Serenity: 6 days old (Gestation age: 25 weeks 1 day)

This morning, I woke up very early (4am) to get ready to go to the hospital. I have to get up that early to pump anyways, so I figured I would just get up and be productive. Plus, this allowed me to be at the hospital while Liam was still sleeping so I could be at the house around the time he woke up to help with him. I think Serenity's nurse was surprised to see me there that early. ;)

The report for today was not as encouraging for me as many others had been though. The nurse began explaining that Serenity had "forgotten to breathe" a few times in the middle of the night. This is a typical thing for preemies, however it still does not make this mommy's heart very encouraged. The nurse said they try to let the babies come out of it on their own, but they don't let them go for too long because when they stop breathing, it is a lack of oxygen to the brain. And when the brain does not get enough oxygen too often, or for too long, it can cause brain damage. This is a scary thought for me. I know we will love her the same no matter what, but as her mommy, I want her to be okay.

Another thing she had trouble with during the night was her blood gas levels--this deals with the oxygen levels in her blood. The nurse said they weren't bad, but they weren't good either. When they checked her blood gas levels again this morning at 6am, they were still the same as they had been throughout the night. If I remember correctly, if they cannot get her blood gases to stay up where they need to be, she may need to go back on the ventilator (tube down her throat). This would definitely be a step backward. And the nurse said they want to be careful keeping them on the ventilator too long so it doesn't cause damage to their lungs or throat.

The nurse was also telling me that she has been spitting up some of the yucky bile that they have been getting out of her stomach. This makes me sad because that means she still cannot have any milk. Which makes me even more sad because I could tell she had lost more weight. When I mentioned that she looked like she had lost more weight, the nurse weighed her and she is now down to 1 lb 2 oz. And I can tell. It was very hard for me to look at her today because she looked so sickly. It broke my heart. I know it's normal for babies to lose some when they are first born, but even for a full term baby, it is very important that they quickly get back up to their birth weight and continue gaining. So I can imagine it is especially important for a baby as tiny as Serenity to put her weight back on.

As my visit went on, I found out that there indeed was an infection, and that is the reason I went into labor, and the reason they could not stop it. It's a miracle that she stayed in the womb as long as she did. God was hearing those prayers for sure! But the infection is another concern I have--especially with her white blood cell count being elevated.

So as our sweet baby comes to your mind, please be praying for her.
If you want to pray more specifically, please pray about these things:
* that her blood gas levels stay in the good range
* that her little body will remember how to keep breathing
* that her white blood cell count goes down to normal
* that there is no infection in her little body
* and that her tummy will begin to work properly so that she can eat and gain weight

THANK YOU all for your diligence in praying for Serenity. One day down the road, if it's God's plan for Serenity's life, I look forward to telling her of all the hundreds of people that prayed her through her time being born and through her time in the NICU.