Category: JK Update

Getting the CPAP mask to fit Julie has proven more of a problem than we expected. She kept trying to pull the mask off and the nurses kept devising more intricate methods of foiling her plans. The ongoing battle reached epic proportions… I mentioned last week that I keep looking for the patterns and discontinuities. … Continue reading Six Week Update #33

The yo-yo continues with this update… We’re back to feeling sassy again after a couple of encouraging visits with Julie this weekend. First, she was wearing an outfit Sarah bought for her with long sleeves that help keep the fingers away from the tubes. Second, Julie was out of the plastic “baby box” and in… Continue reading Day 42 Update #32

One week without any talk of additional surgery and moving to the CPAP machine had made us confident in the previous update. Then we went to the hospital later that evening and everything changed… We were feeling pretty sassy in our last update.  Julie seemed to be responding well to the CPAP machine and we… Continue reading Day 40 Update #31

I had fun writing this update… It is with mixed emotions that we announce the parting of one of Julie’s closest friends – her ventilator! The ventilator (and her big brother, the oscillator) has been a constant companion for most of Julie’s 5 1/2 week life.  Her steady – almost rhythmic – personality helped Julie… Continue reading Day 38 Update #30

Within the first month, I emailed update messages to over seventy people at a time. Additional people read my FB postings. Some recipients reposted and forwarded the updates to their friends and family members. I figured a couple hundred people followed Julie’s progress weekly… Julie had an uneventful weekend.  She is still on the ventilator.  The settings went up… Continue reading Five Week Update #29

Just a couple days after Julie’s 2nd surgery and already she showed signs of improvement… Julie turned one month old yesterday.  Sarah and I visited for about 4 hours last night – she needed to do some pumping and it was suggested that she be in the room with Julie.  So, we didn’t get home… Continue reading One Month Update #28

The second surgery resolved a huge problem which had been undetectable until other problems had been resolved… Julie’s surgery went perfectly.  The doctor plugged what he called a “large” hole between two arteries.  As I mentioned yesterday, the hole should have closed on its own after birth, but some preemies require surgery.  She has an incision… Continue reading 2nd Surgery Update #27

Just when we thought we knew where we were heading… We learned today that Julie will need surgery again.  It is major surgery but relatively common among preemies. Her condition is called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) which is a failure of the body to close a blood vessel used by the baby before birth.  This blood… Continue reading Day 29 Update #26

Despite being on the ventilator, Julie experienced several firsts in this update… It’s been 4 weeks since Julie’s birthday. We had a good talk with the doctor on Sunday. Julie was awake and alert. It was a much better visit than Saturday. Julie’s weight is still a concern, but the doctor agreed that her weight… Continue reading 4 Week Update #25

After a number of encouraging updates and steady progress I sent out this… Julie had another set back this weekend.  She is back on the ventilator.  This means she has another tube down her throat for breathing in addition to her feeding tube.  Her CO2 levels were rising Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and even the SiPAP… Continue reading Day 28 Update #24