She passed! - Jan 7 (PT 2)

She passed! The swallow test went really well! She did a fantastic job keeping a good rhythm and stopping whenever she needed a break from swallowing to catch up on her breathing. The OT and ST discovered that part of the problem is that she wasn't able to form a solid seal in order for her sucking to be effective. This is a much easier problem to work on - we'll be trying a couple of different nipple styles on the bottle over the next couple of days to see what works best.

So for now the plan is to work with her on the bottle before every other feeding (so 4 times a day) to build up her endurance and see how much she can take by mouth. The nurses will work with her overnight, I get the 9:00 am slot and the OT will work with her at 3:00 pm.

The PT also came by to work with her legs today and was very happy with how much more loose her hip joints are. There was a small concern initially that those joints might be fixed from lack of movement but she's proven that concern false too. The PT said diaper changes are probably the best stretch for that joint and they're happening often enough to keep them limber! We talked briefly about needing to find a pedi-orthopedic office to continue working with her on a long-term plan once she's out of NICU.

So she had a busy day full of hard work - and has been sleeping soundly ever since. 

Good job Baby Girl - keep up the hard work!

It's amazing how much difference there can be each day as we leave the hospital. Some days (like Saturday) I walk out feeling like we've hit the bottom - facing three major surgeries doesn't leave a lot of room for optimism and warm fuzzy feelings. Then there are days like today when I feel like the ground is so far below our feet we've floated out of the atmosphere. Thanks for sticking with us through the ups and downs and continuing to pray for Baby Girl and for your love and support!