Friday, March 20, 2009

20 March- Caroline has been growing faster than we can keep up with. She is now up to 5 lbs 10.4 ounces. There is a down side to her growth rate in that her bone marrow is still developing and can't keep up producing enough blood. She is scheduled to have her third transfusion in the next few days. The nurses made some changes today with her bottle feeding and she took an entire bottle in only 25 minutes. That is probably her 6th or 7th entire bottle so far but the others took close to an hour. She is now attempting to bottle feed at least every other feeding and sometimes more. Her physical therapist has been checking up on her and decided Caroline would benefit from hip straps which wrap around her lower back, then her legs, and are attached to boots on her feet. The purpose is to keep her feet, legs, and hips all in a good line. Hopefully we will see the benefits of this therapy when it comes time for Caroline to start crawling and then walking. She finally had her second vision test and the results showed that while the vessels in her eyes are still very premature, there is no reason for concern and her sight seems to be getting better as she grows. They decided not to schedule her next hearing test until they remove her from her oxygen support. Somehow the flow can throw off the readings. Lastly, we learned today that the murmur in her heart has returned but doctors and nurses are confident that the upcoming transfusion will fix this problem. Please pray that the transfusion improves all of the things they say it can and pray for her continued improvement with bottle feeding. Every full feeding she takes is one step closer to home.

4 comments:

kstroud said...

It was wonderful to finally meet baby Caroline! She is beautiful and the thee of you are an awesome, strong family. I felt so lucky to be with you today. Thanks!

Maynard and Joy Howell said...

We spent an enjoyable evening with your adorable daughter. Got to see her get her diaper changed, drink from her bottle like a big girl and finally fall asleep in Grandpa's arms. Can't believe how much she's grown in a week! We will keep praying for her, she is our miracle girl! It won't be long before we'll be walking up the street to see her when Grandma and Grandpa are babysitting!

Granny Janny said...

Caroline has achieved so much in her 6-1/2 weeks of life. We just have to remember she is still not even supposed to be here and give her the time she needs. We must remind ourselves that her little system is fragile. While she is growing and is now just about the size of a full term baby, she has been through a lot (as well as Mom and Dad), and she will require special care and precautions. We continue to praise God every day for our little miracle. To Him be the glory!

Amy C said...

GOD IS SO GOOD!! I am just catching up on the last few weeks!! I can't belive how much she weighs!! We will continue to pray for the 3 of you and I look forward to future posts updating her growth and development!!