McVerry, party of three!

Officially one week without the breathing tube!  Olivia had another steady day. She is up to 670 grams total. Still under her birth weight but again, we are heading in the right direction. Her oxygen demand has remained the same. All her lab work for today remained relatively the same meaning no phototherapy and no change in her IV hydration or IV TPN (aka food). Olivia has been tolerating her milk drip at a slow rate. The doctors actually increased her drip from 5Ml every three hours this morning to 7Ml every three hours when we went back to the hospital this evening. I am so proud of my baby!  When we made it back to the hospital after a good family meal (thanks mom and dad!) Kevin and I were able to participate in her care. I have so enjoyed these little moments. Changing her diaper, fixing her swaddle, swabbing her mouth-it has really helped me to connect with her. Kevin has even joined in with her care…not yet changing a diaper but I’m working on him. I was able to hold Olivia for

  One week old! There are still moments I am in complete disbelief.  Miss Olivia continues to go on about her days without much care in the world as to what the doctors say. Today was the first day that our neonatal doctor actually didn't warn us about typical NICU babies and their course of treatment. Olivia has continued to essentially breath on her own requiring only the baby CPAP on minimal back up settings. Her episodes of apnea, or not breathing, and her episodes of bradycardia, slow heart rate, have decreased. In other wonderful news, Olivia is up 50 grams from yesterday for a total of 655 grams. Still below her birth weight but we are headed in the right direction. Her milk drip was increased again today. So 5ML every 3 hours. I know that is such a small amount but if you saw how tiny her little belly is...I don't know where she is putting it all! We are so thankful that she has tolerated the increase in milk. She still has TPN, which is IV nutrition 'food', to

This verse has been a constant loop in my head since over a week ago. I still can't believe last week at this time I was laying in a hospital bed all but crossing my legs and praying I'd stay pregnant. Although, I have to admit, after meeting Olivia and all the time we have spent together...I am SO thankful she is here. :)  Today was another uneventful day. Olivia did remain the same weight as yesterday (605 grams) and so the neonatal doctor ordered her milk drip to increase to 4ml every 3 hours. He warned that she may not tolerate it well. WELL...she proved everyone wrong once again. No spit ups, no throwing up, just a happy full baby.  Due to her increase in feeding times, her care times have also been adjusted. This means the nurse does have to "mess" with Olivia more often. Due to more disrupted sleep, it is encouraged that parents try to come spend time with baby during these care times to minimize the potential agitation Olivia may feel from overstimulation. The

  Oh sweet Olivia. I pray days like today come frequently over the next couple months.  Today will be a much shorter post. Even in rounds this morning the doctor didn't have much to relay other than changing her fluids to compensate for her lab levels. She did have another minor set back in weight but the NP attributed it to another 'big' poop over night. (Again as a nurse I couldn't be more proud).  As the nurse told us this evening, "Yeah Olivia was pretty boring today". A HUGE compliment and relief.   Due to Olivia's rather boring day I was able to kangaroo hold her again today. Skin to skin contact all wrapped up in warm blankets to keep her toasty. Little girl lasted almost an hour and a half before her temperature started to dip and I had to place her back in the incubator. Honestly...I fell asleep in the recliner while holding her. For one I woke up panicked thinking how could I have been careless enough to fall asleep with this teeny tiny baby and

  Happy 25 weeks...or 5 days? Kevin and I are still somewhat confused on how the doctors are measuring our sweet one's age. Either way, today was filled with celebrations. This is a long one (but seriously a good one) I apologize in advance. :) The start of today I was not feeling as positive as I am now writing this almost 12 hours later. During rounds this morning with the doctors, it was reported that Olivia was having some episodes during the night and early morning called apnea...or times she was not breathing...and was requiring more oxygen. "No worries" the doctor would say, "they were brief but this may mean she will need the endotracheal tube again as we discussed". To the doctor's credit, they had warned Kevin and I many times that in a NICU stay we need to expect ups and downs, good days and bad days. The fact that Olivia has remained off the endotracheal tube and has been breathing almost completely on her own since Wednesday is huge in a baby bo

  Today was officially discharge day for me. It was one of those emotional roller coaster days and in some ways made me feel very selfish. Although both Kevin and I were beyond thrilled to be out of the hospital (especially me being a terrible patient), it was the first time it hit me I wouldn't be bringing home my baby just yet. Lots of tears today...but as soon as I took the focus off myself I realized how much we have to be thankful for- Olivia continues to show us that she is a little fighter and proves that God does work miracles every day. As of yesterday she is up 34 grams (I now have to start learning math and conversions), her bowels are beginning to work (as a nurse myself this is HUGE-we love poo), her lab levels seem to have stabilized (so no more photolight therapy), and her milk drip is being increased to 2ml every four hours. She is still stable on the CPAP machine and requiring the same O2 settings as yesterday. I can not begin to explain what it's like to be ab

  Today was a big day for baby girl! Olivia's endotracheal tube was removed at 10:15 and she has remained on a baby CPAP machine since. A CPAP helps to push air into the lungs and deliver a more complete breath. Due to the fact the CPAP does not go down baby's throat she is requiring some extra oxygen. This is normal according to the NICU doctors. I think this little bit of freedom has inspired Olivia. The nurses say that she has been using her tongue a lot and trying to "push" the feeding tube out of her mouth. The nurse today says this is a great sign that baby is hungry and already knows how to ask for food. The picture below is one where she was pushing the tube to the side, stretching out her mouth. It was making both Kevin and I giggle a little. Seems to already have a funny little personality. This is also another sign Olivia is a spicy little girl, trying to push her boundaries as much as possible!  One down today was Olivia's weight. She is down 17% from

  Ps. 77:19  Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.  Baby Olivia, officially one day old🎂! She has already made big waves. Although she is on a special breathing tube, called an endotracheal tube, she is on room air. Not requiring supplemental oxygen. The doctors have been so impressed there is already talk that this tube may be removed as early as tomorrow. As expected with preemies, her lab work is in need of adjustment through different therapies. One of these therapies is called phototherapy. She has a little blue light, that looks like a tanning bed, over her incubator. Her fluids she is receiving for nutrition have also been adjusted based on her levels from this morning. In order to assist her tummy and overall health, the nutritionist and neonatal doctors want Olivia to start receiving "drip milk". Through a tiny tube that goes from her mouth to her stomach the nurses are able to drip in breastmilk tha

 8:12 AM on Monday August 23 baby Olivia made her unexpected arrival into the world. She came into the world in a fury of fists and kicks and attempt at loud cries that surprised all the doctors being that she was only 24 weeks and 3 days gestation. Let me briefly begin with how we got here... August 19, Thursday, I started to notice very mild cramps midday. Being a first time momma I have my OB on speed dial. They scheduled an appointment for Friday and suggested I take it easy but continue to monitor everything. Nothing was intense or constant. No bleeding or abnormalities. I had been on my feet all day and very busy at work, I didn't think much of it either. I got home, pounded water, rested on the couch and everything subsided. The next morning while in the waiting room of the office my cramping came back out of no where. The midwife who evaluated me figured maybe I had an infection and had me prepped to check. Within minutes though, she had me get dressed and was preparing Kev