The Sattler Scoop: Moving in the Right Direction

Since my last post Casey has made some major progress. She has been controlling her temperature well and her breathing was stable enough that she was moved to a big girl crib last weekend! We got to say good-bye to her isolette, or her "box" as Nurse Amanda called it. Casey's breathing also improved so much that after only 6 days back on CPAP she was moved to a nasal cannula (clear prongs in her nose). This is huge for us, because after 7 weeks of only glimpses when they changed out her equipment, we can finally really see our daughter's beautiful face. Words cannot describe how amazing it is to get to look at the features you have been dreaming about for so many months (although the jury is still out on just who she looks like). Without her CPAP hat adding pressure to her eyes, she is also staying so much more alert and awake, and I would almost swear she has even smiled a few times. Her latest eye exam showed improvement, and the doctors are now saying that although she still has premature eyes, they are no longer indicating minor ROP. She will have another test in two weeks, and we are encouraged that her eyes will continue to look better each time. Another huge milestone that comes with being on a cannula is that Casey got to try bottle feeding for the first time! The doctor gave orders for her to take one bottle by mouth every day, and she took 10 mL on her first try, 14 mL on her second, and today she took her full 35 mL feeding on her third try at a bottle. Yesterday, I got to be there to see her eat and get trained by the occupational therapist so that I can start giving her bottles (wow, let me just say there is a lot to remember when feeding a preemie!) Aside from being a "gulper," she is catching on quickly and it was just incredible to watch her knowing how far she has come. She is still hovering at just below 4 lbs (3 lbs 15.1 oz), but we are crossing our fingers that she will get there in the next day or two. We expect she will probably remain in the NICU for another week or so, and then hopefully she will move to Special Care where she will have a private room until she is released (her due date of Nov. 8 is still the goal). Enjoy the latest pictures of our sweet Doodlegirl!