Angelynn Updates

Well I just figured since there's so many pages in the other thread that i'd start a new one for her updates!! Than it's easier to read.

So yesterday Angel was having a pretty good day. She was doing well all morning and then when I went to visit her I was encouraged to "cradle" her in my hands (one hand on top of head other at feet) so she feels secure. When I did that her oxygen needs went WAY down. They went from 92 to 58 in the first ten mins. She was doing very well.
But today she is having a rather up and down and very touchy day. Her oxygen is back up in the 80-90% range. I cradled her for a while and oxygen sat at 80% for a good 15 mins then she went back down. She's been super sensitive and touchy the last day that they have been keeping her on fentanyl and morphine to help keep the edge off and keep her comfortable. I'm not sure what's bothering her but I think it could be the fluid build up in her lungs. She's still having issues getting that fluid to stay out and her lungs are not maturing very well.

Unless her setting go down on this Osc ventilator and she can stay stabelized she will remain on this one. So she's being a naughty girl. Until she gets back on the conventional ventilator and stays stable on it for a couple days there will be no kangaroo care. She's just too touchy and squirmy. She keeps having one really good day and then one not so good day. But it's perfectly understandable and im ok with that. I just want her to start getting better :(
I'd love to see her on the conventional ventilator because that would mean she's getting better and her lungs are getting stronger. But it's just going to take her a little while longer.
Just have to take it one day at a time. I know she will get there it's just going to take a little bit longer. So hopefully tomorrow is a good day and she can keep having better days! I will keep u all posted!

:hugs: thanks for the update hun....Still thinking about all 3 of you :hugs:

Aww, I'm glad she had a good day. She's a very strong young lady. You must be very proud :)

thinking of u hun

Thanks for the update Steph. It's lovely to hear how her oxygen needs went down when you cradled her, so sweet.:hugs:

Such a strong little girl :)

wish you all well

x

Thanks for the update. I hope your angel has a speedy recovery :hugs:

Thinking of you all. Thanks for the updates. X

Still praying for all of you, glad to hear that she's still fighting!

Ooh glad you got to hold her hun! And glad to hear she is still as strong as ever. Thinking of you all during this time (HUGS)

Oh sorry mago I didn't hold her yet. It's going to be a while at least another week or two until we star kangaroo care. I cradled her in my hands in the incubator. I didn't actually hold her.

But she's still having a bit of a rough time and it's because her lungs are not maturing. I guess the doctor wants to talk to me tomorrow to discuss giving her some meds for her lungs so i'm a little scared as to why they need our approval.. Im a little worried about the side effects.. But I will find out when I go tomorrow what's going on with that.. But not much has changed right now she's still fighting hard though! Her day started off good but now she's still going up and down with her saturation and oxygen levels. I really hope they can smooth this out soon I hate that she's having such a rough time. Her PDA was fixed and she should be feeling better but she's not. It just makes me feel so helpless and sad for her :( I keep resenting that stupid infection. If there was no infection she would be ok!!! It's frustrating :(

as frustrating as it may be...at least she is still fighting. think positively

Aww, im sure everything will be fine! try to stay strong for little Angelynn. Like I said in your other thread, my little baby was in an incubator and not well at birth, but nowhere near as bad as your little one, yet I was a wreck! I can't imagine how you must be feeling. Please try to be positive as Ersurgeongirl said, im sure it is hard for you, but your little girl is a fighter.

You are an outstanding mom. Your little girl knows that already and you make her feel better. You should be very proud. I hope your husband is feeling okay too... You guys are very brave and obviously so is your cutie pie! My partner and I are really thinking of you 3...

I'll keep your little girl in my thoughts and hope she becomes well enough for kangaroo care soon!

I just want to say that I'm thinking of all 3 of yo. Angelynn is a little fighter sweetie xxxx

Thank you so much ladies your kind words and support brings tears to my eyes. It truly does mean so much to me. :)

Saw Angel last night and they had given her a blood transfusion but they had to put a line in through her head :( That way they can keep giving her blood anytime if she needs it. But it seemed to help her a great deal her oxygen levels were down to 57!!!! But she really doesn't like that needle thing in her head. She kept putting her hand up by it and almost seemed like she was going to pull it out LOL she's getting so strong though. She was actually pushing her body up off her bed and was wriggling up the nurse had to keep repositioning the ventalitator tube. She was so squirmy. But it's awesome to see that :D
And they saved her hair for me so it's like her first haircut. I thought that was so sweet that made me so happy :) She kept opening her eyes and for a few seconds she was looking right at me as I was talking to her and it made my knees weak. I can tell she was focused on me because her eyes were open and not moving. Babies just have rapid eye movement and can't really control it. She has such beautiful deep blue eyes!!! Infortunately i'm still just a big fuzzy blob and will be for quite a while but I think it's amazing that she can even tell!!!!
Anyways we'll be going back today after lunch to talk to the doctors and see what is going to happen with these meds and her lungs. Hopefully it's nothing too serious. I will let you all know

Also I never mentioned that I have a yeast infection and strept throat now...
I tell you I don't know what else I could go through. First was my cold, then labour and delivery, then infection, then I got nasty cold sores all over my lips (I get one little cold sore every few months and these attacked me full force) and now this!!! I'm actually not upset I'm finding it quite humurous. So now I have to become a super anti-germ girl and wash my hands all the time and carry hand sanitizer in my purse. Maybe it's a hint for me to stay home and sleep more. But damnit I want to shop! LOL
But my scar is healing up the doctor looked at it yesterday. The purple/red color will go away about a year after and also the numbness I feel won't totally dissapear for like a year! I've already tried shaving where it's numb feeling but it really bothers me. Pretty weird....But it's starting to look more like a scar now almost all the scabs are gone. This is the biggest thing I have ever gone through. I've never had stitches or a broken bone in my life!!! But I know it's there because of Angel and I would proudly show it off but that wouldn't be appropriate hehehe. Anyways enough babbling for today :)

Hun my purple/red lump on my scar is just going now after nearly a year so it does go eventually.

You are doing a fantastic job, both yourself and jay have been so brave and coping so very well.

You have an amazing little girl who is fighting so much and she is being helped because she knows how much she is loved :)

Keep strong all of you ... your all doing amazing

xxx

hugs to Angelynn and her mum :hugs: :hugs:

I am so glad that Angel is picking up,sorry to hear that your not feeling the best.Hopefully soon you'll be able to hold your little girl,how is she going putting on weight?Has she gotten any bigger?Anyways keep us updated Steph

aawww u all in my thoughts keep us update and keep ur strenghth up hunni all the best xxxxxxxxxxxxx

:cry:

So we talked with the doctor today and they are very worried about angels lungs. She has chronic lung disease. We talked about the medicine today and basically they have let us know there is a possiblity she will need steroids for her lungs because they are inflammed and its not allowing the lungs to work properly. THe bad thing is that these drugs have a 1/4 chance of causing nuerological disorders later in life. So learning dissabilities.
They switched her back to the conventional ventilator and it seems to be ok so far. She was at 45% when I left (but she needs to be down in the 20-30% range for it to be good) so we have to see how she does over the next couple of days. Me and jay won't make the decision until we see how she does on this ventilator now. Last time she was on it was before her surgery so things are different..

I'm feeling a little scared though. I was not expecting this. Doctors would not usually advise the use of these steroids unless the life of the baby was in question.

So please everyone she's getting stronger please pray for her for the next few days. I really want her to get better I dont want to use these drugs :(

On a good note Angels weight is now 870 grams!!! Her weight on the 30th was 745. So she's gained a good amount she's almost 2 lbs!!! And she's taking 20ml of milk now in a 24 hour period. So she's definetely getting stronger. I hope that this works in her favor now.

Anyways so far she seems to be doing well on the other ventilator and she seems to be a bit more comfortable. At this point right now I'm stuck in the middle. I'm not going to be optimistic and set myself up for dissapointment but on the other hand i'm not going to abandon all hope. I just feel like we have to take one hour and one day at a time. We will see what happens over the next couple of days. This will dictate the use of the drugs. If her Oxygen needs go down than thats the best news we could hear.

Anyways I will call in a couple hours and see if shes improved anymore and see where she sits.

I'll keep your little one in my prayers!!

Hi Steph,

I know it is very difficult but always try to be positive, each day that passes is a day she can grow a little bigger and a little stronger.

We were intially devastated when we were told charlotte had two areas of csysts due to Oxygen Starvation at birth on the brain which MAY result in learning difficulties or POSSIBLY Cerebral Palsy but she is so beautiful we know we love her whatever and will cope with whatever hand fate deals her.

We also had to live with being told for her first 6/7 weeks that she was unlikely to survive her serious brain infection but she did (given 1% chance) and the little trooper proved the Doctors wrong).

No parent of a premature baby has exactly all the same worries/fears and Samantha and I wish we could be of more help but hopefully the above will illustrate that,no matter how bad things may seem, that premmies are tougher than you think and can surprise us all, so never give up hope.

We will keep praying for her.

thinking of you all xxx

I really wish I could give you a hug right now hon.
:hugs:
I hope everything is ok with Angel and that she doesn't need those meds, you're in my thoughts.

Have you all in my prayers hun! You're thinking positive, one day at a time. Hope her oxygen needs go down so she won't need the drugs. HUGS

I am speechless.....the 3 of you are sooo strong!!!!! I really hope little Angelynn will be improving no end very soon!! :hugs:x

sending a hug ((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))

how is she doing?

Welllll so far so good. Her Oxygen requirement are set between 44-56 and they have bumped her settings down on the vent. She seems to be statting well and doesn't get too fussy when she's handled. She keeps going up on her feeds (3 ml every 2 hours I think) so she's starting to stableize! So hopefully in 2-3 days her oxygen requirements will get down into the 30's which would be awesome! I think she will be just fine. Although i'm still a little worried about the inflammation in her lungs. I have this sneaky feeling she might need a couple small doses. Just a hunch I have. But i'm not too worried about it. Not right now anyways.
But tonight the nurse on duty was getting me a little more involved with Angel. Letting me hold her feeding syringe and I got to rub her ointment on her dry legs and arms. Helps keep her moisturized. So that was really nice to feel helpful and be able to touch her! So hopefully i'll get to do more and more now that she's starting to stableize. All of these little things mean so much to me. Anyways I'm going to see her tomorrow for an hour or two we'll see if there's anything else for me to do :D
Time for bed!

aww hun good to know shes still doing well xxx

Great news hon, glad she's doing so well :hugs:

:happydance:

thats a huge turn around!

:)

That is fantastic news!!!!

Hey Steph, hang in there! You've got a lot to look forward to and you have been absolutely a model of strength!!

So I couldn't be more thrilled about Angelynn's progress. Today when I went in the IV was out of her head and she was wearing one of the little vests that my mom made for her!! She looks like a baby now. her oxygen was down to 33%!!! They are slowly weaning down her Ventilator settings and going up on her feeds. It's awesome!! I'm so happy I was so happy to hear and see how she was doing that I cried! Here's my fave pic

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x316/blondefluff/DSC06206.jpg

The news you share with us today is just amazing! I can't even begin to imagine what emotional rollercoaster you are on right now but I am sooooo happy for you three. You have been so generous in keeping all people here informed.

Since my little boy was born, I felt sad that he came a mere month early. However, following up on your beautiful little girl has made me shift this regret to positive energy, hopes and prayer for you. I share your worries in my own way but concentrate on being positive for you. I want you to know that as tiny as she is and as far as you are, you and Angelynn have made me a better mom, a better person. Thank you for showing me the better side of everything so that I may be more thankful for what I do have in my life rather than dwell on sorrow.

You three are always in my thoughts. xxx

aaaw, look at her little hair. adorable.

aawww thats so nice what the nurse is doing that wil help u build a good bond with each other she has grwn so much she does not look as tiny before aawww keep us updated

Awww bless her, she is adorable.

Im glad to hear things are going well,shes beautiful :)

you can definately tell that shes doing better, shes bigger and more colorful!

WOW, look at that hair. Thats fantastic. So much hair for such a lil baby. Great news by the way.

Awesome news Steph! Shes getting stronger everyday!:happydance:

YAY! I'm glad she's doing so well..and she's SO ADORABLE!

OMG ladies I am soooo excited they're letting me hold her for the first time in 4 weeks today!!!! In about an hour I get to hold my baby girl for the first time. I can't tell u how excited I am I have been waiting so long for this day. I am happy, excited and just beaming i'm shaking I can't wait. There will be pictures and video so keep your eyes out for them!
They were also talking about switching her ventilator today as well!!! So the tubes might come out of her throat. Oh I am so thrilled and so happy she's doing just amazing. So i'll be back later with some pics :D :happydance::headspin::dance::yipee:

aaawww thats great news enjy thr kangroo care its so nice

your baby is beautiful!!

Soo I got to hold her today! It wasn't for very long maybe 10-15 mins but oh my god that moment has forever changed my life. Besides her birth that was the best moment of my life. I have waited a long time to hold her and finally the moment arrived. I couldn't be more happier. I cried the whole way home!! She seemed pretty comfortable on me too she was quiet and didn't hardly move. But because it was such a big step it was pretty stressful for her. So we just have to do this slowly. Next time hopefully we can sit for 20 mins and just gradually go up from there. They will do it again in 2 days!
But yeah feeling her and touching her and holding her close to me.. I just have no words for it. I can't even describe my feelings. I'm just so happy. After everything that we have gone through so far this is a huge step... she's getting better and stronger. But it's just amazing. This has honestly changed me in a totally good way. I will hopefully have pics up tonight :)

Pics are up in the photo gallery

ah hun thinking of all of u sending u my prayersxxxxxx

I am so happy for you guys thing are progressing positively :hi: :hi: :hi:

I think 'bout you guys every day :hi:

Aww hon, that made me tear up :cry:

I'm so glad you got to hold her, she looks so beautiful. She's getting SO strong, what a little trooper. :hugs:

aawww enjoy it hunni

YAY! I'm so happy for you! That brought tears to my eyes. I'm off to check out the pics!

Im filling up over here!

So pleased you eventually got to hold her and shes doing a lot better. She's gorgeous :)

xxx

I am so glad to hear shes doing much better! Shes very strong.

I couldnt find the pictures:cry:

Well I got to hold her tonight and I got to do a whole bunch of stuff too. I got to change her diaper all by myself, and help weigh her. I also dressed up her incubator and got to pick out her blankets. I felt so helpful and the nurse wanted me to do a whole bunch of stuff :)
But the cuddle went FANTASTIC tonight!!! I got to sit with her for about a half an hour (felt like longer!) and she just layed peacefully on me the whole time. She was sooo calm and sleeping soundly. It was so awesome! I have more pics I wil get those up tomorrow. I am so pleased wth her. And it sounds as though I get to do this now every day! Whenever I want! I think it's so awesome. While I was holding her I just couldn't stop thinking that she's just a little person. My little person. Gawd I feel like the luckiest mom in the world! I have so much joy and so many good emotions running through my heart it feels like it's ready to burst! But it's just wonderful.
Thank you so much for your kind words ladies I am so touched that so many of you find us inspiring. We are just trying to live life and I am just happy for what I have. One day at a time :)

I am sure, now that you can hold her and she can feel her mummy, her state will even get better more quickly!

I am really happy for you and keep thinking of you guys every day :hi:

Awww..I'm so glad she's doing well enough for y'all to hold her! She is an amazing little girl!

Thats fantastic that you are now able to become alot more involved.

She is such a trooper. Honestly what an amazing little girl you have. Xx :hugs:

that is so amazing u got to hold her. its nice that the nurses are letting you get more involved. you and angelynn are an inspiration to all us other mums and mums to be xx

i love reading the news its gets better and better cant believe she a month old and 1 day

I am so happy things are going so well. It is so wonderful you get to take care of your little girl now, that must just feel so amazing!!!

It is SO wonderful being more involved now. Everytime we drive to the hospital and I can see it up the hill I get butterflies :) I want Jay to have his first cuddle tonight tho. I think he's a little scared.. And he was feeling sad and left out the first night I held her :(I could tell because he was distant from me the day after:(
He wants to wait til her ventilators switched but we don't know when that is so I think it would make him very happy if he would do it now. She did so awesome last night that I think it would be fine.

aw glad she is doing so well hun she is such a little tropper.

Well big news ladies! Angel has no more IV's she's on full feeds!! Also she's off the conventional ventilator and on the Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) so she's doing most of the breathing on her own! She's breathing very good and she's now up to 910 grams! She's over 2 lbs now!!! I am sooo happy she's doing so amazing. Hopefully in a few more weeks she'll be put into SCU and taken out of NICU. She's getting so strong :) Also my mom had her first cuddle last night with Angel and she was soo happy and emotional.
So alls good right now. This christmas is the best christmas ever :)

Brilliant news :D :hugs:

I'm so happy for you and your family!! :hugs:

Steph, i think this is just so wonderful for you and for everyone who cares...

Your post made my day too!

:hugs:

Thats great news hon! glad everything is going smoothly now.

Aww lovely news :) Shes doing so great!

xxx

aawww thats great news then cuddles must beworking she growing strenght by strenght thats great news hunni

:headspin: :headspin: :headspin:

YAY! Go Angelynn! I'm so happy for y'all!

SO angel is still doing extremely well!! They have her on nose prongs now (nasal canulla) 50% of the time. They are cycling with the cpap and nose prongs every 6 hours!!! So she's breathing so well and she was a whopping 938 grams last night! She's also 14 inches long. Pretty soon she'll be over 1000 grams which would be really nice. Other than that not much else has changed. Now we just have to be patient and wait for her to just gain weight and grow. In a couple weeks they will start getting her on the nipple while she feeds so that she can associate it with feeling full. Shes already sucking on her soother pretty good. So she'll be breast feeding in no time. Thats the next big step! But just wanted to let u know everything is good and she's doing amazing :)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c190/Beanie_Bunny/prettygirl.jpg

gr8 news hun :hugs: cant w8 to hear more!!!

fantastic :headspin: :headspin: :headspin:

that is so good to know.

she is doing so well. thats brilliant news xxxx

She gets cuter and cuter with every pic! I'm glad she's still doing so well!

Steph,I just got a chance to read this thread and it sounds like your little Angel is coming on in leaps and bounds,I am so Happy for you and your family that she is picking up.How are you feeling?Have you recovered ok?Anyways just wanted to say I am thinking about you guys.Have a fantastic Christmas,your little Angel is beautiful.

great news keep going shes a fighter

That's brilliant news Steph. She looks so cute in that picture!:hugs:

OMG GREAT news everyone!! We got a call today on christmas day as we were driving to my moms house that they were transporting Angel to a different hospital to the SCU. The special cares unit!!! They said she's doing the best out of all the babies in the NICU! I am soooo happy and have been waiting for this for what seems like forever! She's "graduated" I just can't beleive it! :D So we get to see her around two and hopefully I can take my girl out and give her a big hug :) Shes got an adorable little christmas dress that my mom made so i'm really hoping we can put it on her. The good thing about the transport too is that it's closer to where we are moving so it won't take us a half hour each way anymore only 10 mins!!! Oh girls I am so thrilled thank you for all your prayers. She's just being so amazing. I couldn't ask for a better christmas day gift I can't wait to see her :D

Thats is wonderful news hunny :hugs:

Have you checked your post by chance hun? Starting to get a bit pissed with the postal service ... x x

aaw, that is really amazing news!! merry christmas to you and your family steph.

Great news Turbo mum, Heres to a happy and healthy 2008! xXx

I checked yesterday wobbles still nothing... I cant beleive its taking so long!!! Dont worry it'll get here :)

Steph that is just the best news ever!!!

Ive just read the whole of this thread from start to finish, and am actually sat here in tears. Whether its because i can relate to some of it, or just because im able to understand, i dont know, but theres an awful lot of love and hugs coming your way from this household. You must be so proud of your little princess and i hope she continues to do as well in the future :D

Love and hugs, The Banks-Matthews x

Thats amazing news!! I hope you guys enjoyed your Christmas!

limumma do u have more pics of your lil one? Angels not much older than him I see. Thank you for your inspiring words. She really truly is loved so much. I can't even describe how much. I would love to see more pics of your preemie and read about your journey. If u ever want to chat let me know :)

Glad to hear she is doing so well TurboMom! How lovely, they're gonna move her closer! She's come so far in her journey. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

so pleased angelynn is doing so well. you and oh must be over the moon. is brilliant she has 'graduated' what a strong little fighter xxxx

YAY! That is amazing news! Congrats!

So tonight was a bit of a rough night. When we left last night Angel was nasal canulla and was doing well. When we came in tonight we received word that Angel will not be on nasal canulla until further notice because she was very unstable this morning and kept desatting on the canulla. :( She's also being fussy again with her handling. We took her out for a short cuddle and I only held her for 2 minutes when she desatted from 80% all the way down to 49%!!! Thats the lowest that i've seen her... So we had to put her back and leave her be. Everytime she's handled she desats and they have to bump up her oxygen requirements. So I don't know what that means for Kangaroo care. :( The nurse on duty though made it sound like it was way worse than it is. She said it was taking her "hours" to recover from handling. Which is really not true. After our cuddle last night she settled right down and her oxygen stayed in the low 90's. And even tonight Jay and I changed her poopy diaper and redressed her and she went as low as 80%.
So I was feeling quite sad. Quite helpless. We're at a rough spot right now and I just wish I could help. But I will keep you all updated. Oh she's also had her caffeine bumped from 3mg to 5mg because she keeps having apneas. Other than that though she's great. She's up to 2 lb and 8oz! She's a full lb heavier than when she was born. I can just pray it keeps going way up :) Well i'll keep ya'll updated. I hope she's better tomorrow. I need a good cuddle with my girl it's been a long while :(

Sounds like you've had quite a day of it :( Im sure with this kind of thing therell be days that are worse than others but she is still doing so well. The fact she's put on a lb since she was born is fantastic! Hope everything goes well for yous :)

xxx

Hope she is doing abit better steph,look after yourself aswell remember.

what a lovely xmas prezzybabe i bet that made xmas easier dont forget hunni baby is having a tough time at the mo remember u baby would be inside u at the mo so things little touch can make them feel unsettled and not natural i no its hard hunni she will soon be all yours at home keeping u awake at night xxx good luck shes a fighter and so are u (((((((hugs))))))))))

:hugs: I am so glas she is doing so well. :hugs:

THanks girls :)

Today was agood day. She's still on CPAP but all day she's been saturating in the low-high 90's at 31%!!! So she defintetely needed a break. We had her out for a 15 minute cuddle and she did very well.. She was on the nasal prongs too for the cuddle. Everytime she was handled she didn't desat. The only time she went below 90 was when she was pooping LOL. So we will do a longer cuddle tomorrow on prongs again and then probably have her nuzzle my nipple while she feeds :) Her sucking refelx is very strong right now and it would be the best time to get her on it so they don't miss that "window of oppurtunity".
So she's doing very well. I know there's going to be bumps in the road for a long time. But it's still hard when you've been having such a good couple of weeks and then something like that happens all of a sudden. It's hard when you're mom because then you feel guilty about it. But I know everything will be ok. :) I'm so proud of her she's so strong. So I will let u all know how the nuzzling goes tomorrow :)

I'm glad she's doing O.K. :) She's such a strong little girl! You should be really proud.

go angel go girl shes doing really well xxxxxxxx

THanks girls :)

Today was agood day. She's still on CPAP but all day she's been saturating in the low-high 90's at 31%!!! So she defintetely needed a break. We had her out for a 15 minute cuddle and she did very well.. She was on the nasal prongs too for the cuddle. Everytime she was handled she didn't desat. The only time she went below 90 was when she was pooping LOL. So we will do a longer cuddle tomorrow on prongs again and then probably have her nuzzle my nipple while she feeds :) Her sucking refelx is very strong right now and it would be the best time to get her on it so they don't miss that "window of oppurtunity".
So she's doing very well. I know there's going to be bumps in the road for a long time. But it's still hard when you've been having such a good couple of weeks and then something like that happens all of a sudden. It's hard when you're mom because then you feel guilty about it. But I know everything will be ok. :) I'm so proud of her she's so strong. So I will let u all know how the nuzzling goes tomorrow :)

That FANTASTIC news :D so happy for you, WellDone Angel x

so today we had an excellent cuddle!! I got to sit with her for almost 40 minutes before they ripped her away from me!!!
Also... She sucked on my nipple!!! :D She didn't suck for very long just a couple seconds then she started to get comfortable. But when I put it up to her mouth she started to suck. She knew what it was especially when I squirted some milk into her mouth :)
I think its totally awesome! And amazing that a baby that should still be in the womb knows already what the boob is and whats it for and what to do lol. So i'm soo excited to try again tomorrow! They will do it at every cuddle while she feeds so she can associate sucking on it with feeling full. She already seems ahead for her age so maybe she'll be breast feeding sooner. Which would be so fantastic.
Also she has now pulled out her OG tube 4 times! twice yesterday and twice this morning. So she's got it taped down on her chin lol and she has to wear mitts now. So she definitely needs the breast lol she's tired of that tube!
And this morning she managed to roll herself from her tummy onto her side. Shes just thriving. I couldnt be happier or more proud of my girl she just makes me feel so happy inside that I want to explode :) I so can't wait for whats to come!!! 2008 is going to be a great year :)

Thats sounds so fantastic hun!!! She's sounds like she'll be up and going in no time..

Here's to an exciting and healthy year for you :drunk:

shes doing fab thats great news i love reading these updates shes coming on s little star she will be sucking ur nipples until they crack hunni heheheheh thats great news xxx

What great news

That is totally exciting!!!! :woohoo:

Well tonight was another great cuddle! Also because she's got a sore on her nose they tried her on the nasal prongs and she was donig so awesome. So that was nice to see when I went in there. Also we had her nuzzle on the nipple again. Before we took her out she was sucking on her fist so I knew she wanted to suck. So when I put it to her mouth she grabbed it right away and even managed to suck some milk out on her own. She was soooo wide awake her eyes were so big and she was so aware of everything. It was just awesome! 5 o clock is now my favourite time of day :D I can't wait for tomorrow. She will be sucking me dry in no time.
When she latched on to my nipple I guess my chest started to flush and get rosy. So hopefully it will kickstart my milk.
And tomorrow I have to go get tested for hepatitis. Angel had extra proteins in her urine so they are keeping a close eye on that and need me to get tested first before they take blood from her. I hope they don't have to :( I really hope that she hasn't caught anything I would hate to see her on an IV.
Other than that not much else has changed. Things are going very well. I'm a very happy mommy :D Im not feeling too depressed.The last 2 days i've been feeling pretty good. Still tired but happy :) I will still get it checked out though! Well thats it for updates for today. I can't wait to see my girl tomorrow I am really starting to miss her even more now when we leave the hospital. Starting this nuzzling has really brought our mother daughter bonding to a whole new level.. Hopefully in 2 weeks or maybe even sooner we will start full on breast feeding. It really depends how she does and when she's ready. :D I will def keep everyone updated!!

Sounds like she's doing well :)

she's doing so fantatsically well :) so glad that you are able to be on here and tell us. I'm wishing i had made one of these for Kabe now, such a shame i cant look back on what youve wrote and have the same thing.

COngrats to you both x x x

I am sooo happy for u, u have good news for us :hi:

Do you have any new pictures of her?

I'm glad she's doing well, good luck with everything

Sooo Angel is off the CPAP!!!! She's now on NP 24/7 :D Her lungs are still a bit swollen but other than that she is ok. And hopfully in a couple weeks she will moved to an open cot!!! I really cannot wait for that. Also maybe next week depending how she does on the breast, she could try the bottle. Theres so many huge things that are going to happen this month I am just so excited.
And last night while I was sewing her blankets I was thinking about her and really missing her and I was so close to driving up to see her.. but it was 1030pm... But she just totally brightens up my day. I can't stop thinking about her.
The only recent ones I have aqua are from christmas..

http://lh4.google.com/stephybean1112/R3KnIStQb-I/AAAAAAAAADQ/IwkYx1i1pWE/DSC00059.JPG&imgmax=640

http://lh6.google.com/stephybean1112/R32vMCtQcEI/AAAAAAAAAEI/7DpWrJMfFz8/IMG_1544.JPG&imgmax=640

It's so great that she's progressing so quickly! You must be so proud of her. She is definitely an Angel.

Wow, she's doing so well! You must be so happy :hugs:
Do you have a guess as to when she'll be coming home?

Well hopefully by my Due date which was Feb.28. She could come home early or late. It's really dependant on her. We still have a long ways to go :(

just caught up on your last load of updates and she certinatly sounds like she is doing well. hopefully it wont be long and youll have her home and u can see her whenever u want xxx

I'm SO glad she's progressing well! Still praying for all of y'all!

What a ikkle darling she is and how great your all doing hunny

:hugs: x

omg, thats fantastic! you must be so so proud! i know how i felt when Kabe came off the CPAP so i feel for you. Thats utterly wonderful, Keep going Angel x x x

Well today was an awesome day!!
Her OG tube is gone now!
And when we took her out for her cuddle and nuzzle she latched on immediately and actually sucked some milk out of me! Everytime I took my nip away she got mad with her mouth wide open wanting more. Then we decided to try her on the bottle while we were at it and it couldn't have gone better. :D She was taking the milk very well and got very suprised when she realised there was milk coming out of it. Also babies of her age usually forget to breath while they are nursing but she stopped to take breaths. She just did so awesome. She drank from the bottle until she was full..It is definitely different for her since she's been getting fed through a tube and never got to taste her food. NOw she is going to be seriously addicted lol. So we wil start feeding her once a day with the breast/bottle and starting monday or tuesday we will do it twice a day. It really depends on her and how she fares with it. Her feeds are up to 24mm and every 3 hours now instead of 2.
Also She's almost 3lbs! She will be 3 lbs im guessing in 2 days. She's over 1300 grams already I just cant beleive how much weight she's put on. It's amazing. Hopefuly in a week or two she'll be out in an open cot. That would be the next big step. I just can't beleive how far she's come. I am so happy and so proud of her. She's doing awesome :D

thats fab hun, i really feel how you feel when i read your posts, your proudness and your energy comes through your writng, you have one very spesh little girl there, give her hugs from me and Izzie x

I am sooo happy to hear how well she is doing!!!

So Angel is still doing very well. Today she was too tired for the breast and bottle but she did take 8ml on her own which was very good.
But she has been diagnosed with stage 2 ROP or Retinopathy of Prematurity. Basically she has extra blood vessels growing where they shouldn't be. Theres more to it but I can't remember lol. There's a possiblity of the retina pulling away and causing blindness. Luckly she's low on the scale of 1-5. They are going to keep a close eye on it. If it progresses then they will probably do a laser eye surgery to stop the vessels from growing anymore. So i'm a little bit worried about it. Im hoping though that as she matures it will correct itself.
But other good news Angel should be about 3lbs in a couple more days!!! She's really packing on the weight. She's doing so awesome! I'm very excited for whats to come!

That is great to hear about Angel!! She is so beautiful and strong, what a fighter, just like her momma!! :hugs:

I'm so pleased that your little angel is getting stronger each day. I love reading these updates and seeing how she's doing.

"But she has been diagnosed with stage 2 ROP or Retinopathy of Prematurity. Basically she has extra blood vessels growing where they shouldn't be. Theres more to it but I can't remember lol. There's a possiblity of the retina pulling away and causing blindness. Luckly she's low on the scale of 1-5. They are going to keep a close eye on it. If it progresses then they will probably do a laser eye surgery to stop the vessels from growing anymore. So i'm a little bit worried about it. Im hoping though that as she matures it will correct itself. "

Hi Steph, you are probably bored with us saying this but Angel , born at 24 weeks and 5 days and weighing 1 lb 9 oz, both exactly the same as our Charlotte born last July, is following pretty much the same path and experiencing much the same issues from the PDA (Heart Murmur) through to your Angel coming off CPAP at the same number of weeks after birth as her.

Almost every baby born at 24 weeks suffers from ROP but in 99% of cases it corrects itself. We were very worried when she was diagnosed with Level 2 ROP 7 weeks after birth i.e. at 31 weeks and she was seen by an eye specialist every 2 weeks until she was finally given the all clear on the 12th December 2007, just over 7 weeks after she came home and six weeks after she she should have been born. We were only worried because we had no idea what it really meant.

Charlotte initially got a little worse in September and was then pretty much static until end November when over the space of 3/4 weeks it resolved itself.Level 1-3 will ROP will correct itself over time without Surgery, level 4 can be rectified by laser surgery, there will only be longterm problems if it gets to level 5.

We have been following Angel's progress and she has been doing better than Charlotte back then and she has gone from 1 lb 5 oz at her lowest to 9 lb 3 oz as weighed by the nurse last Friday.She is our miracle as the Doctors gave her 1% chance of survival as she had complications from birth.

all the best Alasdair, Samantha and Charlotte

Thank you Ali your knowledge is very much appreciated in here. I've been reading up on the ROP and although it's probably nothing to be too worried about it still scares me a little. I am after all Mom :)
But your little charlotte is doing just amazing after everything she's been through. She's such a strong little girl and it's so admirable.
I can't wait until angel is 9lbs :) Shes almost 3 lbs which is def something for us to celebrate here. She's halfway to coming home!!! She's taking so much milk now i'm worried they are going to run out. I am now pumping every 2 hours so that I can get them stocked up again...

A few days ago, our local news aired a report on a little girl born at 25 weeks. She's now 9 months and doing really, really well. I couldn't help but think of you! My partner and I talk about you guys quite often and make sure to keep up with Angel's progress :)

So this little girl was nearly just like other little babies her age. She has some catching up to do in regards to motor skills but nothing alarming. Time will make everything fine, they said. She gets some stimulation from her parents which helps alot. She has medication to help her immune system which is temporary. It was sooo amazing to see this little girl do so well I just wish you'd seen it! (I tried finding a clip on the web without success...)

I hope this encourages you and confirms that slowly but surely everything will just fall into place so that you can enjoy having Angelynn at home. :)

Glad to hear she is doing so well and gettign stronger everyday TurboMom!! Goodness your due date is almost here, time is flying by hope she will be going home soon :)

I can't wait until angel is 9lbs :) Shes almost 3 lbs which is def something for us to celebrate here. She's halfway to coming home!!! She's taking so much milk now i'm worried they are going to run out. I am now pumping every 2 hours so that I can get them stocked up again...

Hi Steph, Glad we can be of help. Believe me ,the time will go very quickly and Angel will be home before you know it. It is hard to believe Charlotte spent 14 weeks in NICU/SCBU and has now been home nearly 10 weeks.
We really don't know where the weeks have gone.

She came home 1 week before her due date at 5 lbs 6 oz so it is looking good for Angel to be home before hers. We call her Piglet Low now as she is very greedy and has been having 650-750 ml of milk a day, often as much as 150 ml in one session, so we just decided to wean her early on baby rice last week.

LOL wow yeah you definitely have a litle piglet. I have a feeling angel will be too..But it's definitely a good thing cause she's getting big and strong :D

The thought of her coming home is so surreal to me right now. I'm so used to her being in the NICU it's almost like thats where she belongs so when she comes home it's just going to feel weird (but great)
Theres a few new pics on my site here at the bottom. Also here's a video of her eating her first bottle :D

Pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/stephybean1112/Angelynn

Video (PG warning u might see some boobage I am sorry for that LMAO)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c190/Beanie_Bunny/th_MOV00155.jpg (http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c190/Beanie_Bunny/?action=view&current=MOV00155.flv)

she's looking fabulous :) Well done Angel, you got a real little fighter there x

Aw, shes doing so good! It seems like she has really grown a lot! I'm so happy to see shes doing so well!

ive just read both threads on Angelynn. Shes a little fighter and she is doing so well. Im really happy for you all and sure she will be home in no time.

Well today was an awesome cuddle!! The best cuddle in almost 2 weeks.
When I arrived the nurse was assessing her and asked if I wanted to change her diaper so I said ok. I don't mind :) Then a caught a whiff of it lmao... It was the biggest smelliest green poop!!! Bleh!
Then about 5 mins after we took her out for a cuddle she decided to leave a nice suprise again. lol
But she did very well on the breast and bottle today! I know she was getting milk from me because I had a custy mouth ring LOL. So I would guess she got maybe 3ml of milk from me and she took about 24 ml from the bottle!! She ate it all in about 15 minutes!
Then I had her on my chest for kangaroo cuddle and she was still wide awake trying to look up at me so I swaddled her so she could see me and she fell asleep right away :) We had a good quiet cuddle with only 1 desat the while time for about 40 minutes. I probably kissed her beautiful face 20 times lol and while I was talking with her and looking at her I teared up a couple of times because I just felt so happy and her sweetness and beauty just melts my heart. I feel so blessed and priviledged to have her as my daughter!!!

and she's blessed and privaledged to have you as a mum :hugs:

Awww thanks lilmumma :hugs::happydance:

Aww you have such a little fighter there hunny and shes lucky to have such a lovely Mummy ...

How is Jay? How are you guys as a couple? It must be hard sometimes on you both or at least at one point.

Always in my thoughts guys x

She's an amazing little girl, good luck with everything :hugs:

Oh Hun I've just been looking at your pictures - how amazing! She's gorgeous. You're doing so well. It must be hard not to have her at home with you. What are your work doing about Maternity leave? I hope you get some extra time. Sending our love to the 3 of you x

Aww, watching her take the bottle was so sweet :cloud9:
Glad she's doing so well hon, I'm sure she'll probably come home before her due date :hugs:

Well wobble so far things are going ok. The only issues actually are with his own kids behaviour lately. I haven't really talked to him about it. But were doing ok. I got a little mad at him last week and told him he's got to help me more around the house because im uber stressed and I dont know if he chooses to ignore it just doesn't realise it... men... lol

But yeah its hard not having her home. But on the other hand im ok with that right now because we are moving in a couple of weeks and I can concentrate on packing up. But once we are all moved in im sure im going to be sooo anxious to get her home. But looking at her yesterday she's just starting to look more and more like a normal baby and her face is starting to change. My mom says she has my smile :) TOmorrow we get to start her on 2 bottles and hopefully by next week she'll be up to 3 and so on until she's on bottle feeds only.

Oh and yesterday when I walked in the door there was a cot beside her isolette and I got all excited but it had blue blankets so I realised it wasn't for her! But soon enough... Im just waiting until they have extra room in the back where it's more quiet. Then I will be able to kiss her anytime I want :D

Its great that shes eating so much! Sounds like shes doing really well :)

Has she grown a lot since she was born? She looks loads bigger in those photos. It sounds like a really obvious thing to say but... you know :)

xxx

wow its amazing how u has changed lately she turning in to a mummy princess u will have sore nipples soon drinking u dry thats amzing abbe a little fighter and she is nearly 2moonths old in 2day taht has flown bye xxxxx

Well wobble so far things are going ok. The only issues actually are with his own kids behaviour lately. I haven't really talked to him about it. But were doing ok. I got a little mad at him last week and told him he's got to help me more around the house because im uber stressed and I dont know if he chooses to ignore it just doesn't realise it... men... lol

But yeah its hard not having her home. But on the other hand im ok with that right now because we are moving in a couple of weeks and I can concentrate on packing up. But once we are all moved in im sure im going to be sooo anxious to get her home. But looking at her yesterday she's just starting to look more and more like a normal baby and her face is starting to change. My mom says she has my smile :) TOmorrow we get to start her on 2 bottles and hopefully by next week she'll be up to 3 and so on until she's on bottle feeds only.

Oh and yesterday when I walked in the door there was a cot beside her isolette and I got all excited but it had blue blankets so I realised it wasn't for her! But soon enough... Im just waiting until they have extra room in the back where it's more quiet. Then I will be able to kiss her anytime I want :D
I think we have to learn to accept sometimes that if man does not do much house work and see how much you do (they can think its nothing at all like my OH lol) they never will ;) Its not because of anything but men are silly species :rofl: Sit down and talk to him if you really need a bit of a hand work out 'exactly' what that something could be so he knows THAT is what hes to do and can do it in his own time if you get me.

Must be hard.

Do his kids live with you? Are they naughty? How old are they?

Things are really going well - shes always been normal sweety she just needed some baby fat :D x

Thanks wobbles. He's getting better. Much better than he was a few months ago.
His kids live with us every other weekend and I think that there moms boyfriends kids are starting to rub off on them. It's not so much that they are naughty but the older one is constantly butting into conversations and the little one is uber whiny and they are not very appreciative of things. Jay doesn't really notice it. I think they are starting to get a little bit jealous of Angel and im worried that they are going to be fighting over his attention when angel comes home. So i'm trying to get him to spend more time with them. But we'll see how it goes.


But angel is now 3lb 1oz!!! FInally!! I am soo happy. She has grown alot since she was born. Shes got this angel bear from my mom in her incubator and when we gave it to her she wasnt much bigger than it. Now it seems like shes 2-3 inches longer than it. She doesn't look so tiny in comparison anymore! She hasn't really learned the breast yet either. She latches on and sucks a little then just sits there and plays with it with her toungue lol... but once the bottle is in her mouth she can't suck it fast enough!!! I hope she wont be strictly a bottle baby :( I hate pumping!!
Well not much else to report.. Been pretty uneventful :)

she's just 1lb lighter now than Kabe was when he was born. She's doing so so well, she'll be home and in your arms before you know it :D

Fat baby!!!!! I love love love reading how well she is doing.

I'm so glad she is still doing well and improving! YAY!

But angel is now 3lb 1oz!!! FInally!! I am soo happy. She has grown alot since she was born. ...I hope she wont be strictly a bottle baby :)

Hi Steph, Angel is doing Brilliantly ,we cannot believe how fast she is growing, she sounds even more of a piglet then Charlotte "piglet" Low, and is progressing faster than her. Angel is 3lb 1oz at nearly 8 weeks old,and looking back at Charlotte's Diaries, she was the same age 3rd September 2007(her 50th day birthday) but was only 2 lb 10 oz. It is great that Angel is also feeding from the bottle so early as Charlotte did not manage it until 11 weeks old, and even then it was still mostly via the feeding tube.

She was also moved from the incubator to her cot on 20th September
when she was 10 weeks old. It differs from Hospital to Hospital even in Britain but they said she just needed to weigh a minimum of 3 lb 5 oz, so you wont have long to wait. Also the criteria at our Hospital for coming home was weighing 4 lb 5oz, being off all monitoring equipment, feeding entirely from the bottle and being at least 35 weeks.

Charlotte has been a bottle baby from the beginning , not by choice, but it has done no harm other than sleepless nights for both of us now she is home,the formula milk, Aptamil, which the NICU/SCBU unit used, is supplied
by all supermarkets in Britain and she has thrived on it. she has now started on home made puree food as well as milk and her poo has changed horrifically but healthily as a result.

Charlotte came home end October 1 week before her due date and if Angel continues to progress so well I would very be surprised if she did not come home early too.

All the best Alasdair, Samantha and the Piglet

Yeah ALI I think all the nurses and doctors are suprised at how well she's thriving considering how young and small she was. We truly are lucky that there has been no big issues with her as of yet. I'm suprised by her every day when I come in. She's putting on weight like you wouldn't beleive now. I remember when gaining just 2 or 3 oz was huge before... now shes gaining 20+ a day!!! She is now 3lb 3oz lol she's just a little machine :) I think she just really wants to come home ;)

But the good news is she will be getting her first bath next week! I cannot wait to scrub her down. I bet she will scream the whole time too LOL
And hopefully in a week she'll be in a cot! It's looking very promising now that she's going to be in one by end of next week. So next week is going to be very exciting I think. I bet she'll be well over 4lb by the end of the month too. Im getting so excited each and every day because its one day closer to her home coming. I just hope I will be ready! My due date was Feb.28 so she could be home then give or take a week. Its not that far away woohoo!
My biggest fear is her oxygen though. Im a bit nervous about that. I think she will be coming home on it so i'm not too sure what to expect. But im sure as we get closer they will go through all of that with me.

Oh today when I went to see her this morning I got so scared!When I looked in her bed she was gone... didn't see her. No one was holding her. And my heart started to race and I started to panick. I just asked one of the other nurses "WHERE"S ANGEL????" and she just kinda laughed. She was downstairs getting a routine unltrasound done. Boy was I releived. I thought something bad might have happened. I sure didn't like how I felt sitting beside her empty bed. I was sooo happy when the nurse came back and let me hold her and kiss her. Apparently she pooped all over there US table too LOLOLOL she always poops at the worst time. I bet she will be one of those babies that poops while shes in the tub.Lord help me lol.... Well thats all for today. I have some packing to do before I head again for our 5 o clock cuddle :D

its so nice to hear ur being sopostive and looking to the furture she will be home in no timeits great she reaching all the littlemilestones xxxx

I was just looking at the pictures, she's so cute :hugs:

Well not much has changed. Angel is still doing very well and as each day passes i'm getting more and more comfortable changing her, taking her temp, giving her nose drops and dressing her. Its awesome that they let me do that stuff and want me involved as much as possible. Next week I get to assist with her first bath!!

But today she had another eye exam to check her ROP. I stayed and waited for the doctor because I was curious how it was done. She explained to me how the procedure was down in great detail because I guess most parents who decide to stay and watch get very very upset. But I wasn't going to leave her side she needs her mommy when she's got stuff like that being done to her.
So they had to give her drops about an hour before to dilate her pupils. Then they wrapped her up tight and had to use this thing to keep her eye open. Then she used her magnifying glasses and light to look into her eye. She also had to use this little tool to push her eye to the side. Angel was crying mostly when the lady pushed on her eye. I tell ya my heart has never been so broken as to see that. Angel did fairly well but it made me very uncomfortable. After they finished I held her so tight and kissed about a million times and I was crying.
Her ROP has not improved yet. So they are going to have to do this damn eye exam once a week. They said it's looking very possible that she will need the laser treatment done. It will take about 2 hours if she does get it done and theres a possibility she will be have to re-intubated afterwards because babies go onto general anasthetic and thats one of the fall backs. Im more worried about her having to go back onto a ventilator than the laser treatment :( That will set us back a good week.
I can't help but feel so helpless for her and upset!!! I just wish it didn't have to happen. All I can do is pray that it gets better on its own and that she won't have any further problems if she does have the treatment done. I know that she needs these eye exams otherwise she won't get better I just wish there was another way to do it :( It was so hard seeing that done to her and it just kills me that she will have these routine exams now. I just hate seeing what she has to go through :(

Please keep praying everyone. I have no doubts she will be just fine. It's still not easy though. Being a mom of a preemie you just can't help but feel responsible and guilty because if she was still in me she wouldnt have to endure the constant poking and prodding. *sigh*

I'll keep your little girl on my thoughts! I'm glad to hear she is putting on weight and feeding well.

Thanks for the updates, I hope Angel is doing well

Hi Steph,
This is Samantha, using Ali's sign on. I really do feel for you. I have been present many times when Charlotte's eyes were being checked and its the hardest thing as a mum to have to stand by watching your baby go through so much. Would you believe that Charlotte's eyes were still being checked in the middle of December, when she was 5 months old. She had level 2 ROP too and it got worse before finally it corrected itself. Be positive as its such early days for Angel that her eyes may hopefully correct themselves too.

I also understand how you are feeling. A nurse once said to me "This time in Charlotte's life whilst in hospital will seem such a small insignificant part of her life once she is home with you". It is so true. When Charlotte was in hospital I could never see an end to it. I never dared dream of the day when Charlotte may come home for tempting fate. But home she came and that nurse was right.

Just think Steph, your baby will more than likely be home with you next month. How exciting is that.

All the best
love
Sam

You are definitely in my thoughts and prayers!

prays with u hunni xxx

Guess what everyone??? Check out Angels new home!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c190/Beanie_Bunny/DSC00184.jpg

She was finally put into a cot tonight. They had it ready to go when I got there for my 5 oclock feed. I saw it and I had to double check it was hers and I burst into tears. I just couldn't beleive it. They are actually just seeing tonight if she can hold her temperature. So I hope when I go in in the morning that her isolette is gone :D I wasn't expecthing this until next week sometime. I am sooo happy :D Also I was freaked out because her oxygen was up in the 90's (it's usually in 40's) but she was switched from high flow to low flow which is really awesome too. She's also just under 3 lb 5oz.
I have to wonder if maybe she might not come home on oxygen? Guess we'll have to wait and see!! Im sooo happy :happydance:

Thats wonderful news :hugs:

thats wonderful huni xxxxxxxxxxx

That's amazing news, I'm so happy for you. :hugs:

awesome news... I love checking for the updates.

I can well imagine how you feel when you attend those examinations.

I must say again you are such a strong person.

I am so happy that she could be moved out of the incubator :headspin:

:hi: I keep fingers crossed

YAY! I'm so happy for you!

aawww thats great news xxxx

Thats fantastic honey, your in my thoughts

Aww thats great news!

I remember when my little brother had to have blood taken from his heel when he was about 2 weeks old (he was born with serious kidney problems) and that absolutely broke my heart. I was proper shouting at the doctors and nurses to stop hurting him, so I can't imagine how it must have felt with her being your own.

Shes in the best place though, and it sounds like the staff are doing a wonderful job of looking after her and keeping you involved which is great!

Hope you and Jay are both ok too :)

xxx

:happydance: yey new cot :happydance:
You are all so strong, I love checking in to see how things are :hugs:

great news :) she's doing fantastic!

wow...such an improvement!

Sorry havent checked this thread in ages.

I'm so pleased with your daughters progress, she is coming on leaps and bounds.

Great News!!!!

we will keep praying for Angel, meanwhile, please take good care of yourself as well...

Hope Angel is doing well, thinking of you all

Good to hear she's in a cot!!

Cant wait to hear how she goes with it all!!!

On Friday I found the beginning of your story and started reading.
Finally finished. :blush:

What a truly inspirational story! It had me in tears throughout! You have a beautiful daughter who is blessed with a truly amazing mother. Your strength throughout the past few months has been so moving!

28 Feb is my Birthday!! :happydance: lol
Hope you have your bundle of joy home in your arms by then!

All the best.

Well not much else to report since last time. Angelynn should be 4lbs by today :happydance:
And the nurse said that in 2 weeks they will start a homecoming plan!!!! OMG now im starting to get nervous lol but soooo excited. I can't beleive that time is coming already! The nurses are just astonished at her progress and how much weight she's gained since she's arrived at that hospital. She's also eagerly taking more bottles and is geting fed up with the gavage tube being forced down her throat. So she's slowly turning a corner in the feeding department. We are also going to try using a breast shield to get her eating off the breast better. I think the breast nuzzling and consistent cuddles are partly responsible for her amazing turnover :) She's a happy girl now.

They are also slowly weaning down her oxygen. In a week she's gone from 90-100% to being in the 60% range without having to be turned up when she's being handled.. So once she's on full bottle feeds they will trial her on room air. I really hope she does well so she can come home without it. It would be nice to look at her beautiful face without that darn tube and stickies on the side of hear head!!

Now the only thing I worry about is her ROP. It has not improved so she's got a 70% chance of needing the laser treatment. Im not sure when they will decide. It's not getting worse but it's also not getting better. So Im not sure if they will give it another week and decide at the next exam or what. :( I just hope that it doesn't get any worse. I think that I would prefer her to have the surgery just so I have a peace of mind knowing my daughter won't lose her sight. I think i'd be devastated if that happened!!

But thank you everyone for your support and prayers. Your kind words and your support keeps me so strong and motivated. You are all such great people I wish I could personally give each of you a hug :)

I'm glad she's stil doing so well! :)

So glad everything is going well.

I love checking for Angel updates! Great to hear that you guys are doing well!

It's so good to hear that she's doing so well, wow 4 lbs already!! Before you know it you'll be taking her home!

I'm so happy she's doing much better :hugs: She's so amazing

I just want to say that I think your little girl is amazing! I am so happy to read that she is doing well and I will keep all of you in my prayers! :hugs:

I'm so glad she's continuing to do well!

I'm so pleased that Angel is coming on so well. 4lbs is fantastic, you must be so pleased with the progress she is making.

Yay 4 lbs!! Thats awesome!! I'm so glad that she is continuing to do so well.

wow 4 lbs already!


amazing!

:hugs:

So glad she's doing so well hon. I just finished watching your little videos in the photo gallery, she's just so precious :cloud9:

two weeks and she will be home how cool keep us updated xxxx

wow angelynn is doing amazing xxx hope u and oh are doing ok to xx

Well just a quick update. Angels almost 4 1/2 lbs. She managed to gain 95grams in one day!!! What a pig! LOL but she's got alot of fluid building up around her eye lids, ender her chin and her labia. Yesterday she seemed to be working a little bit harder to breath because of it so she might need to get a dose of lasix to get rid of that extra fluid. She was also desatting quite a bit last night I think she was uncomfortable :( So she looks very chubby but it's not her it's extra fluid. Still as cute as can be though :D
Also her ROP has not gotten worse but it's still sitting at the same point and if it gets any worse they will intervene and do the laser therapy. But right now they arn't too worried as of yet. So that's good it's not getting any worse.
She's also taking 4 bottles a day and depending on her cues the nurses will just keep giving her more bottle feeds. They are doing it every other gavage feed and she seems to be handling it very well.
But not much else has changed! She's 16 1/2 inches long so i'm hoping she'll gain a half inch every 2 weeks. She's slowly catching up :)

Wow, 4 1/2 lbs! That's great news. She's definitely getting there, isn't she :) Sounds like she LOVES to eat too :D

As for the ROP, its great that it hasn't worsened. She's such a trooper. You must feel much better knowing that they aren't all too worried about it.

Glad to hear that she's doing so well and continues to grow more and more each day. :hugs:

awww she is so strong, a proper little trooper. I am so glad things are going well, I am sure she will be home with you soon :hugs::crib:

great news :happydance:

She's doing so well!!

Steph, Its so wonderful to read how well she is doing! 4 1/2 pounds shes getting to be a BIG girl :) I'm so happy things are going well, it gives us such hope. :hugs:

glad shes doing well xxx

Glad shes doing well hun

Hi Steph, Sounds like Angel is doing great with no major problems and putting on weight, have they set a date for her coming home yet .

And don't worry about the ROP , if it was going to get worse it would have by now, we were very frustrated and worried as the ROP stayed the same for about 3 months, Charlotte came home 1 week before her due date but it was another 6 or 7 weeeks before the ROP finally sorted itself just before last christmas.

ps how is Jay doing

Thanks everyone :) She's doing very excellent and although we do not have a date yet for her homecoming they said MAYBE in 2 weeks!!!! OMG i'm soooo excited :happydance:
Her ROP has gotten a little bit better! She's out of the danger zone now which is great I was a bit worried. The eye doctor is very pleased and optimistic she will be just fine!
And they have slowly been weaning her oygen down. She's now at 35% so if she comes hom on oxygen it won't be for long I don't think.
She's also been taking bottle feedings very well. Yeseterday she only had 2 gavage feedings. They are just following her cues. But she was getting tired so they might put her back to 2 bottles 1 gavage.

So overall her progress is going GREAT and she will be home sooo soon. I didn't think we'd ever get to this point. Almost 3 months spent in the NICU it's been quite a ride. But I am ready to have my baby girl home in my arms. :)

aww glad she is doing well bet you cant wait to get her home xx

ah bless she sounds like she is doing fantastic xxx i bet ur so excited to eventually be getting her home xxx

wow,sounds like Angel is doing really well.I hope she comes home to you soon.

Glad she is doing so well. Fingers crossed she gets to come home soon.

I'm so glad she's doing well, I'm sure she will be home before you know it :hugs:

Great news! :) I hope you're able to have her home quickly.

fantastic, it will be lovely to have her home.

Well the nurses think that Angelynn could be home in just 2 more weeks!!! They are really trying to get her on just bottle feeds. Thats the main thing that they are working on with her. She's putting on weight steadily and she has no other problems. Her hearing exam went very well and her ROP has gotten a little bit better.
So my baby girl could be home in just 2-3 weeks i'm so excited :happydance:

omg!!!! im so excited too!! thts fab news hun xxx

so, she might come home before her due date??

Wow that is fantastic news Steph.

That's great news Steph!! Do you have to do a carseat test also? They have a carseat test here, where the baby has to sit in his carseat for one hour and remeber to breath. Was curious if its the same everywhere. Im so happy for you guys!!!! :hugs:

I'm so happy for you, I know she's going to be home soon. She's an amazing little girl :hugs:

Thats great news hun :) I bet you cant wait to have her there.

So pleased for you :)

xxx

YAY!! How exciting~ she will be home before you know it :)

Aww bless her shes doing brilliantly, i bet you just cant wait to get her home! must seem so surreal to you at the mo x

Glad to hear she is doing well!!! YAY! She'll be home in no time!

It's been ages since I've read your updates and I can't believe how much she's come on. It just seems like yesterday that she came into the world and soon she will be coming home. I am soooooo excited and pleased for you. xx

That's fantastic news hun. You must be so excited.

Well I am getting very nervous and anxious!!! I just hope the next 2 1/2 weeks go quick. I was out with my best friend today and her 2 week old and it really made me wish Angelynn was there with me too. She's so close to coming home. Im trying not to get too excited because anything can happen but now we're in the home stretch and it doesn't feel like it's going fast enough!! But she's definetely close and im just counting down the days.

Angel will have a couple of tests. The first one will be to let her have as much milk as she wants with her feeds and see if how her body reacts to the extra fluid.
Then she will have the car seat test. I don't think she'll have a problem with that. Her last Brady was Jan.17 so there's no worries about that.

And Aqua i'm really hoping that she's home before Feb.28 that was her due date. Just have to keep my fingers crossed :) There's still no definete coming home date but I know it's soon.

The nurses are worried about my milk production because they are running out milk faster then im producing it but they are short because i've been so busy lately and have had a hard time pumping the amounts required. I'm trying to get 6 bottles a day in but there's still so much to do so i'm having a hard time keeping up!!!
But not much else to report.:D

Thanks for being here for me ladies. I always look forward to updating you all. You've all been here for me from the start and i'm just so happy I found this forum. I've never known a kinder group of women. Just want to say thanks for everything :)

I am so glad things are going well. Fingers crossed Angel will be home before 28th. Hope you are keeping ok.

:headspin::happydance::headspin:

Ohh, can't believe she'll be coming home soon! I'm so happy for you hon! :hugs:
Are you going to be throwing a welcome home gathering for her? :D

Damn right we'll be having a coming home party :D She totally deserves one! LOL

I'm so happy she's going home soon.

party can i come heheh so glad shes coming home hunni xxxx

Steph, Did Angelynn ever have a infection? They think Noah does by his blood work and he had become very tired not himself. Im really scared. He's back on the breathing machine as of yesterday. Was curious if this has happened to her..trying to find hope that he will pull through this. They asked me to sign a paper giving permisson to perform a spinal to see what type of infection it is, because his blood culture is still coming back clean. Did any of this happen to you? He was upto 14cc's every 3 hours, now they have stopped his feeds and Im worried he will drop weight, he's upto 2 lbs 3 oz. Did you go through any of this???

So happy to hear how well she's doing. I hope you get to bring her home really soon!

YAY!!! I am glad to hear that your little girl is coming home soon! How exciting. I hope you enjoy the party and every moment you have with her!

Steph, Did Angelynn ever have a infection? They think Noah does by his blood work and he had become very tired not himself. Im really scared. He's back on the breathing machine as of yesterday. Was curious if this has happened to her..trying to find hope that he will pull through this. They asked me to sign a paper giving permisson to perform a spinal to see what type of infection it is, because his blood culture is still coming back clean. Did any of this happen to you? He was upto 14cc's every 3 hours, now they have stopped his feeds and Im worried he will drop weight, he's upto 2 lbs 3 oz. Did you go through any of this???

Angelynn was showing signs early on of a possible infection so they just put her on meds to be on the safe side. Be she did not have a serious infection that required any special attention. We got very lucky with her!
What are the side effects of the spinal? They have no idea what it could be??
I know it's upsetting that Noah is on the ventilator again but it's for the best right now. I hope that hes not on it for too long. He seems very strong though so try to keep your chin up. These little babies are amazing fighters. Angels been through her fair share and it was stressful but I just looked forward to the day that I will be bringing her home. And now we are almost there!!!
Envision Noah at home playing and crawling on your floor and that will help u get through the days :) See him as a young healthy baby not a sick one. He's just a little bit early and just needs some special care. He will get better though :hugs: Good luck I hope he's ok!!

Steph what good news on her home coming soon

:wohoo:

Very pleased for you all!

How ar eyou & Jay?

Oh I can't wait for her first picture at home if you share :D

x

Steph, that is AMAZING news! CONGRATS!!!

Of course i'll share pics wobbles. I think I will let the camera avoid me though cause i'll probably be bawling my eyes out lol i'm so ready to have her at home. So keep your fingers crossed for me everyone that she'll be home in a week!! Today they took her off gavage feeds and are blending her oxygen again. So if they can wean her off enough in the next week there may even be a possibility that she might not even come home on it. But its not a big deal if she does.
And today she's FIVE POUNDS!!!! Holy cow I just can't beleive how much she's grown from 1lb 8 oz 12 inches long to 5lbs and 18 inches long. She just amazes me every day. She's now almost a "newborn: :D
And today she's 3 months old. I don't know where the time went. I sure hope the next week or so goes just as quick!!!

OMG, she's already 3 months, that's amazing, and congratulations on the 5 pounds, I know that's an amazing thing. I hope this week goes by really fast, so the day finally comes really fast, and like everybody else I'll be waiting for the most amazing pictures of Angelynn, the "Home Coming of Angelynn" :hugs:

5lbs!!! AWESOME!!!

Yay!! shes grown so much~ I'm so glad she will be coming home soon with you!

Steph thats great news!!!

I cant believe shes 3 months old, thats crazy.

Pleased shes doing well still :)

xxx

Wow, 3 months old already. Time has flown. We're so pleased for you all :hugs:

Steph.. 5lbs in the NICU here she'd be a porker (jk) Im so happy for you guys, your journey gives me hope..

YAY! How exciting! I'm so happy for you guys. Can't wait until she comes home.

fantastic :headspin:

Hey hun, how heavy is little Angelynn now? I've just noticed on your signature that she's 7months old now :happydance: x

she's about 13 lbs now!!! And she's about 23 inches long.. maybe longer... I can't remember :) There's new pics of her in the gallery. I update in there weekly. did you have your baby gemz??

Hi steph,

glad she is doing well and that is a great weight . Charlotte at 11 months is now just over 15 lbs , she reached 13 lbs at about 9 months , and was the
same weight as Angel when born

she's about 13 lbs now!!! And she's about 23 inches long.. maybe longer... I can't remember :) There's new pics of her in the gallery. I update in there weekly. did you have your baby gemz??

Sorry for the late reply. Yeah I had my baby - a little girl (Isabelle) born on 12th May 2008 :cloud9:

Her weight gain is brilliant. Well done little Angel :happydance: She's gorgeous. I just couldn't believe that she was 7 months old already. I often think of her. Do you update her journey anywhere else - I don't search the forums as much as I did? x