Eleanor has been slowly tolerating her new tube. She initially got annoyed and dropped her sats and heart rate when she moved, stretched, pooped, or wiggled, which was all of the time. She would bring it back up on her own, but it shouldn't have been happening as frequently.
To combat this and to make her more comfortable, the doctors have advised the nurses to leave her oxygen at 30%, not try to wean her, even when her oxygen saturation is high. This was slightly concerning, as excessive oxygen is a known factor of increasing the signs of ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity).
Eleanor had already been diagnosed stage 2, and we don't want her to have to have corrective action. We were assured that she is beyond the point where increased oxygen levels would have any effect on her eyes. Her eye exam Monday even showed that the ROP looked to be heading toward clearing on its own and next week's exam should show signs of improvement.
The plan is to keep Eleanor comfy and let her lungs grow and develop as she grows for the next few weeks and approaches full term. Reminder, her due date was April 30th. The team believes Eleanor will fare well with another round of steroids as she is extubated again. They hope to wait until she reaches full term to extubate so that her tiny brain is least effected by the harsh steroids.
She will also likely need the elephant mask again, and her poor little face has not fully recovered from its smooshed state, though it is vastly improved. She has such chubby cheeks and a teeny little nose, it is hard to keep the mask secure enough to minimize leakage without making it too tight to her face.
Good news for Eleanor is that she was upgraded to a big girl crib! She qualifies for crib life since she is 100% able to maintain a proper body temperature. She is also steadily wearing clothes of preemie size and has been staying awake much more during the day. She is really enjoying her pacifier, books, tunes, and Cleveland Indians radio.
This has been and continues to be a very difficult roller coaster of a journey. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is still very far away. We appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers for our family and all of the support we have received and continue to receive.
To combat this and to make her more comfortable, the doctors have advised the nurses to leave her oxygen at 30%, not try to wean her, even when her oxygen saturation is high. This was slightly concerning, as excessive oxygen is a known factor of increasing the signs of ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity).
Eleanor had already been diagnosed stage 2, and we don't want her to have to have corrective action. We were assured that she is beyond the point where increased oxygen levels would have any effect on her eyes. Her eye exam Monday even showed that the ROP looked to be heading toward clearing on its own and next week's exam should show signs of improvement.
The plan is to keep Eleanor comfy and let her lungs grow and develop as she grows for the next few weeks and approaches full term. Reminder, her due date was April 30th. The team believes Eleanor will fare well with another round of steroids as she is extubated again. They hope to wait until she reaches full term to extubate so that her tiny brain is least effected by the harsh steroids.
She will also likely need the elephant mask again, and her poor little face has not fully recovered from its smooshed state, though it is vastly improved. She has such chubby cheeks and a teeny little nose, it is hard to keep the mask secure enough to minimize leakage without making it too tight to her face.
Good news for Eleanor is that she was upgraded to a big girl crib! She qualifies for crib life since she is 100% able to maintain a proper body temperature. She is also steadily wearing clothes of preemie size and has been staying awake much more during the day. She is really enjoying her pacifier, books, tunes, and Cleveland Indians radio.
This has been and continues to be a very difficult roller coaster of a journey. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is still very far away. We appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers for our family and all of the support we have received and continue to receive.
It was great to see Eleanor in her crib. Grandma Debbie keeps me posted with pictures. I look at them over and over. Can't wait till I can hug and cuddle her. Love you precious baby Eleanor. Love and God bless from GG Rose.
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