7/31//09 Afternoon Update

We went to see Rachel this afternoon and she was having a good day. It was a busy one for her, but they said she took it like a champ. She got her pick line today and they said that she did very well while they were putting it in.

When we were there to see her the doctor came in and said that they did her first echo, which is a picture of her heart to check for a murmer, which they did detect. It's called a PDA-Patant Ductus Arteriosus. It's a duct that is supposed to be open during the pregnancy and close when the baby is born. It is common in preemies and they are giving her Indomethacin. It is a medication that is supposed to close the duct. She will get the medication in 3 doses every 12 hours and then she will have another echo to see if that worked. If not she will be given another 3 doses.

She has lost about 12% of her weight so she is now about 1.7 pounds (640 grams). That is pretty normal, but the doctor still does not want her to really lose anymore. She is also back under the Bili-light, which is also quite normal.

I was able to check her temperature and change her diaper today so that was pretty exciting for me. I felt like I was doing something. The nurse send that I could possibly do that everytime I visit, I will just have to ask the nurse at the time. Which is something that I have to learn to do - ask. The staff is willing to let us be as involved as we want to be, but it's something that I have to work on.

We did get a call from one of the Doctor's at 7:20pm and while her blood gas test was good and her Sodium is down, her red blood cells are also down so she is now having her first transfusion. We were told that this could happen, but it is still a little hard to take in. She is doing well and is a fighter, but the word transfusion is scary to me. She will have her own unit of blood and won't be given much during the process. We are going to call in about an hour or so to see how the transfusion went. Here are some pictures of our most recent visit. And yes one of the pictures is Rob's Ring on her little foot......just to show how teeny she really is.

Pictures from 7-31 visit

Love,
Rob and Jenny

7/31 update

Last night we went to go see Rachel, she is still doing well. They had to move her ventilator up a little bit back to 40 to help her breathe when they are suctioning her, but they said that is normal and she still is prety low for someone her age. They were not successful with the pick line, but they have someone coming in today to evaluate and they will try again.
When we were leaving I held her hand and she squeezed my finger as if to say "I'm okiay mom, I'm a fighter!" Whether that was a reflex or not it comforted me that she is going to fight to get out of her incubator.

I called this morning and got the update of the night and she had an uneventful night. They said she went down a little again when they suctioned her, but she came back up on her own. They were evaluating her for the 'picc' line and if that is a success her lines in the umbilical cord will come out! That's a step in the right direction. Rob and will be going up to see her a little later today and will probably have more news. Each little success that she has helps me keep fighting as well to get through the not so good days.

Stay tuned - more updates to come!

Jenny

7-30 update

Today was a good day for Rachel. They turned down her ventilator settings again down to 25 and there is talk she might be put on Cpap (up the nose breathing assistance) as early as tomorrow. They took her off the billy light (blue light) and to us her color looks better.

This afternoon they will be putting in a pick line into a leg vein and taking out the line in her umbilical cord lines, which were only meant to stay in a few days. Monday she'll have her first ultrasound to check the brain for any bleeding. Doctors are very upbeat so far! We took a few pictures, check them out!

Pictures 7-30

Rob and I just got home from the hopital. I'm going to take a nap in my OWN BED (Woooo!!!) and then have some REAL FOOD for dinner. We'll go back tonight after dinner and see how she is. We'll post more tomorrow

Jenny

Pics of our new baby

Rachel Irene Brobeil was born at 3:29pm on July 28, 2009. She is approximately 13inches long and weighed 730 grams (1ln 10oz) at birth.

This is a link to some pictures that we took yesterday. Mom and baby are doing well so far!

Birth of Rachel

Pray for us and Rachel
Rob and Jenny