I am sorry for the lack of updates. I came home last night and the past few days have proven to be challenging. Who knew recovering from a C-section, looking after a toddler and having a child in intensive care would be so stressful? Ha.
I will be brief but want to let you know how Natalie is. Over the past few days her oxygen requirements have been creeping up. She is still on the vent and now at 60% oxygen. Her chest X-rays have also been progressively showing more fluid in her lungs. The hope was that this was all due to the PDA and would resolve when it closed. The echocardiogram this morning showed that the PDA is closed, so we are very much hoping that the fluid and breathing improves and the PDA was responsible. Immature lungs or hypoplastic lungs (from the low amniotic fluid) could also be behind this and those issues are much more complicated to resolve. She is still breathing very rapidly and we are also hoping that improves soon as well.
She had her first dose of Lasix today to help pull the fluid out of her lungs. She will have one dose a day for three days. Lasix can be stressful on the kidneys and cause electrolyte imbalances so she will be closely monitored for any issues. She also had her first blood transfusion today. Her blood type is B positive-a very good omen in my opinion!
Today was the greatest milestone so far. Her nurse allowed me to hold her for the first time. It was a production that required 3 nurses to pull off but it was AMAZING. It was as if a missing piece of me had been returned. Natalie was stressed during the transition but quickly settled in and was quite content. She had a hard time settling down when returned to her isolette. I think after having a taste of the good life snuggling with Mommy she did not want to return to her bed.
Please keep Natalie in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping so much for some improvements in the next few days. She is such a beautiful and strong girl. Thank you again for all your support. We need it now more than ever.
I hope you can sneak some rest in. Hopefully the Lasix will do the trick. We are no stranger to that drug and it has always helped! I pray that it helps Natalie as well. How long will it take for them to know if it was the PDA? What are the treatment options for immature or hypoplastic lungs? Hang in there she is a little fighter! BTW the Hayden that my Haydon was partly named for had his slogan for his fight with Leukemia as B Positive. He has been in remission for 4ish years. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were able to hold Natalie, JT! I can only imagine how amazing that was. I'm sure it did wonders for her as well. I will continue the prayers that Natalie gets stronger every day. I hope you are able to take it easy every now and then. I remember how hard it was recovering from the c-section! I look forward to the next update telling us all about what amazing things Natalie does next!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing! I am so glad you got to hold your strong beautiful baby girl. we are continually praying for you. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you were able to finally hold her...what a wonderful feeling. I am praying the lasix will pull the fluid and start her on the road to recovery. You all continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, JT. Please don't feel you have to devote a lot of time to keeping us all informed if you're not up to it. Your rest and time with Natalie are the most important right now! Remember, we've heard that the NICU can be a time of extreme ups and downs. Your little girl is a fighter and she's in our prayers!!
ReplyDelete