...and this proves it's not just her weight. Her head circumference is also in the 50th percentile. She's pretty much right on track with all her measurements.

Now to Kayley's weight. Did she make 6 lbs tonight? Well, she weighed in at 2700 grams which is up 40 grams from last night. And that converts to...........5 lbs 15 oz. She is just one ounce shy of doubling her birth weight. Amazing. The night nurse had the day nurse ask the doctor today about Kayley's massive weight gains. There is no worrying from them. They are very happy with her weight progress.

No, That Onesie Doesn't Make You Look Fat...But That Double Chin Does!

Kayley is now 7 weeks old. Can you believe it? She is still in the feeding and growing stage. And boy is she growing. Last night, Kayley weighed in at 2585 grams (5 lbs 11 oz) which was up 55 grams. Tonight, she weighed in at 2660 grams; up 75 more grams. So, she weighs a total of 5 lbs 13 oz...just shy of 14 oz. After tonight's weigh in, I had to ask the nurse if this weight gain was normal. She basically said it is on the high side of normal. She told me not to worry because if the doctors thought she was gaining too much weight, they'd cut her calories. And so far, there has been no word of that. 6 lbs...here Kayley comes.

Kayley is still trying to adapt to this bottle/breast feeding concept. The nurse today tried the bottle a couple of times. Kayley took 10 cc's the first time and 5 cc's the second. Then, at her breast feeding session today, Kayley still wasn't very interested. Tonight when I came in, I gave Kayley another try with the bottle. She took 14 cc's. She really started off slow for me. It seemed that she just forgot how to swallow for a little while. She was getting the milk in her mouth but most of it would trickle out as she kept sucking. We gave her a little 2 minute rest, cleaned out her stuffy nose, and then I tried again since she was still wide awake. She did a lot better. She really didn't spit out much at all. She paced herself and swallowed what she got out of the bottle. Hopefully that's a sign that she's starting to get it.

Well, we have a big week of classes coming up. Wednesday Megan, Marla, and I are going to attend an infant CPR class. Grandpa Mark is coming to town so he's going to keep Drew company during that time...if his plane lands on time. Then, Megan and I are going to two more classes on Saturday. The first one is called Getting Close. We're taking this one a little late since a lot of the stuff we've already learned from the nurses (like bathing Kayley). But, I'm sure we'll learn some of the things we missed. The second class is called Homeward Bound. This class teaches us about home safety, visitors, developmental goals, car seats, and signs and symptoms of illness to name a few.

Big Brother

We don't have any updates for Kayley today. It was a day of rest for her. I don't even have her new weight because the nurse hasn't weighed her yet tonight.

The only happenings were that big brother Drew stopped in for a visit. It was the first time he's seen Kayley since she's been out of the isolette. He's a pro at saying her name. We just don't think he understands how much his world is going to change once we get her home...and moved into HIS room. So anyway, when I got up this morning, Drew grabbed my phone and opened it. He looked at it and said, "Kayley!" He saw the picture I have of her in there and recognized her. Marla has shown him photos and I show him the pictures on this blog from time to time, but I was very impressed that he recognized her. So that was it. I floated the idea by Megan and Marla about bringing Drew in for a visit. We all agreed that it would be a good time.

Megan and Marla left for the hospital early in the morning. I brought Drew in after a nice long nap and some lunch. As you can see from the photos and the video, Drew got up close and personal.

34 Weeks Gestation

Kayley is 34 weeks gestation today. That really changes only one thing. Her oxidation now has to be kept between 90 and 98 percent. She does well normally but now she may just need a little more oxygen until she gets a little bigger.

Kayley attempted the bottle a couple more times today. However, when Megan was in this morning, they attempted breast feeding instead. Kayley started out well at her 9 am feeding but tuckered out pretty quickly. Then, at her 12 pm feeding, she really wasn't interested at all. I guess breast feeding really takes a lot out of her. So, it was back to the bottle at her 3 pm feeding. The nurse handled this one and said Kayley did well for a little bit and then quit. I think she ended up getting around 5 cc's. The next try was at Kayley's 9 pm feeding. I was here to do the honors. Kayley started very well. We thought we were going to have to add some milk to the bottle. However, she tired pretty quickly again. After a burp, we gave her another shot. Again she was doing well for a couple minutes, then tired. She ended up getting 12 cc's. Even though she took about the same amount as some of the other times, I could tell she is getting a little better . She really seemed to understand what was going on more. Instead of just sucking away and then deciding what to do with the milk in her mouth, it almost seemed like she was sucking to get the milk. Hopefully that's a sign that she's going to pick it up pretty soon.

And last, her weight. She weighed in at 2530 grams (5 lbs 9 oz) tonight which is up 75 grams. She keeps on gaining.

The Scale Doesn't Lie

Kayley had a sleepy day today. The nurse didn't try a bottle with her all day because she was just too tired. Megan only got her to take 2 cc's at her 3 pm feeding because she was more interested in sleeping. Luckily she was wide awake again tonight for her 9 pm feeding. I was able to feed her 10 cc's. That's a decent amount. She was really getting tired toward the end of the 30 minutes. Hopefully she gets nice and rested for some bottle time tomorrow. We need to get her in shape so we can take her home!

I guess the scale didn't lie last night. We were surprised that Kayley gained 120 grams in one day. That's way above normal. Given the big jump, I thought for sure she'd lose weight tonight. However, she went up another 25 grams. She is now 2455 grams ( 5 lbs 6 oz). She's starting to knock on the door of doubling her birth weight. In the picture, you can even tell that she's starting to fill out more. Her cheeks are getting chubbier and her double chin is beginning to show more. And her arms aren't near as skinny as they use to be.

This Eating Business Makes Me Pooped

Kayley had quite a few changes today. The day started out when Megan called in this morning for an update. The doctor increased Kayley's feedings from 40 cc's to 45 cc's. Not a bad jump in one day's time.

The doctor also turned Kayley's oxygen settings down from .2 lpm (liters per minute) to .1 lpm. This measures the strength of the flow that Kayley receives through the prongs. We were a little surprised they made any changes to this because Kayley will be 34 weeks gestation on Saturday. That means she has to keep her oxidation level above 90%. However, Kayley has been doing great all day on the new setting. Again, that's why we're not doctors.

Kayley's weight from last night was 2310 grams (5 lbs 1 oz) which was up 35 grams. Then tonight, she weighed in at 2430 grams. The nurse even weighed her twice to confirm the huge weight gain. It came up the same both times. We are a little skeptical but I guess the scale doesn't lie (as most people know). That means Kayley is now 5 lbs 5 oz. Given the big jump in weight, we won't be surprised if Kayley loses some tomorrow. She just may have to "pass" some of that weight tonight.

The order for Kayley's bottle feedings also changed today. We are now allowed to feed her by bottle if she is wide awake and shows cues that she's ready. So Megan, Marla, and I got to feed her with a bottle today. I thought maybe I wouldn't get to tonight because she might be pooped out. But there she was, wide awake when I arrived. So, at Kayley's 3 pm feeding, she took 10 cc's from Megan. At her 6 pm feeding, she got around 5 cc's (if I'm remembering correctly) from Marla. And at tonight's feeding, she took 15 cc's from me.

Feeding Kayley is not an easy process. First, you have to give her little indications to let her now a bottle is coming instead of the pacifier. Normally on the pacifier, Kayley sucks pretty hard. We don't want her to do the same with the bottle because she'll get too much milk and start choking. So, it starts will a couple drops of milk placed in her mouth. Then, you have to wait until she opens her mouth wide enough for the bottle. There's no jamming it in. She has to be ready for it. And when it's in her mouth, you have to watch for cues that she is continuing to breathe along with the swallowing. There were many times tonight when I had to give her a small poke in the back to get her to remember to breathe. Sometimes she just forgets. It's all a learning process for her right now...and us too. We also have to watch to see if she gets too much. It's necessary to pull the bottle out of her mouth quite a bit so she can catch up and breathe. And, I'm not sure if Megan or Marla had to do this today, but I also had to stop periodically to burp Kayley...more than with Drew when he was a newborn. She took in a lot of air. When we were finished with the bottle, the nurse checked her tummy. She pulled out 15 cc's of air through the tube. That would have been quite the burp. Anyway, the nurse thought I did pretty well tonight. Megan got a big thumbs up from the speech pathologist today. She said Megan read Kayley's cues very well.

As you can imagine, this new way of life for Kayley is quite tiresome. She is really only use to waking up and stretching. Now, she has eat all by herself. They will only allow the bottle feeding to go on for 3o minutes or less. After 30 minutes, she starts burning more calories than she's taking in and that's not good. A lot of the time, Kayley will just become disinterested in taking the milk from the bottle before the 30 minute mark is reached. Other times, she'll just get too pooped out to continue. So, we will all continue to learn and Kayley will start building up more stamina. She already seems to be getting better from feeding to feeding. This process could take anywhere from days to weeks. It all depends on how Kayley adapts to it.

Way To Cough Kayley!

As you can see from the picture, Kayley tried to feed from a bottle again today. A speech pathologist was here with Megan to give it a try this time. I guess she can tell better than anyone else how well Kayley does or doesn't do. And from what she said, today's bottle feeding was a success. Kayley received 8 cc's from the bottle this time. The speech pathologist thought she did very well. At one point, Kayley coughed and she thought that was great. Here is my best interpretation of how that conversation went between Megan and the speech pathologist.

Kayley: Cough!

Speech Pathologist (SP): Oh, great cough Kayley. That's what we like to hear.

Megan: What do you mean? I thought coughing meant that she was choking.

SP: It does.

Megan (with a puzzled look): So why are we wanting her to choke?

SP: It's an indication that her body understands that she's choking and is responding by coughing.

Megan: What else would her body do?

SP: Well, some babies just let the milk slide right down.

Megan (even more puzzled): Well then how can you tell they're choking?

SP: You will see it in their vital signs.

Megan: I see. (to Kayley) Good cough Kayley!

So, we learn something new again today. We all take for granted that our body just knows how to react in certain distressed situations like choking. We've always coughed and haven't thought twice about it because we learned it in the womb. Well, this is one of the things that Kayley is learning outside the womb and with milk and a bottle instead of amniotic fluid. So, good cough Kayley! Keep it up!

A couple days ago, Kayley's doctor put in the order to have Kayley try to feed from the bottle once a day. Well, since Kayley did so well today, the speech pathologist is going to request that the doctor change the order to say that the nurse can feed Kayley from a bottle whenever they see cues that she would do well. For instance, if Kayley is wide awake tomorrow for her 9 am feeding, then that would be a good time to try the bottle again. If she was sleeping, they'd just pump it down her tube like they have been doing. So hopefully that order gets changed soon and Kayley gets more practice than once a day.

I don't know Kayley's current weight yet because she hasn't been weighed tonight. The nurse was scrambling a bit when I arrived because she was running a little late. Another one of her babies was keeping her on her toes. So, the weighing will wait until midnight and we'll know Kayley's weight in the morning.

5 lbs!!!

Kayley hit the 5 lb mark today. Last night she weighed in at 2205 grams which was up 20 grams from Sunday. And tonight, she weighed 2275 grams which is up 70 grams from last night. According to my calculation, that's just over 5 lbs (1 ounce = 28.34952 grams)!

Nothing else really exciting happened today except that Kayley was supposed to have a bath. Yep, I said supposed to because we decided to postpone it. There was a very small amount of Legionella germ found in a culture from an adult patient at the hospital today. This germ is found naturally around us, usually in water. It poses little risk to healthy adults and children but sick/premature babies and cancer patients can get sick from it. It cannot be passed human to human. It is spread by direct contact usually by breathing in water mist or vapor that contains the germ. The hospital has a water treatment system that is designed to help prevent the germ from growing in the water. However, just as a precaution, the hospital water is off limits for the babies in the NICU until it is tested and comes back normal. Until then, the only water that can be used for babies bathes or rinsing their supplies is bottled water. They now have cases and cases of it here.

Sonographic Imaging Of The Brain

We received great news on Kayley's head ultrasound today. Rather than beat around the bush, I'll just write what the report says and then try to put it in terms we can understand. The report has a lot of medical jargon.

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REPORT:

Reason for Procedure

Intraventricular Hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain)

Indication

Real time sonographic imaging of the brain was performed through the anterior fontanelle in the sagittal and coronal planes.

(They performed an ultrasound on Kayley's brain through the soft spot on the top of her head...in real time.)

The ventricles are normal in size with no shift of the midline. No hemorrhage or space-occupying lesion is identified. No abnormal intra- or extra-axial fluid collection is identified. Periventricular echogenicity is unremarkable. Linear striations in the thalami are consistent with mineralizing vasculpathy, a nonspecific indicator of perinatal stress. Previously suggested hemorrhage is no longer appreciated.

(The spaces in Kayley's brain called the ventricles are not bigger than normal due to her brain bleed. There is no collection of fluid which means that the bleed is pretty much all resolved. There are no signs of scarring or cysts...therefore being unremarkable. The ridges in the thalami (part of the brain) are consistent with the resolving of inflamed blood vessels, which could be an indicator of perinatal stress...meaning that Kayley really might have had a bleed that resolved. And finally, the brain bleed that they suggest Kayley had gets no appreciation....I mean it's no longer there.)

Impression

Normal examination

(the exam was normal)

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So, that all seems like good news to us. Anyone else wonder why they insist on using all the medical terms?

Another big event from the day is that they tried to bottle feed Kayley for the first time at her 6 pm feeding. Megan was there with Kayley. She said it didn't go so well but it could have been worse. Instead of being in rhythm with her suck, swallow, breathe, she was doing more of the suck....then swallow....then breathe...then take a break. Kayley did swallow some milk but Megan said she was basically telling them, "Hey, I'm not ready for this." Even though she didn't pass with flying colors, it was better that Kayley was able to understand that she didn't want to do this new thing rather than just suck away and then choke on the milk. She understood what to do with the milk in her mouth once she got it. She knew that the bottle was not the pacifier and something different was happening that she wasn't ready for. So, I guess we'll try another day...

I am unable to report on Kayley's weight tonight because all the scales were in use elsewhere when the nurse normally weighs Kayley before her 9 pm feeding. They will weigh her sometime after I leave. I'll have to report it tomorrow after Megan calls in the morning to check in.

Does This Onesie Make Me Look Fat?

Kayley must have heard the news about her gaining all that weight because today she worked a little bit of it off. Megan said Kayley had a little attitude while she was there today. She didn't want anyone touching her. If they tried, Kayley would greet them with flailing arms and kicking legs. When I got in tonight, the night nurse said she heard Kayley was a little ornery today. The day nurse told her Kayley was crying so loud at one point that she could hear Kayley all the way down the hall. Kayley has really never cried that loud. I suspect she was just working off a bit of that weight. She weighed 15 grams less tonight than last night. She is now 2180 grams (4 lbs 12 oz).

I sat down and had a talk with Kayley about how we weren't making fun of her weight. Last night when I said, "Geez. She's getting huge," I meant that in a good way. She understood and promised that she'd keep putting the weight on. We'll see if she really meant it at tomorrow's weigh in.

Kayley's next head ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow. It's just a routine ultrasound to follow up. They don't suspect anything is wrong. They just want to make sure everything is continuing to go well. Also, sometimes when babies have bleeds in the brain, it can cause cysts. Since Kayley's resolved so quickly and one doctor even told us they weren't real certain she even had one, they don't expect to find any surprises. But, we'll still keep our fingers crossed.

Getting Bigger...

Kayley didn't have many changes again today. She's still on the same settings with the oxygen prongs and she hasn't tried to eat from a bottle yet. However, they did bump her feedings up from 38 cc's to 40 cc's. It's starting to seem like quite a bit for that little stomach of hers...but that's why I'm not the doctor.

The new feeding amount seems to be giving Kayley a little more reflux than what she's had recently. When she starts to reach the end of her feeding, you can hear her cough and gasp a little bit. Her oxidation also drops at the same time. The new feeding amount will just take some getting use to. I asked the nurse and she said that reflux is quite common and they normally out grow it. So, it's really nothing to worry about.

Kayley gained her normal amount of weight today. She went up 40 grams to 2195 grams (4 lbs 13 oz). 5 lbs is in her sights. The way she's going she'll hit that in the coming week.

33 Weeks Gestation

Kayley may decide on her own when she wants the prongs out.

Kayley broke out of my swaddling job to say, "No pictures please."

Kayley did some more resting and eating today. She's getting very good at it. Her oxygen was at 21% the whole day. That's a good sign. It led me to ask the nurse tonight if there was anything in her chart about when they'll try to take her off the oxygen again. The only thing the chart says is to "start weening Kayley off the .2 lpm." So, it looks like they've been talking about it. I'm sure they'll be more cautious this time so Kayley has a better shot at succeeding. Plus as I said last night, she only has one more week until she has to keep her oxidation at 90% or above. That's a big jump from the 83% now.

I also asked the nurse if there were any notes on nipple feeding in Kayley's chart. The chart is a little vague again as it only says to "try after she is 33 weeks gestation." Well, she's 33 weeks gestation tomorrow so it could be as soon as that. Otherwise, I'm sure it'll be within the next couple days.

And last, the weight update. Kayley jumped up another 40 grams today. She is now 2155 grams (4 lbs 11 oz). She's doing her job.

Night Owl?

Feeding and growing. Feeding and growing. That has been the motto as of late. That means not much else has happened in the NICU. The oxygen she is getting is staying pretty low. The whole time tonight, she's been at 21%. It'll be interesting to know when they are shooting to take her off the prongs again. One thing worth noting is that in a week and a half (when Kayley is 34 weeks gestation), Kayley will need to keep her oxidation level between 90%-98%. Right now she only needs to be between 83%-93%. So, that could factor into the decision. I'm sure we'll find out their plans in the next couple of days.

Kayley is still doing great. She may be somewhat of a night owl though. Today the nurse said Kayley slept most of the day and didn't wake up much for her feedings. The nurse was a little concerned until Grandma Marla arrived to hold Kayley for her 6 pm feeding. Evidently she was wide awake then. And when I arrived tonight, she was wide awake again. She stayed awake almost her whole feeding. Could it be that she's becoming a night owl? For Megan's and my sake, let's hope not. We'll make sure to have her trained by the time we leave the NICU. Night time is for sleeping.

Kayley gained more weight today. She went up 55 grams to 2115 grams (4 lbs 10 oz). 5 lbs isn't far off.

Uneventful Day

Today was a pretty uneventful day in the NICU. Kayley gained some weight and that's about it. She is now up to 2060 grams which is still 4 lbs 8 oz. And, I also found out tonight that Kayley's feedings were increased to 38 cc's yesterday. It slipped under my radar but Megan knew about it.

Kayley is doing a lot better with her oxygen. Today she was between 23-25% the whole day. Tonight, she has been on 21% the whole time I've been here. I guess she just needed those couple days to get her feet back under her. I think the plan is to let her grow a little bit more and then try to get her off the oxygen again. Hopefully, she'll do better the next time.

The nurse told me tonight that they have written in Kayley's chart that they will start trying to bottle feed her after they see cues that she's ready. In the nurse's opinion, she's ready. Cues could be anything from tongue thrusts to sucking on her fingers to sucking well on the pacifier. She does all of those things. Again, they will try a bottle first so they can control how much Kayley gets.

So even though today was uneventful, it looks like the coming days may bring some changes...

Smile For The Camera!

Kayley's getting the hang of this picture taking business. As soon as she hears the camera turn on, out come the smiles. All right. Maybe I just got lucky. I probably caught her in the middle of a sweet dream or possibly with some gas. Either way, I was lucky enough to snap some great pictures.

Again today, there were not any significant changes. As I sit down to write this post every night, I always like to have big news to write from the day. But, the more I think about it, we'll take the boring ol' feed and grow days. At this point, that's what we should expect.

Kayley's oxygen is better today. They were able to lower it some and she's done quite well. She's been down around 28% which is a good sign. Her oxidation has been stable all night. I can tell the difference from last night when her oxidation was more of the up and down type. Tonight, she's keeping it pretty much at a consistent level.

Kayley's stuffed up nose is sounding much better. The nurse today cleaned her out a bit and so did the night nurse. The day nurse even asked the doctor if she could use special drops to help Kayley's nose. The doctor said to stick with the saline drops for the time being. It looks like they worked so we're not complaining.

Our little grower weighed in at 2040 grams (4 lbs 8 oz) tonight. That's up 50 grams from last night. She's doing a great job. Megan must be supplying that weight gaining formula. At this pace, we could be taking home a 10 lb baby...ok, that's not likely. But, she'll be a good size for a 27 weeker.

Megan said the physical therapist was in today and she's actually been in a couple times before. She is very happy with Kayley's development. She likes how Kayley put her hands to her face. She also mentioned how she likes that Kayley twirls her ankles. I'm sure there were some other updates but I didn't catch them all while Megan was telling her mom. I'll see if I can find out more for tomorrow's post. In any case, Kayley seems to be doing good in that area.

The last update is that Megan and I are going to be assuming some new duties for Kayley in the NICU. As you can see in the last picture above, we'll be taking a class to learn infant massage. As with the skin to skin holding, Kayley will benefit greatly from this. Some of the benefits for Kayley include emotional nourishment, loving communication with us, primary system (respiratory, circulatory, nervous, etc.) strengthening, reduction in gas and colic, better sleep, and just overall relaxation. And of course Megan and I will benefit also. We will learn Kayley's cues and responsiveness, enhance our communication with Kayley, increase our confidence and handling skills, increase our bond with Kayley, and relax and listen to Kayley. So, it sounds like a winning situation for all of us. Let the massages begin...

More Feeding And Growing

Kayley doesn't have many updates again today. Her feedings are still 35 cc's. They may stay there for a little while until they make sure she's not getting reflux when she has a full belly. In any case, she's still gaining good weight. Tonight she weighed 1990 grams (4 lbs 5 oz - very close to 4 lbs 6 oz). She's still a very little girl but she has come a long way since she was born.

Kayley's prongs are still in. Since this past weekend when they tried to take her off of them, they've had to keep her oxygen setting around 40%. Prior to the weekend, the oxygen was quite a bit lower. She seems to keep her oxidation high with the 40% setting but there are times when she dips a little. The nurse told me tonight that they've been trying to ween her off a bit but she doesn't handle it as well as they need her to. Let's hope she's not starting to rely on the oxygen too much.

I also noticed while I was holding her tonight that she sounds really stuffed up. She sneezed and coughed more than normal which tells me that she needs to be suctioned. I relayed my thoughts to the nurse and she said she would probably try to suction her when she changes her diaper the next time. Hopefully that clears Kayley up a bit and allows her to breathe more comfortably so they can ween her off the oxygen. It seems like this is becoming more of a hurdle that we thought it would be. Or maybe she's just really resting up to give it a good "go" the next time.

5 Weeks Old

There is really not much to update from today. Kayley has just been resting, feeding, and growing. Everything stayed the same for her. She is still on the prongs and they haven't tried to feed her with a bottle or the breast yet.

Megan gave her another bath today. From the sound of it, it was quite the little episode. Kayley pooped on some stuff while she was being transferred to the tub. I guess it was better to do it then rather than when she was in the tub.

Kayley now weighs 1960 grams (4 lbs 4 oz). She's definitely doing a great job gaining weight.