PIE

I usually call the NICU every morning when I wake up to get an update and see how the girls' night went.  When I called this morning, Jordyn's nurse said she had been naughty in the night and then kept talking about other things while I sat and wondered what exactly does being naughty mean.  The doctor got on the phone with me right after and explained it a little better.  Jordyn has pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE), which means she has a small hole in one of her lungs and the air that the ventilator is blowing into her lungs, is escaping out into the rest of her body.  They will keep getting x-rays every 4-6 hours and keep monitoring her.  If she starts to struggle and her vitals dip, they will have to go in with a needle and try to suck out as much of the extra air as they can.  The doctor said this is a common problem with premature babies who have to be on the ventilator for a long period of time.  Unfortunately, she isn't ready to be off the ventilator yet.  Bert and I both commented how well she has been doing since her surgery.  So well, that we began to worry less about her, then all of a sudden things can change.  This experience is so emotionally draining.

Addison's culture from yesterday is still negative.  I told the nurse when I left today that if I didn't hear from her that I would assume good news!  We are really praying that it will stay negative so she can start feeling better.  She's had this infection for a week now and needs a break.  They did an echo on her heart this morning and her PDA is still open.  It's moderate to small in size and doesn't appear to be affecting her right now so they are going to leave it alone and hopefully it will close up soon.  The doctor is hopeful that they will be able to wean Addi off the ventilator sometime this week.  I have so many emotions about that: scared that she could stop breathing on her own again and have to be resuscitated, but also so excited to be able to hold my sweet baby for the first time.

I'm already noticing personality differences with the girls.  Addi likes to kick her legs straight out and won't keep them tucked in.  She's also more calm and can sometimes sleep through all the bothering things the nurses do.  Jordyn gets pretty mad when we unswaddle her and so her cares are sometimes longer because I am trying to comfort and soothe her.  She loves to be swaddled and keeps her legs curled up and tucked into her cocoon.  When I think back to when they were inside me, there was always a lot more movement and kicking on my left side, which was the side Addi was on!