Adalyn Update 5/17 (pics and long)

DrRx

Adalyn has been home now for 3 weeks and it's just been super busy!  Like a NB, the schedule has been "Eat, sleep, poop. Repeat".  She was sent home on oxygen, an apnea monitor, and a pulse ox.  For the first 2 weeks, DH and I just took shifts and let her stay in the living room (since that's where the big oxygen tank is).  However, the last week or so, she's been sleeping longer stretches of time, and not needing oxygen all the time, so we moved her to the bedroom when we sleep and have the portable tank available. 

She's had a few pedi appointments already (always gaining weight) and has an opthamologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist, and another pedi appointment in the next 10 days!

She also had her EI (Early Intervention) appointment last week and as expected she is "delayed" in many areas since they have to compare her to 3-month old babies who are born at full-term.  For example, she isn't "oohing" and "aahing" or putting her hands on the bottle when she feeds.  However, she did score really well in the Cognitive section--just as well as 3-month olds-- since she is tracking objects and recognizes different people's faces and voices.  So, she is in essence "ahead" in this since because of her adjusted age at being born so early she should be doing things that NBs do.

 At that appointment last week she was up to 6 pounds 14 ounces, and I'm SURE that she's over 7 pounds already.  She is still in NB clothes, but will soon outgrow them! Her official due date was last week.  

We still have some problems with feeding her as far as her bradying down and desatting, but it's gotten better.  She doesn't need as much oxygen when she eats, and she doesn't have these "episodes" every time either.  Our pedi told us to put some rice cereal in her formula to thicken it since he thought that part of the problem was reflux during her feed and it being thin would cause her to choke. Also, she would want to eat more than her max allowed, and the rice cereal helps her feel full. Also, it has iron, and since she is anemic, it helps. (She can't have over a certain amount of fluid because of her lung issue). So far adding the little bit of rice cereal has REALLY helped a lot, and as long as she keeps gaining weight, we're just chugging along. 

She loves tummy time and has no problem turning her head from side to side. She also kicks her legs back and forth, like she wants to crawl.  DH thinks that she will start crawling next week, but I tell him that it's more likely to happen in about 6 months!  She doesn't wake up when the dogs bark or the TV is blaring--I guess 1 good thing from all the monitors in the NICU was that she is used to noise. She loves it when we go for walks outside, especially when I wear her in the moby wrap.  You wouldn't believe it, but it is possible to wear her with all the wires.

I go back to work in 3 weeks, but I'm only working 5 days in a 2 week period (still considered FT).  That will leave me with a lot of time with Adalyn, and when DH goes back in July, we'll still have 1 day off each week as a family together.  The other days one of us will stay home with Adalyn.

I'm almost done with the nursery.  All the furniture is assembled and all that is left is for me to put up the wall art.  I'll post an update on the nursery later this week or next once it's done.  

Here are some pics of Adalyn.  That girl has rarely worn the same outfit twice.  She has lots of people who LOVE to dress her up, and I have yet to purchase a single outfit! 

Pips09

She is looking so great!

I know what you mean about the NICU noise. When we first came home, my daughter wouldn't sleep if it was quiet. To this day, we still play soft music for her at night. Keep up the good work, Adalyn!

Irishsapphire

So cute!  We have the Garanimals Purple with pink birdie onesie as well in the 1st picture that you posted.  My MIL got it for us.  It is so much fun to dress up a baby girl!

jcsntms06

Beautiful girl!

Keep up the good work Adalyn.

christinaa722

This is only like the second ime I've been on this board, but I was with osu on the may 2012 bb board...so glad to see your angel doing so well. It's amazing how preemies can catch up!

flutepharm87

What a beautiful little girl! Love the ladybug outfit!

interzone

 Your daughter is doing so well!  That's fantastic!

 

Pips09:

She is looking so great!

I know what you mean about the NICU noise. When we first came home, my daughter wouldn't sleep if it was quiet. To this day, we still play soft music for her at night. Keep up the good work, Adalyn!

 

When out twins came home after 2w in the NICU we noticed they had problems sleeping when it quiet too and joked that we would make a "Sounds of the NICU" white noise recording to play at home.  A continuous loop of monitors beeping, other babies crying, and nurses talking loudly should lull all our babies to sleep!

snoangel79

So cute!! Is that a newer RNP?? does it come with that headrest?

bhilyer

Hey cute girl!  Sounds like she's a rockstar

 

Question -- why do you have an oxygen tank rather than a concentrator?  We have portable tanks for trips out of the house, but a concentrator in the living room with 25 feet of tubing, so we can go anywhere we need to. 

DrRx

snoangel79:

So cute!! Is that a newer RNP?? does it come with that headrest?

It looks like a headrest, but it's all part of the same thing.  Ie, the part isn't separate.

I got it from Amazon.com.  It is the gender neutral one. Here's the link for it:

https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Newborn-Rock-Sleeper-Yellow/dp/B002M77N22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337372172&sr=8-1

DrRx

bhilyer:

Hey cute girl!  Sounds like she's a rockstar

 

Question -- why do you have an oxygen tank rather than a concentrator?  We have portable tanks for trips out of the house, but a concentrator in the living room with 25 feet of tubing, so we can go anywhere we need to. 

We have the same thing.  However, the 25 feet of tubing doesn't reach our bedroom from the living room.  Since she is on such a low flow, we're still actually on the 1st portable tank and we've been home 22 days now.

JuliaJAG

As adorable as always! The ladybug outfit is too cute!

I'm surprised she's had an EI evaluation already... our NICU told us that Jack would still be too young now. Did you have to push for that or did the NICU and/or Adalyn's ped recommend it? I may call again about it because it's definitely good to stay on top of things. 

It looks like you have the same apnea/brady monitor we do. Are you getting a lot of false alarms with it? We are, so I got permission from our ped to use it only at night... but it still just about gives me a heart attack when it goes off, then I see that one of the lights in the bottom right corner is lit up (i.e. NOT an apnea or brady indicator)... I can't figure out why since with the wrap-around belt thingie, the sensors aren't slipping and we're not having power outages or anything. 

Great update! Can't wait to see Adalyn's nursery! (Glad I'm not the only one who hasn't quite finished the nursery yet!!)