Kamry Update

Baby Kamry is doing really well. She was taken off the ventilator last week and put on a cpap. I hated seeing her like that. They had to put this little beanie on her head and had to strap it on so they didn't move. Me and Nate decided we hated the cpap more than the ventilator because it looked so sad. The pics below show it really good. Her whole face was taken up by that. They had to put this little beanie on her to be able to attach the hoses to it so they didn't move too much. It was SO SAD! After about 2 days on the cpap, they took it off and put her on just a nasal canula with oxygen. We were so relieved to see that! Here are a couple of pictures to show you just how sad it was.

Here she is squeezing Aunt Deanna's finger



She has been gaining weight pretty good. They told us it could take up to 2 weeks for her to get back to her birth weight. She went from 2 lbs. 3 oz. at birth to 2 lbs. even. She has gained and lost a little but she is still above her birth weight. The nurse was telling me that it's really common for premies to gain and lose a little before they start gaining continuously. She is still so tiny, but seeing her put weight on is great.

Last Saturday (May 22) I got to hold her skin to skin. The nurses were saying it's great for mom & baby because it helps them bond and also helps baby feel closer to mom. I can seriously say that it really does. When I was holding her against my chest she was so relaxed and they had to keep turning her oxygen down. She went from like 45% oxygen to 25% oxygen while I was holding her. She slept on me and was so comfortable. Her little arms were outstretched onto my chest. We were concerned that she might get cold (even though we had a warm blanket over her) and the nurse told us that it's been shown (by research i guess) that when the baby is being held by mom, if she gets cold or hot, moms body will change temperature to make the baby comfortable. Apparently dad's body doesn't do that so they have to pay more attention to if the baby is comfortable. Mom's are so amazing. The things our bodies can do to create children, bring them into the world and then care for them. It's just amazing! Women rule! These are skin to skin pictures from 2 different times I've held her like that.

She almost always has a hand on her face when she sleeps. The nurses were telling me that it means that she is content. It's so cute when she does that!

Our little girl is so amazing. Even though she is so small she is so strong! Compared to some of the other infants in the NICU she is so low-maintenance which is such a good thing! Every time I go in the nurse tells me that there really isn't anything to report. She just uses her oxygen and occasionally has a breathing treatment. They haven't been worried about anything else really since her heart PDA closed up. I know that we're not out of the woods yet, there are still a lot of opportunities for things to happen, but she is so strong and healthy that I cant help but be so greatful that she is so amazing and strong.