Jan. 14, 2008
Zoë is back to her birth weight today.  She’s doing really well on the breastmilk, getting 3ml per hour now (that’s about a teaspoon and a half) along with her iv diet of fat, vitamins, and minerals. They add some extra calories to the breastmilk as well.  Every time we see her, she looks fuller, more fleshed out.
There is construction to expand the NICU taking place right on the other side of the wall by Zoë’s bed. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that she really doesn’t like the screeching noise of screws being driven into wooden studs.  So, her nurse put a spiffy pair of yellow earmuffs on her this morning (yes, we took a picture. It will be up later).  Zoë isn’t too crazy about having things on her ears either and keeps fussing at them with her hands, but it’s a good trade-off.  Daddy just likes seeing how she continues to react to new stimuli.  She has absolutely no problems letting us know when something bugs her and we much prefer the drama-queen hands to the not breathing thing she chooses from time to time.
No word yet on switching her to the different respirator (it’s called a Jet). We’re hoping it will be soon. She really fights the one she’s on, breathing over it, against it, and often times panting, which sets of her various beeping alarms. But, as of this morning’s visit, they’d been able to drop her O2 percentage down some, which is good. The ideal is a 21% oxygen, which is room air concentration. She was in the forties this morning. Mostly, she just needs time and to grow so her lungs can open up and make better use of the oxygen. Right now, the majority of her breathing is taking place in the bronchial tubes, rather than the alveoli (air sacs) because her lungs are too immature to inflate properly. There isn’t much we can do for that except wait. Grow, baby, grow!
And, yes, we’ve had poop. Two last night and one this morning if I remember correctly (sorry, the waking up every two hours at night to pump is wreaking havoc on my memory). The nurse weighed her at 1lb 12oz, then Zoë pooped, so we’re rounding today’s weigh in down to 1lb 10oz just to be safe! : )
For those who have been asking… Mom is doing fine. Home is definitely a better place to get well than the hospital. The staples came out last Thursday and aside from some heavy drainage and what we thought might have been a mild infection, the incision is healing really well. Still napping lots, but Mom has always preferred a good nap to most other things. Dad is doing well too, although taking care of both of his girls is a big job. He’s up to the challenge though.