Amazing Journey

We are about 10 weeks into this amazing journey and the light is clearly at the end of the tunnel. What makes this journey so remarkable is seeing the new parents come into to the NICU and seeing ourselves in them. The uncertainty in their eyes mirrors the look on our faces 10 weeks ago. We pray for them and look for the opportunity to catch them in the waiting room and tell them the amazing story of our blessed child and reassure them that God has a plan for them and their child. Hunter has come a long way. We as parents could not be more proud of the accomplishments she has achieved. She shows no signs of brain abnormalities, her lungs are progressing at a normal rate, her internal organs are as normal as a full term and she has begun to feed on the bottle and the breast. She is at a size in which we can truly call her a bundle of joy. She receives a an overwhelming amount of kisses from her mother and myself and she is beginning to occasionally smile and giggle. She is truly amazing and her middle name of Grace has never been so fitting. She never seems to amazes us and we can't wait to take our gift from God home. The one thing we would like to reintegrate is, if anyone knows of anyone with a sick child or one born premature, please put your faith in God, never stop praying and never give up on God. Tell them the story of a child born on Easter who God had a plan for. He has a plan for everyone on this earth, whether they have been on this planet for 50 years or 50 minutes. Before we where a thought in our parents minds God had a plan for us. Through the power of prayer and faith we will be taking our beautiful daughter home very shortly and it is all attributed to the power of the Lord. We would like to thank everyone for your prayers and everyone who has shared in this amazing journey. We look forward to showing Gods work to the world.

Hunter Finds Her Voice

I have good and not so good news. First the not so good news. The culture of Hunter's nose swab came back and she still is colonized with MRSA. This isn't new news the Dr.s thought there might be a change and Hunter could of come off of contact isolation. The good news is yesterday Hunter drank 10cc's of breast milk with a bottle and today 9cc's without any breathing problems. Drinking from the bottle tuckers her out and she sleeps for the rest of the day. Physical Therapy came and worked with Hunter on Passive Range of Motion (moving her arms and legs). PT said Hunter is a very easy going baby. I've noticed that Hunter will make sucking noises with her lips right before her feeding. I guess that's a sign that she's hungry. So that's the time that I do dry breastfeeding and she latches on for about 10 min. The other day Daddy and I got to bath Hunter for the first time. We had such a good time bathing and loving on her, unfortunately she didn't share our excitement. Today Hunter found her voice and she knows how to use it. I checked her position, her diaper, I rocked her, finally I gave her the pacifier and she settled and went to sleep.

Honor Roll

It's been a while and I have a lot to report. Hunter Grace was started on dry breast feeding that's were I go and pump out milk and then let her suck on the nipple to avoid her from drinking any milk and dropping her heart rate. Hunter had other plans. Hunters stimulation on my breast, which typically doesn't produce enough milk for the demand, created milk that she drank with no problem. The Occupational Therapists thought this was a good time to test Hunter and see if she could start drinking from the bottle. I tried not to stress Hunter out about the up coming test but we are on the honor roll. This puts Hunter 3 weeks ahead of schedule. OT sat down with Hunter, gave her the bottle of breast milk and Hunter drank 4cc's of milk. Then she fell asleep. The poor baby is just to little to work so hard for food. OT decided that they would test her once a week and not force the issue. They want eating to be enjoyable for Hunter and not hard work. Hunter is now 3lbs and 4oz's. I'm able to take her out and hold her as much as I want. I can't stop holding and kissing her. They took a swab of the inside of her nose to test for MRSA so she can come off of contact isolation. All this time the nurses have been putting on gowns and gloves just to touch her. So far the culture shows no MRSA present. Hunter is such a happy baby. She smiles and when she lets out a little cry she soothes her self to sleep. When she hears mommy talking she tries to open her eyes but she is so sleepy one eye opens to look at me then slowly closes. With all her hurdles jumped and just weight and age to be gained Charles and I think Hunter is coming out before her due date of July 17th. So for the next few weeks we will be scrambling to try and get our affairs in order. We will lose our 24 hour, highly trained baby sitters and gain one of God's many miracles.

Growth Spirts

Hunter is growing so fast I can hardly keep up with her. She is eating 24 cc's of breast milk every 3 hours. That comes out to 8 feedings a day. Hunter is almost eating like a big girl but my breast milk is still preemie. Shelby (nurse) tells me that this is common with premature babies. I still feel like I'm not doing my part. I've tried the herbs and even got a prescription from my Dr. The only thing that I can do now is pray and let God's will be done. I should of included that in my prayers along time ago. Every day that I see her, she changes just a little. The growth process is amazing. Sleep does a body good. She has short periods of time when she is wide awake and looking all around. Hunter is able to maintain her own body temperature. She doesn't have the heater on in her bed. Hunter normally wears micro preemie diapers. Today she graduated to the big girl preemie diapers. They are to big for her little booty but she fills it with other things. I have one confession, I get jealous when I call the nurses for an update and they say Hunter is awake and looking at them. When she is finally home I don't think I will take my eyes off of her.

Hunter's Eyes

Today grandma Linda came to see Hunter. She was impressed by Hunter's weight gain since her last visit. Grandma Linda has no doubt that Hunter is the spitting image of her father. I always tell Charles that he could be a very pretty girl. Today was also day two of trying the dry breastfeeding with Hunter. When I tried it on my own Hunter wasn't have'n it. Ruth came to save the day and gave me detailed instructions on where the nipple and Hunters head should go. Ruth told me to squeeze a few drops of milk out and Hunter will find her way. The moment that Hunter smelled the milk she was like a Parana. Hunter's sweet little mouth opened up like a shark. Every one says that breast feeding hurts. I was actually scared for a while but it feels great. You have to remember that I've been using a supper power, double breast pump for the past 2 months, every 2 hours, 24 hours a day. So compared to that it felt like a massage. The whole time Hunter was looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes. I've been waiting for that moment my whole life.

Bonding

I have been sick for 3 days and couldn't see my baby girl. Today was my first day to see Hunter. She looks so good. She's getting fat in all the right places. Hunter's weekend primary nurse (Shelby) recommended to the Dr.'s that Hunter might be ready to dry breast feed. The purpose is so mother and baby can bond, baby can get used to the nipple and mommy's milk can increase. Today was my day. I was so excited I practically was bouncing. Hunter and I melted together. She latched on to the nipple with no problem and started sucking away. The lactation nurse (Ruth) was amazed. Ruth told Hunter's other favorite nurse (Jill) that she has never dry breastfeed with a 31 weeker and she never expected Hunter to do so well. Ruth at first told me that if she doesn't latch on it doesn't matter. She repeated," it is only for the purpose of bonding." I keep telling every one that my baby is honor roll. Hello!!!!!!!! Hunters success is do to God first and the wonderful staff at the NICU.

True Meaning of Motherhood

On the eve of Mothers day I took time to reflect on this amazing journey. The events that led up to this day have given me a true admiration for mothers. Tasha is an unbelievable mother. Day in and day out she arrives at the hospital like clock work to assist in the care, provide breast milk and hold Hunter. The bond Hunter and Tasha have goes beyond words. The simple recognition of Tasha's voice has an immediate effect on Hunter's vital signs. I know it is very difficult to have this amazing bond with your child and leave empty handed every day. It can take a tremendous toll on a mother being limited to the amount of time she can hold, touch, and see her young infant child. As a child it is equally distressing to know that mom is not around in the we hours of the night. With that said Tasha and Hunter are troopers. Their pure desire to unite outside the hospital walls keeps them pressing on and gets them through each challenging day. Tasha is not the only courageous mother in the NICU. If you were to define what a mother is it would be listed under NICU in the dictionary. A couple of weeks ago I was heading to the hospital and I saw a familiar face get of the bus. At the time I could not recall where I saw her before but I knew our paths had crossed before. An hour later I looked up and I saw her in one of the corners of the NICU. She was one of the mothers of the children. Dedication, was the word that instantly popped in my brain. This young mother took the bus everyday to see her child. Motherhood goes beyond the mothers who have children in the NICU. The self sacrificing nurses who are mothers and grand-mothers to their own children often spend more time with the children in the NICU than they do with theirs. Their unrelenting concern and compassionate nature exemplify what a true mother is. They often sacrifice there time with their own families to ensure that our children are getting the best care possible. Fittingly enough I will never view Easter the same way again, because that was the day we were delivered a miracle. Seven weeks later I have a new profound view of Mother's Day. Tomorrow most of us will give our mothers, flowers, candy, or take them to a traditional brunch. All these means are very admirable. However, while performing these traditional mother's day task take time to look your mother or the mother of your children in the eye and say thank you, and I love you. What I have witnessed over the past seven weeks will change the way I look at Mother's Day. A mother's love is unrelenting, unconditional, and irreplaceable. Hunter you are surrounded by the most amazing group of mothers on the planet. Happy Mother's Day to everyone in the NICU and happy Mother's Day Mom, and Tasha I love you both.

progress

Hunter is progressing daily. Hunter Grace is now on the nasal cannula full time. Her 2nd primary nurse (Jill) came to work on Wednesday and had a detailed discussion with the Dr. about trying out the nasal cannula. This will be Hunters 3rd day on the cannula and she is doing great. Hunter drops her oxygen saturation sometimes when she is receiving breast milk. Jill thinks Hunter is refluxing her food. The respiratory therapist have suctioned a little milk out of the back of Hunters throat. I've been told that these little preemies have vomiting from time to time. It's still scary. Hunter needs to master the suck, swallow, poop, pee, breath way of life. Before they give any meds for vomiting they want to try a few things. Yesterday I tried kangarooing Hunter while she was receiving her milk. Holding her in the upright position might reduce her reflux. Hunters oxygen saturation dropped only a few times but not less enough to say this experiment worked. The nurses are now trying to feed her over an hour and a half to reduce vomiting. Hunter has finally found her mouth. I've observed her a few times sucking her thumb. She normally puts her thumb in between the nasal cannula and her nose. It is so adorable to watch her suck her thumb. She looks so comfortable. Hunter is slowly gaining weight. She is close to 2lbs and 5Oz's. Jill affectionately calls her "my little bootta baby".

Prayer Works

• I normally wouldn't mention this but I have to give testimony about the blessings that came to my family and I. Charles and I have been paying for time shares and hotel rooms in order to stay close to Hunter. Our last time share was for 7 days in Solano Beach from Sunday to Sunday. On Saturday I left the hospital and drove back to the condo to shower. My room key didn't work. I went to the front desk to have them fix it. The man at the front desk let me know that I should have checked out by 11:00 am and since I wasn't there the house keepers packed all of my things and put them into the lobby. I was in shock. I threw my confirmation paper away on Friday. I had no way of proving to them that I had one more day left. I was also embarrassed that someone went through my belongings. The only thing I could do to keep my self from crying was to pray. I had no where to go. I loaded my suit cases in the car and drove back to see my baby. When I walked into the NICU the receptionist told me that the Ronald McDonald house has a room for me. When one door closes God opens a window.
• Hunter is doing well. Her vital signs are stable. She is tolerating mommy's breast milk. Daddy saw her smile today but between me and all moms it was gas. Today I held her for 2 hours and talked about our future together like I do every day. Today for 2 minutes she was looking at me and seemed to hang on every word. It was awesome!!!!!

Spoiled Rotten

This was a very good week for Hunter. Her breathing has been excellent. Hunter is now able to wear the nasal cannula (small tubing) for oxygen while kangarooing with me. Now I can see her whole face without some big apparatus on it. Hunter now is able to place her whole face on my chest without restraints. I can pick up my baby girl without any fear of hurting her. Hunter's weight is a little over 2lbs. The typical preemie behavior of having bradicardia (low heart rate) has lessened. On Sunday Hunter started back on her feedings of breast milk. She started at 2cc's every 3 hours and will increase every 6 hours. Hunter will be back to her full amount of 17cc's by the end of the week. All of her x-rays of her belly and lungs along with her ultra sound of her head look great. She doesn't need daily blood draws any more. Hunter is more alert. Playing with her face and toes. When I talk to her she raises her eye brows or opens her eyes. I hate when I have to leave her. I always feel like I'm going to miss some new twitch or facial expression. With all of this good progress comes a little set back, in my eyes. Since Hunter is so stable all the great one on one attention that she has been getting from the nurses is over. I will admit I was getting spoiled with all the attention as well. Now Hunter has to share the nurse with another baby. It's not a medical set back but Hunter and I don't like it. I loved the fact that a well qualified nurse was watching the love of my life exclusively, 24 hours a day. I'm over doing it but I was spoiled rotten.