Our Reagan is a week old!
I cannot believe she has been in the NICU for a week. Larry and I are so in love with our sweet little girl and just fall more in love each and every day. I can't believe its possible to love this much. Its like overnight my heart grew exponentially and I just cant get enough of her!
Having a baby in the NICU provides its own set of challenges that we have been working through. Although there are many things that are not easy, we are so blessed that our biggest concern is not being able to spend every second with her and not that she is requiring excessive medical intervention. We praise God that she continues to make progress each day. As I look back over this week it shows me just how far she has come.
Her first day in the NICU was a complete blur to me. She was requiring some oxygen to keep her sats in the normal range but the rest of her health was in perfect shape. The doctors and nurses have always commented that her development seemed to be further along than her gestational age. This has been such a comfort to Larry and I and it was just another reminder that God's timing is perfect and there is no doubt that this was the time when Reagan was supposed to be here.
Over then next couple of days we kind of waited with baited breath. We were warned that she would lose weight and that her bilirubin would climb to a level that would require phototherapy. She came off of supplemental oxygen within 24 hours which was her only "premature" issue, but a 10% weight loss in a 4lb 4 oz baby is a little more problematic since she needs absolutely every ounce for temperature regulation and to maintain her blood glucose. Just as we were told she slowly lost weight over the next 5 days and her bilirubin climbed high enough on day 2 where she required phototherapy. The days where she was under the lights were probably the most difficult for us. It really limited how much we could hold her and love on her, which has been really important for my mental state. During those days I lived for our "Kangaroo Care" time, which is basically about an hour a day of skin to skin contact. Just getting to smell her and stare at her is the most amazing thing.
Reagan got to meet her Mimi and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa (they are going to let Reagan pick their grandparent name), Uncle Trevor, Aunt Kitty and Uncle Christian and several of our friends in the first couple of days of her life. It is so wonderful to have such an amazing family. Reagan is so blessed by the long line of God seeking people in her life, and we are blessed with their guidance.
The nurses laugh because little Reagan is so unbelievably active. She loves to kick her legs and wave her arms. She is super tactile, wanting to hold on to something as you try to care for her or feed her. This makes changing diapers very tricky! She does the exact same things now that she did in the womb. She loves to stick at least one foot straight out, which she used to do to my stomach, and stick her rear in the air, which always ended up in my side.
We finally got rid of her IV on her 6th day in the NICU. At one point they had to put the line in her head vein and momma did NOT like this one bit. It made her a lot more comfortable so that made me feel a lot better about it. She also came out from under the lights on her 7th day in the NICU. This has made it so much easier to hold her and love on her.
Breastfeeding is super important for preemies. (Don't worry I won't show pictures) So the second I got to my post partum room I asked for a pump to get this going. Its the one think that makes me feel like I'm helping, so I absolutely agonized until my milk came in. I'm thankful for the advice and help from my friends and family, because I hadn't exactly had a chance to take my breast feeding classes. The nurses always brag on my milk which is super hilarious, but it absolutely makes my day and makes me feel like I'm a good mom!
We started out on tube feeds and have gradually increased those as she has been tolerating them and on her 5th day we starting introducing a bottle. She sucked her first bottle down like a champ! She is getting 2 out of her 8 feeds via bottle and we practice breastfeeding for another 2 of her feedings. She does great when she's not tired, but tuckers out pretty quickly. Larry got "christened" with spit up once right before he went to work. The nurses are so impressed with Larry and how involved he is in Reagan's life but I'm not surprised one bit..He loves his girls!
Having a baby in the NICU provides its own set of challenges that we have been working through. Although there are many things that are not easy, we are so blessed that our biggest concern is not being able to spend every second with her and not that she is requiring excessive medical intervention. We praise God that she continues to make progress each day. As I look back over this week it shows me just how far she has come.
Her first day in the NICU was a complete blur to me. She was requiring some oxygen to keep her sats in the normal range but the rest of her health was in perfect shape. The doctors and nurses have always commented that her development seemed to be further along than her gestational age. This has been such a comfort to Larry and I and it was just another reminder that God's timing is perfect and there is no doubt that this was the time when Reagan was supposed to be here.
Over then next couple of days we kind of waited with baited breath. We were warned that she would lose weight and that her bilirubin would climb to a level that would require phototherapy. She came off of supplemental oxygen within 24 hours which was her only "premature" issue, but a 10% weight loss in a 4lb 4 oz baby is a little more problematic since she needs absolutely every ounce for temperature regulation and to maintain her blood glucose. Just as we were told she slowly lost weight over the next 5 days and her bilirubin climbed high enough on day 2 where she required phototherapy. The days where she was under the lights were probably the most difficult for us. It really limited how much we could hold her and love on her, which has been really important for my mental state. During those days I lived for our "Kangaroo Care" time, which is basically about an hour a day of skin to skin contact. Just getting to smell her and stare at her is the most amazing thing.
The nurses laugh because little Reagan is so unbelievably active. She loves to kick her legs and wave her arms. She is super tactile, wanting to hold on to something as you try to care for her or feed her. This makes changing diapers very tricky! She does the exact same things now that she did in the womb. She loves to stick at least one foot straight out, which she used to do to my stomach, and stick her rear in the air, which always ended up in my side.
We finally got rid of her IV on her 6th day in the NICU. At one point they had to put the line in her head vein and momma did NOT like this one bit. It made her a lot more comfortable so that made me feel a lot better about it. She also came out from under the lights on her 7th day in the NICU. This has made it so much easier to hold her and love on her.
Breastfeeding is super important for preemies. (Don't worry I won't show pictures) So the second I got to my post partum room I asked for a pump to get this going. Its the one think that makes me feel like I'm helping, so I absolutely agonized until my milk came in. I'm thankful for the advice and help from my friends and family, because I hadn't exactly had a chance to take my breast feeding classes. The nurses always brag on my milk which is super hilarious, but it absolutely makes my day and makes me feel like I'm a good mom!
We started out on tube feeds and have gradually increased those as she has been tolerating them and on her 5th day we starting introducing a bottle. She sucked her first bottle down like a champ! She is getting 2 out of her 8 feeds via bottle and we practice breastfeeding for another 2 of her feedings. She does great when she's not tired, but tuckers out pretty quickly. Larry got "christened" with spit up once right before he went to work. The nurses are so impressed with Larry and how involved he is in Reagan's life but I'm not surprised one bit..He loves his girls!
Larry and I gave Reagan her first bath...she was less than thrilled
We have our weak moments where we ask ourselves why...why did this happen, why does this innocent baby have to go through all of this, what is God's purpose for this, etc. We don't have any of the answers but we trust that our Lord is only good and we submit to His plan for us and for Reagan. We know how much He loves Reagan and will show His love and grace through her.
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