Daddy Time

Last night, Ellie weiged 4lbs 15oz. She is now 18 5/8 inches long too! Our big girl is still on 0.5L of oxygen as she is still not quite ready to be without the cannula (although she still loves trying to rip it off from time to time.)  For the past two days, she has had more reflux which has been causing her heart rate go down and subsequently her oxygen levels while she eats.  There is a nerve that runs from her brain to her heart and passes by the vocal cords.  When she refluxes, that nerve is hit and it causes her heart rate to slow down.  We decided yesterday that since we were having to wake her up every three hours and she is now taking in 2oz each time, that they would let her sleep up to four between feedings. Between that and helping her pace herself while she eats, she had a much better day eating yesterday.  Now she isn't on a set eating schedule which means Wesley and I have to communicate more with the nurses by phone to find out how to best plan when to get there so that we don't miss her feedings.

Wesley has always felt a little sick to his stomach coming to the hospital to visit Ellie. Just because of everything that happened, and how she was born. Honestly the only reason I don't feel the same way is because I am a nurse.  This world isn't as foreign to me.  It also seems like everytime he is here she will she would desat or her heart rate will drop, or she will be kicking so much her blood pressure reading is high.  It is never at a time when the doctors would round too.  A few nights ago he finally pulled out Dr. Parson's number that he had given Wesley on the day Ellie was born with an admonition to call him day or night with any questions he had.  He needed to personally hear about Ellie's progress from one of her neonatologists as the time when the two of us had expected to bring her home had come and gone.  He answered the phone right away and talked to Wesley for a long time. He answered questions, resolved our doubts, and assured Wesley that he wasn't a worrier....just a good and concerned father.  I don't know why but sometimes it just takes reassurance from an "expert" to calm your nerves and quite your fears.  

"Daddy's book" for Ellie that he reads to her and no one else does has been Harry Potter. He has done such a great job of swallowing that sick feeling and be active in helping with her at the hospital. It melts my heart to see them together and I have a feeling it will become hard to separate them once she is home!