Lily's Rough Day

Well, we’ve had too many good days in a row, it seems. And Lily does so love drama. Today she took it upon herself to remind us all that we’re not out of the woods just yet.

After her 9 a.m. feeding, Lily had some very serious breathing issues. According to Nurse Linda, Lily’s heart slowed significantly and her oxygen levels shot down. While this sort of thing isn’t uncommon, it is very uncommon in how long it lasted and how serious it got. Linda had to rush to get Lily some oxygen and shock her heart rate back up (not literally “shock,” just some pinching on the feet and arms). It was quite serious and the doctors were called in to check things out. Numerous tests were done and nothing significant was found in terms of infections or blood count, but the situation was serious enough to warrant a return to Intensive Care. Thus, Lily’s stay in the Step Down Nursery lasted all of two days.

The Bug settled in and had a good day. She was happy and ate well and seemed completely normal. A second round of bradys and desats around 6 p.m. then followed, this time less intense than the first but more unnerving since Brooke and I were both present. After consulting with the doctors, Nurse Linda assured us that the most likely cause of Lily’s issues is gas. She was switched to a different formula (which is mixed with breast milk) just a few days ago, so it’s possible that her stomach isn’t too fond of it. It’s possible that this formula is giving her gas (which we know to be true) and that she’s just really uncomfortable. When she tries to poop out the pressure in her belly, she strains her muscles, can’t poop (because the pressure is just gas) and her heart slows. It’s pretty normal for babies to have issues with breathing and heart rates when they have gas pains, so if that is the cause she will be just fine as soon as the gas goes away. To that end, they’ve changed her formula to a lower-calorie brand and reduced her feedings a little. Hopefully, this should do the trick.

While Lily was having her issues, Brooke realized that Charlie was going on 48 hours without any bradys. And about 20 minutes after she told me of this fact, Charlie bradied as if on cue. And as if to support the issues that Lily is having with her gas, Charlie immediately followed his heart rate drop with a giant poop. His nurse said he was just straining to get it out that caused the brady. Other than this one quick and explainable incident, Charlie is going strong. He’s eating well and growing strong and he really couldn’t possibly be more loveable. As a matter of fact, Charlie’s nurse Sue bought him a book called “I Love You Stinky Face” today and has been calling him “Stinky Face” for a while now. His previous nickname from Nurse Sue was “Charlie King of Farts,” so I guess this is an improvement.

After running out for a quick pizza during shift change, we returned to the NICU to find a number of our nurses gathered around us. They had gotten together and bought for us two of the best bassinets available. These women, who give so much of themselves to our babies and go out of their way every single day to make our lives so much better, spent their hard-earned and well-deserved money on such a thoughtful gift for us. There really are no words to express our gratitude to these saints. Thank you Tina, Carlota, Linda, Mary, Sue, Alicia, Cathy, Marissa, Cyd, Cindy and Jane. You really are the best!

PS: Sorry for the lack of pics. Brooke left the house for a morning visit but ended up staying all day because Lily needed her. I was planning on going home after school and heading up to the NICU tonight (with the camera) but instead went right there (with the camera still at home). I know a day without pictures is a sad day indeed; know that I am sorry.