9/1 NICU Day 9

 Another great day for Olivia! 

She is up to 1 lb 7 oz. Almost birth weight! Frankly, I am thankful we aren’t looking at grams anymore. 😅 

During rounds today with the doctors, nurse, and nurse practitioner, her milk drip was increased to 9ml every three hours. This was worrisome to me because in report, the doctor had mentioned that her oxygen demand increases when she is adjusting to feed increases. I keep thinking of that endotracheal tube and I know I shouldn’t. It just makes me nervous and I want to avoid it. We also learned this morning that Olivia has a heart murmur. This is not abnormal in babies, even full term babies, but it is something the NICU team is going to follow closely. Olivia will have an ECHO, or ultrasound of her heart, later this week or early Monday to get more information. 

As the day went on, she seemed to be tolerating her milk drip at this new rate. However, by the middle of the day she was having a hard time keeping it all down. The nursing staff and doctor decided to give her the same amount but give the drip very slow (over 90min). So baby girl is almost always eating…like her mama.

When we returned in the late evening, we got some good news! She was tolerating her milk drip and had remained stable all day-no change in her oxygen!! Even she looked excited: 

Prayers for continued stability. Praise God for all that He has done and is continuing to do. We know we have some tests and still a long long road ahead. Pray that we continue to lean on and look to God especially as we settle into a routine-that we don’t become complacent and remember to always thank Him. 

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