Hello! We’re feeling compelled to share that our little trouble-maker (“water breaker”), princess, peanut, warrior of a daughter has hit the 100-day mark of living life in a hospital. It is the only life she knows. Our little Vivvy-Lou is one of the hardest workers we have met, and we can’t wait to show her what life has to offer her on the outside. We figured we’d take a moment to celebrate her hitting “triple-digits”...
Vivian Louise, aka baby A, aka alpha, was without amniotic fluid at 22 weeks gestational age. This means that her lungs did not have the opportunity that her sisters did to develop to their 26 week delivery-date. She was intubated and was fed a nutrient concoction for the first month of her life, was unable to be held at times, and had a surgery that included taking out all of her intestines and flushing them....She was on a CPAP machine longer than her sister, and has had numerous blood transfusions. She was born 1 lb. 9 oz.
All of this is so important for us to remember as we shuffle back and forth from the hospital now, her sister in tow, to cheer her on. She looks like a “normal” small baby. However, she “plateaued” the past few days with her weight gain and has yet to hit the 6 lb. mark. She is off of her oxygen, which is awesome, and had her NG (feeding tube) our of her nose. The team is adjusting her dietary plan, she will be having her thyroid checked, and OT will continue to work with her “Suck, Swallow, Breath” techniques. She needs to grow in order to be discharged, and we are following her lead at this point.
Vivian means “life, alive, lively, full of life”...and she sure is! She is wide-eyed, smiley, and determined. She loves to snuggle with anyone that will hold her, let’s us know when she isn’t happy, and tracks all things going on around her.
She is the definition of small but mighty. If she is able to “pack on the ounces” (what we’ve been hoping for this past week)...then there is a good chance she will fight her way to a discharge date soon.
We are in awe of her spirit, her energy, and her hard-work. We forget sometimes how much she had already gone through in her short time on planet earth...and we are sooo excited to watch her grow into her warrior-princess self on the outside of the hospital walls soon.
Until then, here’s our mid-week cheers to Vivian Louise and her 100 days rockin’ the NICU “like a boss.”
....and as always, thanks for following and for the continued energy and support. It is felt
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