Puttin' on the Ounces!

Juliet has spent the last week getting bigger! She is now 2030 grams - that's 4 pounds and 7 ounces! She really looks like a miniature Addison & Mackenzie now. She's been doing great with practicing to nurse. She's not allowed to actually get anything, but she's been able to practice and as long as she's awake, she does great. She had a very successful speech therapy session yesterday to start helping her coordinate her sucking and breathing. Her breathing is still a little fast and labored at times. However, she continues to tolerate relatively low levels of oxygen. She is now on 2 liters of oxygen at 21%. (21% is equal to what we breathe in room air.)

Jules had her third eye exam yesterday. It showed a slight worsening of her ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). This is an abnormal formation of the blood vessels in your eye and is a complication with babies born prematurely. It can cause vision deficits if not followed closely and treated, if necessary. Juliet will now get weekly eye exams to monitor her ROP.

The biggest news is her next surgery is now on the calendar. On October 11th, she will return to the OR for take down of her ostomy. They will reconnect her intestines and she will no longer have an ostomy. While they are in there, they will inspect the rest of her intestines and make sure there are no more problem areas that need to be removed. In preparation for this surgery, they will do contrast studies to determine how things are moving through her intestines and get a better idea of what to look for in surgery. She will need to go back on the ventilator for the surgery. This is another major procedure. But, Juliet has spent the last 2 months simply growing and getting stronger so she should be well prepared. This is just the next step to getting her home. And for that, we can not wait.