NICU Day 118 ~ (April 15th)

Yes, you read the title correctly, and we are counting NICU days again as Noelle had emergency surgery last night and was readmitted into the NICU at Baptist for recovery.  She is doing well overall, but the last 30+ hours have been quite the ride, and this post will be a little lengthy in catching up the details.  I have debated many times in my mind as to how much I should share, but ultimately we desire for people to pray specifically for Noelle and hope that these details will fade in people's minds as she grows old enough to understand herself all that has happened these first several months in her life. 

~The sweet baby cupcakes that Travis & Tawn made for our baby shower~

 Yesterday began with the joyous occasion of a baby shower for Noelle at the generosity of sweet friends from our church family, and I enjoyed a wonderful time with many of the women in our church while Tom stayed home with Noelle.

~Four Generations~

We then said "see you later" to my mom who had been able to visit while  out here for an event in Greenville, SC.  My grandparents had also come over for the morning so my grandma could attend the baby shower, so we were able to get some special pictures before everyone left.

~My grandparents & Noelle's great grandparents~

~Our little family~

Soon after that, we headed up to the NICU at Forsyth to deliver leftover cupcakes, to visit, and to also have Noelle's nurses check out her inguinal hernias.  Before we had been discharged on April 2nd, they had taught me how to reduce her hernias and what to watch in regards to them.  Last Thursday we saw a surgeon who was unable to reduce her hernia for the first time.  I had not had any issues prior but we left with the instructions to let her know if it still was not reducing in a few days.  I knew what else to watch from the Forsyth nurses, so when it started turning pink on Friday night and even more red on Saturday, it was time to get it seen.  We received confirmation on Saturday afternoon when her nurses took one look at it and told us to go get it checked out, thus beginning our "bump in the road" of the last 30+ hours.

~Waiting in our triage room in the ER~

We arrived at the children's hospital ER around 6:00p.m. and while we spent some time waiting through the next six hours, the majority of the period was involved with evaluations and many attempts to reduce the hernia.  Finally, after a combined effort on the part of several doctors and the pediatric surgeon, they determined that they had no recourse but to proceed with emergency surgery.  The concern was that something was caught {often intestine}, and when it reaches the point which Noelle's had, it usually means something has been compromised.  She went into surgery at approximately midnight and was out of surgery and into recovery in the NICU within 2 1/2 hours.  The surgery went well overall, but they did discover that one of her ovaries and fallopian tubes had been caught and twisted in the hernia and had died, requiring removal.  While the results saddened us, it honestly was good news in light of the entire picture and all the possibilities that had been present.  Had it involved compromised intestine, the surgery would have been much more difficult and the recovery much longer.  Her body should adapt and operate very well with only the one ovary, and we are very thankful for God's guidance and protection through the process.

~Noelle recovering after surgery~

We were able to see her shortly after she was admitted into the NICU, and it was heartbreaking to see her tiny body after so many hours of trauma.  She was extremely pale and still under the influence of the anesthesia, but she did hold onto our fingers and showed faint signs of her normal self. 

~Holding onto Daddy's finger~

~Holding onto Mommy's finger~

We went home and slept for a few hours before heading back up to the hospital and were encouraged to see more signs of improvement as the afternoon progressed.  They expect her to be extubated sometime tonight or early tomorrow, and we hope to be home by Wednesday at the latest.  Ultimately, we know that God had this timing already planned and had everything in place for her to receive the care He desired on this specific day.  We knew she would eventually need this surgery, we had just planned for it several months down the road and were not expecting this to happen in the manner that it did.  Still, we are very grateful that we can "check this off the list" of things to be accomplished in Noelle's tiny life and pray that she will recover quickly and be back to her normal self.

Tonight, she looked much better than she did nearly 24 hours previously, and we cannot thank you enough for your continued prayers.  Our biggest concern right now is her breathing and the need to come off of the ventilator as soon as possible.  She already has CLD {chronic lung disease}, and each day on the ventilator only adds to the issues with her lungs.  We will continue with daily updates while she is in the NICU and look forward to the day we can again bring her home.  Thank you so much for you continued love and support and your faithful prayers before the throne of grace.  God has been faithful to see us to this day and will not leave us for one moment of this process.  We are ever grateful that He holds our days in His loving hands.

NICU Day 112 ~ (March 28th)

Today was full of mixed emotions as we took joy in Noelle's growth and the milestones she is reaching daily and then were disappointed to learn the preliminary advisement based on the results of the contrast x-ray.  I have refrained from saying too much before now since much of this was unconfirmed suspisions, but they have wondered for the last several weeks if Noelle may have a condition called Hirschsprung Disease.  We were uncertain if this really was the problem or if her intestines just needed to mature since her issues have been sporadic and she does not have many of the symptoms, but the x-ray today revealed enough concern that the radiologist recommended a biopsy.  This will mean a transfer back to Baptist; and beyond that, we will not know anything until tomorrow.  We are disappointed for certain since we had Noelle's homecoming within our sights, and now we have reached another setback of an undetermined amount of time.  However, as we processed the initial report, God reminded me yet again that this is not about us and also brought to mind the following blessings:

~He has a purpose in which we can rest and trust.
~Baptist is now a "familiar" place, and we now know some members of the NICU staff and also know where to park our car!!  {If you know anything about Baptist, you know it is absolutely massive!!}
~This is the best children's hospital in this area and is the place where every parent wants their child to be if they need a procedure such as this.
~Our neonatologists will still be the same familiar faces we have known for the past 16 weeks.
~Noelle also has some inguinal hernias & an umbilical hernia {both very common with preemies and especially micro preemies} which will require surgery at some point.  If she has to have surgery for Hirschsprung Disease then they can repair these at the same time, and we will not have to return for a separate surgery in a few months.

We will continue to update as we learn more tomorrow.  In the meantime, we are encouraged with our little girl's progress and are thankful that she continues to excel.  If she has surgery, it will set her back in a few things; so we're grateful for every step she can take now, making it much easier for her to return to her "baseline" after she comes through all of the necessary procedures.

~Trial Run in the Crib~

Tonight she graduated to an open crib!!  She has been maintaining her body temperature quite well over the past few days, and so she is on a trial run tonight.  It is common for babies to go back and forth for a few days between their isolette and the crib, but the fact that she is trying it out tonight is another great step and just shows how she is "growing up."  She weighed in at 1,530 grams / 3 lbs. 6 oz. tonight, and she is eating and growing like a weed!!

~This takes up much less space in the room!~

These pictures make her look much bigger than she actually is.  She is still a tiny little thing, but we're so grateful to God for her stellar progress these last several weeks {and no, she is not as long as the snugly, but she does like being wrapped in it!}.  Thank you so much for your continued prayers.  I know we would grow weary without them, and we appreciate your love and support more than we could ever express in words.

~Snuggled in for the Night~