Even Ava Prays

Ava's lumbar punctur went perfectly yesterday. The initial results that came back look perfectly nomral, which indicates that the infection that she has is only in her blood and is not meningitis. Thank God! They will continue to watch the cultures but since they started her on antibiotics so early, it seems we are ahead of the game. Ava's actual behavior has really been unchanged. This is HUGE. When Travis was septic, he was already SO sick before they figured out what was going on, so being head of the infection has already made all the difference in the world. Unfortunately Ava is still on the ventilator. This is obviously one of our biggest goals at the moment but it is all up to her. I am trying my best not to focus on it and just trust that she will come off soon. Sometimes it is so much harder when you know too much. If I wasn't so well aware of the damage a ventilator does to the lungs, I may be a little less concerned with getting her off ASAP. But there is nothing I can do to make that happen any sooner.

Feedings are going fairly well and I am thankful because I am producing mass amounts of milk for Ava and she needs to start making room in my freezer, haha! She started on 2ml's every 3 hours and she is up to 12ml every three hours. Full feeds for a girl her size is 15ml every three hours. She is almost there and is being weaned off of her IV nutrition. Since pumping is really the only thing I can do for Ava right now, it makes me very happy to have her eating. Obviously at this point, she is just getting the milk through a tube, but however we can get it to her belly is great! The other awesome news about this is that she is pooping on her own! It may seem trivial but this is an incredible sign that her digestive tract is working well!

Last night was "bath night" and it was Ava's FIRST bath. It was really just a sponge bath but we got to help out, and boy did she need it. She was NOT happy about the whole ordeal but overall she did well. This girl has definitely got an attitude. Unfortunately, our camera has decided it was a great time to stop working. Pretty frustrating but we will be getting a cheap point and shoot for now. So all I have are cell phone pictures.

Saying her Prayers

Infection

Yesterday was a BUSY day so I was unable to update the blog. We had Travis' birthday party but my friends surprised me with a baby shower too! It was incredible to have friends surprise me from all over the country! I got so many awesome baby girl things and Travis made out on new toys!

Yesterday Ava's white blood count was high so they suspected she had some sort of infection and started her on antibiotics and drew some cultures. Today those cultures are growing bacteria in her trachea and her blood, so they are going to do a spinal tap to check for meningitis. We should know the results from that later on today. Clinically she is not acting sick. They were able to wean her ventilator settings today so hopefully she can come off soon. She has definitely been on the vent a lot longer than I was anticipating. She has also gone up on her feeds. She is now recieiving 12cc's every three hours. Overall, she is doing well, but we definitely need to figure out what is going on with this infection and get it gone so that she can continue to progress!

10 Days Old

Ava is 10 days old today on her big brother's birthday! It sure feels like she has been around a lot longer than that, but time tends to drag in the NICU.

Ava has been doing well after her surgery but she is still on the ventilator. This was my biggest concern about the surgery and it is VERY hard for me to see her like that. She hates the vent tube and will gag and cry, it is truly heartbreaking to watch. Hearing your baby cry is hard, but watching your baby cry when no sound is coming out is unbearable. The doctor weaned her ventilator settings and she is tolerating that fine, so we just need to be able to continue to wean her so she can be extubated. Her feeds have been increased to 6ml every three hours. She tolerates it sometimes and doesn't other times. That will just take time. Otherwise she is doing fine, we just REALLY need to get her to start breathing all the time.

Happy Birthday to my Miracle Boy!

It is hard to believe! My tiny, one pound miracle is THREE today! What an incredible journey and blessing the past three years have been. Travis came bursting into this world with almost no chance of survival, but we never gave up on him. After 142 days in the NICU, being on a ventilator for 2 months, CPAP for what felt like forever, laser eye surgery, staph infections, and many other challenges, Travis proved the world wrong and came home with us. But the journey did not end there. When he came home he had a feeding tube, oxygen and a monitor. He was on six different medications that all had to be given at specific times. It was both exhillarating and terrifying to bring him home and be both the mommy and the nurse. Somehow we made it through and slowly started getting rid of medical equipment. Today, Travis is a happy, healthy, vibrant little boy. He wears glasses and is a peanut, but otherwise you would never know he was born SO early. It has been amazing to watch him grow and learn and discover the world around him!

One Day Post-Op - Breathe Ava!

I talked to the doctor this morning. Ava is doing ok. She is still on the ventilator because she is not making much effort to breathe at this point. The doctor has decided to give her another drug to try to stimulate her respiratory efforts in hopes that we can get her off the ventilator. Obviously, this was one of my biggest fears with the surgery. I know how hard it can be for babies of Ava's size to get off a ventilator once they are on them. And the longer it takes, the harder it will be so I am praying she can come off SOONER rather than later. Also her blood counts are low so she will probably be recieving a blood transfusion today, and if not today definitely in the next few days. Travis probably recieved over 50 blood transfusions so this does not really concern me, and she will feel better once she is plumped up with some blood. Her blood pressure and everything else has remained stable. The good news is that she is going to be starting feeds again! Hopefully she will be able to start growing, that is the most important thing she needs right now.

My mom is flying in today and my sister gets here tomorrow. I could not be ANY happier about this. Joseph has the day off so we will be going up there around noon to see our girl, so hopefully I will have some more positive updates later!

Surgery Update

I am sorry it has taken me so long to update. Ava's surgery went well! The doctor called me this morning to tell me surgery would be at 11 and to be there at 10:30 to sign consents and whatnot. Then at 9:04, the nurse called to tell me it was being moved up to 10 and to be there at 9:30. UM, I was in the shower! We rushed and got Travie up and dressed and ran out the door. Got to the hospital at 9:36! PHEW! And then of course, we sat and waiting for a while. The surgeon and anesthesiologist both came to talk to me and explain everything and then I got to go back and give Ava a kiss before her surgery. She was already mostly sedated and on a ventilator. It was very hard to see her that way.

Ava - Pre-op

After that, I went out to wait and the surgery began. The procedure itself only took about 15 minutes and the surgeon came to tell me that everything went perfect with no complications. It took a long time for them to get everthing cleaned up, but I finally got to go back and see her. She was still completely sedated from the anesthesia but she looked good. Right now her heart rate is very high, they think because she is in pain so they are giving her pain medicine and hoping that she is able to calm down. She is really not moving very much so it is sad to think she is in pain :( I will be calling later to check on her and see how she is doing. Thank you all for the prayers!

Precious Moments

Ava was very stable tonight when we went to visit her. I was able to hold her during her linen change and it was so precious. I love that little girl so very much. I am off to bed but wanted to post a few sweet pictures of our girl. Surgery is sometime tomorrow to closer her PDA. I will update as soon as possible. But in the meantime, enjoy these pictures!