After a second restless night sleeping in the hospital and facing the morning parade of doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, and clerks, I got a chance for a quick visit with Julie in the NICU and made a run home to send out this update:
Julie was weighed last night. She has lost 5 oz out of the 32 oz the doctor estimates are useless fluid. The doctor ordered some diarectics last night and doubled her food this morning. She is showing more distinction in her face, chest and abdomen as the fluid abates. The doctor said a lot of fluid is moving to her back due to gravity. She opened her eyes for us a little, but even soft, indirect light is hard on her eyes.
While we were with her, Julie responded to our voices: tried to cry and pulled on one of the tubes going into her mouth. The nurse gave her a sedative to calm her down. We haven’t heard her voice since she wasn’t breathing on her own in the delivery room and she’s had tubes down her throat. We’re looking forward to hearing what she has to say.
The doctor remains “cautiously optimistic” (his standard answer no matter what the question). He admitted that she has done better than he thought at first. He felt comfortable enough to share that he didn’t think she would survive the first hour. He had a hard time initially finding where to place the breathing tube – just as the MRI doctor warned us last Friday – because of the swelling from extra fluid.
It’s still way to early to know, but we’re estimating she will be in the hospital until Mother’s Day which was her original due date.
Sarah is trying to rest today and will be released from the hospital tomorrow. She is in great spirits and slept last night better than she had in months.
Sarah’s doctor got her an extra day in the hospital. So instead of packing to leave, Sarah rested a while longer. Well, she tried. Staying in the hospital to rest is a full-time job.
With forms to fill out for insurance, birth certificate, and social security Sarah had more than enough to prevent boredom. Since we came to the hospital in such a hurry, we never got a chance to check in properly. A helpful nurse filled in the forms with enough information so that she could get the computer to release pain medication to Sarah. If she didn’t know the information (like my name) she made up something. So, we fill out the forms properly. The ensuing confusion from the two sets of information became a source of amusement for us for several weeks.
Julie’s weight now became the main issue. Instead of gaining weight, we prayed that she lose weight since the fluid restricted her heart function. The NICU nurses weigh and measure everything and log into Julie’s chart – wet diapers, dirty diapers, water, formula, medications. Then they compare this to her measured weight to determine whether she has gained/lost fluid.