No one is certain what made her start eating (possibly the hernias were causing her feeding discomfort, the 3 day break from eating surrounding her surgery gave her the rest she needed, or maybe she finally woke up and figured it out like so many people said would eventually happen), but on Friday night she started taking her minimum at almost every feed. Since we had to remain in the hospital for several more days to wait out a brady that she had on Saturday evening anyway (we think a reaction to her 4 month immunizations), the doctors decided we had time to pull her feeding tube to see if she could continue completing her minimum without relying on the leftovers through her tube. Although she still isn't completing enough volume for us to say with confidence that we are out of the feeding woods yet, it was enough to send her home without the tube for now. Much to our relief, the doctors did order for her to go home on an apnea monitor, and she will be hooked up to it much of the day and anytime she is sleeping in order to alert us to any heart rate drops. We had a good first night (I think Casey slept a whole lot better than mom and dad) and day at home, and although she hasn't eaten as much as we would like, we saw her new pediatrician today and he was not concerned about her intake.
We know many of our friends and family are anxious to meet our sweet daughter, and of course we look forward to the day when everyone can meet her as well. Unfortunately, due to RSV and cold/flu season and the potentially life threatening effect they can have on preemies, our doctors have been adamant that we remain in isolation other than doctor's appointments and very limited family and friends who have not recently been exposed to illness. I definitely plan to keep my blog updated with all her latest happenings so that everyone can continue to get their fix of Casey and all her cuteness.
For now, we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers, as the Doodlebug still has quite a long road of follow up appointments and feeding goals ahead. Our biggest prayer needs are for Casey to continue to make progress with her eating so that we do not need to reinsert a feeding tube, for her health and ours during RSV season, that she not continue to have heart rate drops so that we won't need the apnea monitor long term, that the bleeding in her brain is healing, and that her transition home will continue to be smooth and uneventful.
Oh, and if bringing our daughter home wasn't enough good news yesterday, we found out last night that Brian passed the exam he took in October, and he is now a Professional Engineer! I will leave you with the pictures of her last few days in the hospital and Casey's long awaited homecoming:
Getting ready to leave!
Dressed in her homecoming outfit
Mommy was holding her breath that the nasty green vitamins she just finished weren't about to come up on her new outfit
The homecoming outfit I made for Casey (that was almost too small!)
Mommy's girl in her first official bow!
The Sattlers saying goodbye to Presby Dallas
All loaded up in her carseat
First bottle feeding at home
Getting cozy with Mommy
Snuggle time
This is the pink colored "It's a Girl" Hot Chocolate that Brian's mom found for me to give my students on Friday, which was my last day before I left for Maternity Leave (Part II). They were so excited! Excuse the lame poem as I am no poet, but it was the best I could come up with.
This was taken the night before she was released. Notice her arm pressed up against the glass as if to say "Let me out!"
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