Stumbling blocks

So you can probably guess from the title of this post we have had another setback. It actually occurred last weekend so let's get everyone caught up. Chrissy went on maternity leave last Thursday so she could move into the hospital and spend some time with Allison before bringing her home. Yes we had gotten the OK from the hospital to bring her home on Monday the 23rd. She was not up to full nipple feedings yet but we were going to bring her home with an NG Tube and supplement what she didn't nipple with the tube. Eddie had planned on taking the whole next week off work to spend at home with the girls.

However on Friday Chrissy noticed Allison was getting fussy, having trouble keeping her feeds down  and was generally acting like she had back before her surgery. So the doctors and nurses started checking her out and running tests. One was a blood sample for culture and screening which came back positive for Enterococcus. Its a bacteria that's in everyone intestines but she got some infecting her blood. She was not showing any other signs that she was infected so they thought it was a false positive and took another sample to test. In the meantime, just to be safe they started her on an antibiotic regime which lasts 10 days. The second sample didn't show the bacteria but they think she did really have it and her body fought it off. However they wanted to be sure it didn't spread anywhere else, specifically her spine. If it had gone there she would have needed 21 days on the antibiotics. So on Saturday they had to do a Spinal Tap to test and make sure but it came back clear and negative for the bacteria. In any case we have had to decrease her feedings and get her back on a PICC line to supplement her feeds with IV Fluids since she was not digesting well.

Over the last week Chrissy has been living at the hospital to help care for Allison, doing most of her feeds and learning the ropes of swaddling, feeding via tube, mixing milk and medicines, etc. She is also getting up every 2-3 hours to feed Allison for 30 mins, then hold her upright for another 30 mins, get her settled and then pump for 30 mins to make sure she has food. Suffice it to say, she is one tired mommy. No word on when she is coming home. We honestly wouldn't say until she finally gets here considering how many false starts we have had. Below are some pics from her at the hospital as well as some we got from the March of Dimes when we were back at Swedish.

March of Dimes shots at Swedish after surgery

Back at Evergreen this last week

Home Sweet Evergreen

So Eddie and Chrissy were so excited this weekend. Earlier this week there had been talk that Allison might need another surgery. She has been resistant to nipple for her feeds so they have to supplement them through a tube in her nose (NG Tube). This has been her final obstacle to come home. However they were reluctant to send her home with us if she still needed the NG tube. However there is another tube for feeding called a G Tube that would have to be surgically inserted into her stomach through her belly. If they went that route she would have to have had it done at Swedish.

On Friday the doctors made the decision that they didn't want her to have the G tube and felt she was progressing enough to avoid it. So they moved her back to Evergreen Hospital Saturday morning. This is so much easier for Eddie and Chrissy to visit her and spend more time with her than in rush hour traffic. She seems to be doing really well and getting better at her feeds. She is also just shy of 7 lbs now. Here are a couple pics of them with her this weekend.

Easter visit

Chrissy and Eddie got to go visit will Allison over the Easter weekend. They stayed the night at the hospital and brought in Allison's Easter basket Sunday morning. Allison is doing very good. She is up to 6 1/2 lbs now and still growing. She is also looking forward to coming home.

However we are waiting until she is off her feeding tube. Right now she will drink part of her feeds off the bottle but not all of them. But once she does, she will be coming home with us. Also they are looking into the possibility of moving her back to Evergreen hospital for the remainder of her stay since she is doing so well. However it will be up to the insurance company and if they want to pay for it.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the visit.

3 months old today!

It was definitely time for an update and what better day than Allison's 3 month birthday. Chrissy and Eddie spent last Saturday at the hospital with Allison and it was a good day. Just as they arrived, it was time for her cares. This is the time the nurses spend checking her temp, changing her, giving her meds, etc. When they got there they were told she was going to be extubated and moved back to her little nose cannulas. Once that was done Eddie and Chrissy were able to take her out of her bed and hold her for the first time since before the surgery.

The doctors and nurses are very happy with her progress. They are not seeing any signs of problems so far and have even started giving her small amounts of milk for feeding along with her usual IV fluids and lipids. Everyone wants to know how much she weighs now but because of all the fluids she has retained and now is loosing, its not very accurate. Suffice it to say, she is doing well. So below are some pictures from Saturday but first are some pics from today. It is Allison's 3 month birthday so we need to show how she is with her teddy bear compared with her previous months.

April 2nd

 March 2nd

Feb 2nd

You might notice that she no longer has her nose cannulas either. Today they took her off all oxygen and she seems to be doing just fine. The only thing on her now that is not a monitor or sensor is a feeding tube. Once she moves to milk feedings she will get the bulk of them through the tube as they work her toward nipples. That will be the final milestone as long as there are no other complications. Once they think she is past any problems from the surgery and she is on full feeds from the bottle or breast, Eddie and Chrissy can take her home. We will keep you posted on that progress.

After surgery and retaining fluids...she's kinda puffy

Mommy holding for first time after surgery

Happy to not have tube in my throat 

 No more oxygen tubes AND I got my teddy. Life is good

Mommy bottle feeding for first time ever...

 ...and first time burping

So happy...both the girls!