Another Update...as Requested

It's Jennifer again. Kimberly hasn't been near a computer lately and doesn't have time to breathe, let alone update her blog. So, she asked me to do it for her.

First, pictures of Ava I know you all want to see. These are preemie clothes that are swallowing her!



Doing what she does best...sleeping!:


Ava and her proud daddy:



(Kimberly and Kurt were staying at the hospital, but about a week ago there were a bunch of babies born at the hospital and they kicked Kimberly and Kurt out of their room. So now they are driving back and forth multiple times a day for feedings!)

Ava is doing SO well these days! She was able to regulate her own temperature in just a couple of days. They weaned her off the heated bed and now she's wearing her own clothes. They wre swaddling her with two blankets, but they had to take one off because she got too hot! That is good news. :-) She's still in the incubator bed because they didn't have any open-air cribs, but the top is lifted and the heater is not on.

They have started letting Kimberly breastfeed Ava for any feeding she can be at the hospital, and the nurses feed her at night. She still has the feeding tube, which is what they have been using to feed her, but as of last night, they are trying to go solo on breastfeeding during the day and bottle feeds at night. If Ava can gain weight over the next two days doing this, then she may be able to go home on Friday! Kimberly is excited about that possibility, but she is also very aware that things can change and doesn't want to get her hopes up. If the night went well, they will probably remove the feeding tube today!

Kimberly is exhausted! I wish there was something that we could do for her, but since she's the only one who can feed her baby, there's not much to do. Her schedule for the last week has been:

be at the hospital around 8am for feed
feed for 30-45 minutes
drive 15-20 minutes home
pump for 30 minutes
wash and sterilize pump supplies
take a shower, run errands, try to rest, etc.

be at the hospital around 11am for feed
feed for 30-45 minutes
drive 15-20 minutes home
pump for 30 minutes
wash and sterilize pump supplies
eat lunch

be at the hospital around 2pm for feed...you get the picture.

She's been doing the feedings at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm. By the time she gets Ava to feed well, which last night took an hour because Miss Ava apparently can't multi-task (she needed to dirty her diaper and refused to feed until that happened!), she doesn't have much time before she has to be there for the next feed. She is looking forward to getting Ava home and not having to run back and forth to the hospital. Anyone who spends time with Kimberly feels like Kurt's parents did yesterday when they said, "After spending two days with you, we're exhausted!" That is the truth. Watching Kimberly juggle all of this is tiring and amazing. I wrote a letter to Kimberly on my blog because I am so proud of the job she's doing as a mom! (I know she hasn't read it since she doesn't have time to sit at a computer.)

Doing Better

Ava is doing GREAT! Her IV was removed last night, and they took her oxygen/room air off today. You can now see her little face, and it's absolutely beautiful! They expect to be able to take the light off tomorrow, so her sunglasses will go away, too. Kimberly said she feels like a "real" mom now since she's getting to change Ava's diapers! They are letting Kimberly nurse her two feedings a day and they will work up to all feedings eventually. No more bottles for Ava! The rest of her feedings will still be through the feeding tube. Now Kimberly is just concerned that Ava will never learn to breastfeed, but it will just take some time for her to learn.

Thank you all for your prayers! They have definitely been answered.

More Pictures

Here are some pictures of Ava from today.

Ava getting her feeding:


Wearing her cool sunglasses under the light:


Looking at her Aunt Jennifer suspiciously:


Relaxing:

Looking at her mommy:

The nurse let me (Jennifer) in to see her, even though only parents and grandparents are allowed; it was so good to see her! Kimberly got to hold her for about an hour and a half, and Ava did great the whole time. They have decreased her air flow and her last few feedings today were all breast milk. She's getting a little better each day.

Update on Ava

this is Jennifer again...

First, some pictures. :-)




Ok, Kimberly gave me lots of information to pass on to everyone, so here goes:

-Ava will have to remain in the NICU for 2-3 weeks, her size and regulating her own temperature will keep her in the hospital.
-Even though she was born at 36 weeks, they say she's a 34-week baby developmentally (lungs and all)
-Her lungs are still a little wet, so they are giving her antibiotics through her IV to prevent pneumonia
-If she does well tonight and tomorrow, finishes her antibiotics, and doesn't show signs of infection, they will take her off the IV tomorrow (YAY!!). Kurt is especially eager to get rid of the IV. They had to move her IV to her head (poor girl!).
-She is breathing a little better, and they hope to take her off the oxygen by the end of the week, as long as she doesn't get an infection. She still works hard to breathe, though.
-She still has the feeding tube in, and will continue to until her respirations slow down so she can bottle and/or breastfeed again. They think Kimberly can nurse her again in the middle of the week. I know Kimberly is looking forward to that.
-When they take out her IV, they expect her to lose a little weight.
-Her jaundice is better, but they are keeping the light on in order to get her levels down do a really good number, so that if she goes back up a little they won't have to put the light back on.
-In order to go home, Ava has to take all of her feedings by bottle (or breast, we're not sure how much she'll be able to nurse, but they are able to use Kimberly's milk) and regulate her own temperature in the crib.

Kimberly asked everyone to pray that Ava's breathing continues to get better and she will not get an infection so the IV and oxygen tubes can be removed soon. Pray also for Kimberly and Kurt as they deal with all the stress of being new parents and having Ava in NICU.

She's Here

this is Jennifer, Kimberly's sister...

I just wanted to let everyone know that Miss Ava Grace arrived early! She was born yesterday, January 19, at 3:14pm, 4 weeks early. She weighs 4 lbs. 6oz., and is 18.5 in. long. She has RED hair, long fingers, and long feet! Ava is TINY and BEAUTIFUL!!!

Ava is in NICU, and will be for at least a week. Kimberly went in for a routine doctor's appointment on Thursday and Ava's heart rate dropped (on top of an ultrasound that showed she was smaller than they wanted her to be), so the doctor induced her about 4am Friday morning.

Kimberly and Kurt are still getting used to the fact that they are parents (!) and have a baby in NICU. Kimberly is very tired, so we're hoping she'll get some good rest tonight. She will probably be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, but she can stay in her room while Ava is in the NICU so she doesn't have to go back and forth to the hospital every few hours.

Please pray that Ava's lungs will heal completely and that she will be able to hold fluids so she can gain the weight she needs.

Ava holding her Poppa's finger. She is SO small!

Ava and her Poppa:

All stretched out...

If you leave comments for Kimberly, I will print them out and take them to the hospital tomorrow when I go. I know she would love to hear from you all.

Sonogram

We ended up having to reschedule our sonogram, so we had it this morning. I must say that I was a little disappointed. The sonographer wouldn't tell us anything. The good news is that Ava is definitely a girl. Kurt was very relieved about that. :) The only other thing we found out is that she now weighs 4 lbs. 4 oz. which is apparently small for her age. I tried to ask tons of questions to get the lady to tell us something, but she would only say that she is a little small and the doctor will have to discuss that with us. I'm sure she is fine, but I really wanted someone to tell me that today. We go back to the doctor on the 17th, so we won't know anything until then. I may try to call the doctor next week for a little reassurance.

We were also told today that Ava's head is very very low and she is definitely ready to come out. We need her to stay in there and grow for a few more weeks. I really think I will be late, but we'll see. As long as she is healthy, I am excited about having a small baby. I was 6 lbs. 9 oz. when I was born. That sounds really good to me right now. Kurt was 9 lbs. 5 oz. Hopefully this child cannot gain five pounds in the last six weeks!

The lady also kept telling me that I am all baby. I was surprised at how big she is in there. She showed me her position which confirmed what I thought I was feeling with kicks, pushes, etc. It was so different than the ultrasound we had at 19 weeks. We could only see one part of her body at a time. We could only see a leg, belly, head, etc. She was so low we couldn't get a good shot of her face. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures to share. They offered us one of her face, but you could barely make her out.

I thought I would have a lot more news to share, but it looks like we will have to wait for a few more weeks.

34 Weeks

Tomorrow I will be 34 weeks. I can't believe Ava is due in 6 weeks! I still have so much to do before she arrives. Kurt is getting really anxious. I think he is getting tired of me having her all to myself. He keeps saying he can't wait for her to get here so he can see her and hold her and kiss her. He is going to be such a great dad. I can't wait to see them together.

I had a dr. appointment today. My blood pressure and Ava's heartbeat were really good, but I am still measuring small. My doctor was on vacation, so I saw the nurse practitioner. She was concerned about my size, so she is sending me for another sonogram next week. She just wants to make sure Ava is growing the way she should before I see the doctor next time. We are so excited that we get to see Ava again. I can't wait to see how much she has grown since we saw her last at 19 weeks. I hope they can check again to make sure she really is a girl. I really don't think they made a mistake, but it would be comforting since EVERYTHING she has is pink! They also confirmed today that Ava is head down and "in position". The nurse practitioner said it is unlikely that she would turn back around at this point. I will let everyone know what happens with the sonogram next week. Hopefully, I will have new sonogram pictures to post!