We welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Abigail Elise Tettleton, into the world on Monday February 21, 2011. She was 5lbs. 7 oz. and 19in. long. Not long after birth she was taken to the NICU for closer monitoring. We will be using this blog as our primary source of information on her progress and any other updates we might have.
Back Story:
At about 31 weeks of pregnancy we found out that I had a very low amniotic fluid level. With that comes lots of monitoring. We would go to the doctor at least two times a week and each time we would buy ourselves a little more time. We knew she would need to be delivered at 37 weeks, so that became our goal. She was breached so we also knew a C Section was in order. As it turned out we were able to make it to our scheduled C Section at 37 weeks.
Birth Day:
Shortly after she was born it was noted that she had a small fistula right by her bottom. This just means the hole didn't quite make it to where it is suppose to be. This will need to be corrected but is ok for now. At that time they also noticed that she was just small and very weak. She did not have much room to move around in utero to build up her muscles. It was decided at that point to transfer her to a different hospital, which happens to be where I work, for closer monitoring and treatment. Once she was settled in they started her on CPAP which is a breathing machine that pushes air through her nose at a high rate. She was started on IV fluids and put in a bed with a warmer to help her hold her body temperature.
The transport system.
Day 2:
She continued to be on CPAP and that evening they decided to start giving her nutrition through a little feeding tube. This would begin to get her used to some food in her tummy. Luckily, my doctor wrote an order for me to be able to go see her. So, that evening I used my 2 hour pass and went to see my baby. It was so great to finally see her and touch her.
Day 3:
She was still on CPAP and the feedings were slowly being advanced as she could tolerate them. I had another 2 hour pass, so off I went that evening.
Day 4:
This day she was weaned off the CPAP machine and put on some oxygen that goes through a small tube in her nose. At that point her feeding tube was moved to her nose as well. This was discharge day for me, which I have to say was bittersweet. I was happy to be leaving the hospital but I didn't want to go home without my baby.
We are so thankful for family and friends!
Day 5:
This was a big day for Abigail. She started to learn how to bottle feed. The first attempt was simply a learning experience for her. She was trying to figure out what to do with the formula once it got into her mouth. She only got about 5ml down with that first feed. Later that night Jody attempted to feed her and she did a little better and got about 10ml down. She also got to take her IV out since she was getting enough through her feedings.
Day 6:
Today with her morning feed she got about 30ml down with the bottle of her 50ml feed. It was such a great feeling to finally get to be the one to feed her. We also got to see her with both eyes open, which has not happened too often. She likes to keep those eyes shut. Another improvement is that they were able to turn her oxygen down a notch. So hopefully she will do well over night and will improve even more tomorrow.
Hello princess! What beautiful eyes you have!
We will continue to post as she progresses and we ask that you say a little prayer for her too!
