We’ll take it!

No accomplishment is too small when you’re a NICU parent. Riley had a great success this morning…she finally pooped! (Two diapers full!) I know this might be a little too much information, but for Riley, this really was an achievement. The doctors were very excited as well. Her bowels are working—this is great news!

On the down side, the last couple of days haven’t been bad, but they haven’t been great either. She did have to go back on the Nitric Oxide and they had to switch her back to the oscillating ventilator. Her blood gases took a slight turn in the wrong direction, so increasing the Nitric and changing vents helped to get her blood gases back in check. (Nitric Oxide is a drug that relaxes the blood vessels in the lungs. It decreases blood pressure in the lungs and helps them to work better.)

Being on the oscillating vent did create another small obstacle. Her left lung had partially collapsed, so they will be changing her back to the other ventilator today to better inflate her lung. This should help.

We also mentioned that due to the swelling, her weight measurements might be a little skewed. She was weighed again the other day and was down to 1 pound, 4 ounces. (But since she finally pooped, she might weigh even less.)

Tomorrow marks her official one month birthday! We are ecstatic to have reached this milestone! As always, we thank you for keeping her in your prayers!