I think our stay in the NICU may be coming to an end soon! Lydia has made fantastic process and all signs are pointing to a discharge sometime next week, or so the Drs tell me. She still has a few milestones to reach, but the Drs are optimistic that she'll be ready by this next week.
I can't believe we'll have our baby home with us soon. That excites me and also terrifies me, but know they won't send her home before she is ready.
She is now...
- Up to 4 bottles a day and is able to nurse 1x per day
- Off her caffine
- Making faces at Mommy and Daddy
- Sucking on her fingers when hungry
- FIVE POUNDS!!
We can't wait to have our little bean home and are thrilled to be in the home stretch!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Answered Prayers
Since Lydia's early arrival we are learning how to fully rely on God to take care of our little girl and has been neat to see Him answer all our specific prayers. Think this is the first time I ever prayed for poop or for someone to gain weight :)
Lydia has made a lot of progress in the past week for a preemie and we have been able to witness first hand how God answers prayer.
She is now off her nasal cannula; which means she's breathing completely on her own and doesn't need the cannula to keep her airways open!
We had another first today and Lydia was able to take a bottle from me. We weren't sure if her sucking skills would be developed enough, but she did a fantastic job and was even able to take breaks and breathe without help; which I'm told is another developmental hurtle. She ate like a champ... or like an Edwards as I like to tease Kyle.
The last piece of good news is that she is getting weaned from her heated isolette! She started wearing clothes today and should be able to move to an open bed in a few days!
We are so proud of our girl and the progress she has made. God has been with us every step of the way and is neat to see Him strengthen and help Lydia grow each day.
Here is a quick shot of Lydia right after her nasal cannula was removed on Friday!
Lydia has made a lot of progress in the past week for a preemie and we have been able to witness first hand how God answers prayer.
She is now off her nasal cannula; which means she's breathing completely on her own and doesn't need the cannula to keep her airways open!
We had another first today and Lydia was able to take a bottle from me. We weren't sure if her sucking skills would be developed enough, but she did a fantastic job and was even able to take breaks and breathe without help; which I'm told is another developmental hurtle. She ate like a champ... or like an Edwards as I like to tease Kyle.
The last piece of good news is that she is getting weaned from her heated isolette! She started wearing clothes today and should be able to move to an open bed in a few days!
We are so proud of our girl and the progress she has made. God has been with us every step of the way and is neat to see Him strengthen and help Lydia grow each day.
Here is a quick shot of Lydia right after her nasal cannula was removed on Friday!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Heavy Weight
Our little girl has been doing so well in the NICU. She is such a fighter and has made so much progress since she arrived 3 weeks ago. She has been called a heavy weight in the NICU; which makes me laugh because she's so little, but there are a lot of other babies that are even smaller. It's a good reminder of how well she is doing. So far she hasn't had any setbacks and has continued to do so well. She is being bathed in prayer and truly believe that's why she is doing SO well.
So far she has:
- Gained .5 - 1 oz per day and is now up to 2 lbs 13 oz (getting sooo close to the 3 lb mark)
- Moved from the ventilator (most invasive) to the CPAP (Continuous Airway Pressure) and is now on the Nasal Cannual (least invasive) for oxygen to keep her airways open
- Been named the NICU Princess and is known as the easy baby since she doesn't set off the alarms that often
- And most recently, she was moved from the NICU to "Intermediate Care" which means she gets a room all to herself; which is quieter and is one step closer to coming home!
She still has a lot of hurdles to overcome. Below is our current list of prayers for Lydia while she's in NICU:
- Continued Weight Gain - once she gets to 3lbs she will mostly move to an open isolette and can wear clothes
- Lung and Breathing Development - As her lungs develop, she will be able to come off all oxygen
- Ability to Suck - We can't feed her by bottle until she is 34 weeks (2 more to go) and pray she'll be able to eat and breathe at the same time when the time comes for her to try and eat by bottle
So far she has:
- Gained .5 - 1 oz per day and is now up to 2 lbs 13 oz (getting sooo close to the 3 lb mark)
- Moved from the ventilator (most invasive) to the CPAP (Continuous Airway Pressure) and is now on the Nasal Cannual (least invasive) for oxygen to keep her airways open
- Been named the NICU Princess and is known as the easy baby since she doesn't set off the alarms that often
- And most recently, she was moved from the NICU to "Intermediate Care" which means she gets a room all to herself; which is quieter and is one step closer to coming home!
She still has a lot of hurdles to overcome. Below is our current list of prayers for Lydia while she's in NICU:
- Continued Weight Gain - once she gets to 3lbs she will mostly move to an open isolette and can wear clothes
- Lung and Breathing Development - As her lungs develop, she will be able to come off all oxygen
- Ability to Suck - We can't feed her by bottle until she is 34 weeks (2 more to go) and pray she'll be able to eat and breathe at the same time when the time comes for her to try and eat by bottle
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The arrival of Lydia Susanne Edwards
Before I start telling the story of Lydia's birth, let me just say that this may be the last time I pre-schedule blog posts since it looks like I was blogging about my shower the day Lydia was born - ha!
Miss Lydia arrived 11 weeks before her due date on February 20, 2011 at 6:25pm weighing 2lbs 5 oz and 15.2 in. long.
We were not expecting Lydia to arrive early at all as my pregnancy was progessing normally and besides the typical morning/all day sickness, I was sailing through without any problems. I had just recently passed my gluclose test and was feeling pretty good as I entered by 3rd trimester.
The weekend before we had visited the Edwards in FL and had our first shower. The week after we got back I started having back pain in the middle of my back that wouldn't go away. After calling the Dr. in the middle of the week, they gave me a perscription for a muscle relaxer since I thought I had pinched a nerve, but nothing seemed to help and I couldn't sleep at all because of the pain.
On Sunday my parents came over since I was still not feeling well. We decided to call the emergency line to see what else I could do because I really couldn't handle the pain any longer. When the Dr. called me back she told me to come in because it could be kidney stones and she wanted to see me in person to rule it out.
I took more Tylenol before we left and had a few moments of relief by the time we got to the hospital. Once I started feeling better, I was feeling a little silly and Kyle and I joked that they'd probably be sending us home soon.
They ran a few tests and felt like the nurses were working at warp speed. Before too long the nurses came in and dropped a bomb on us that I wasn't expecting. I had pre-eclampsia. I was floored and didn't quite understand what this meant at first. I was hoping there would be a quick fix that would allow me to continue on like normal. They explained to me that the only way to cure the pre-eclampsia was to deliver the baby. The back pain I was experiencing was coming from my liver and my platelet level was extremely low. If I didn't deliver now, I would be at risk for full on eclampsia; which can lead to seizures.
Needless to say, we were in a bit of shock and I did not want to have my little girl enter the world before she was ready, but the nurses kept reassuring me that 29 week old babies do great -- especially little girls!
Kyle was amazing through all of this and was my rock. He kept reassuring me everything was going to be okay and helped keep me calm as I headed into emergency surgery. I last looked at the clock on the OR wall at 6pm and 25 mins later Lydia Susanne was born!
Lydia has been doing quite well in the NICU for the past 12 days. The NICU has its own language and terms that can seem overwhelming, but Kyle and I already feel like preemie experts as the nurses and doctors patiently explain what every test, wire and machine is used for. Lydia has started gaining weight and has now surpassed her birth weight. :)
Each day is filled with another victory and we can see her getting stronger and chubbier. We have experienced such an outpouring of love and support from our friends and family near and far. It has been so uplifting to read everyone's encouraging and prayerful notes. Through this experience, we've also been hearing more stories of other families with preemies that have gone on to have perfectly healthy children; which is so encouraging and helps me remember that these short months in NICU will one day be a distant memory as our little girl grows.
We'll continue to update the blog with Lydia's progress in the coming days/weeks until she gets to come home.
We were not expecting Lydia to arrive early at all as my pregnancy was progessing normally and besides the typical morning/all day sickness, I was sailing through without any problems. I had just recently passed my gluclose test and was feeling pretty good as I entered by 3rd trimester.
The weekend before we had visited the Edwards in FL and had our first shower. The week after we got back I started having back pain in the middle of my back that wouldn't go away. After calling the Dr. in the middle of the week, they gave me a perscription for a muscle relaxer since I thought I had pinched a nerve, but nothing seemed to help and I couldn't sleep at all because of the pain.
On Sunday my parents came over since I was still not feeling well. We decided to call the emergency line to see what else I could do because I really couldn't handle the pain any longer. When the Dr. called me back she told me to come in because it could be kidney stones and she wanted to see me in person to rule it out.
I took more Tylenol before we left and had a few moments of relief by the time we got to the hospital. Once I started feeling better, I was feeling a little silly and Kyle and I joked that they'd probably be sending us home soon.
They ran a few tests and felt like the nurses were working at warp speed. Before too long the nurses came in and dropped a bomb on us that I wasn't expecting. I had pre-eclampsia. I was floored and didn't quite understand what this meant at first. I was hoping there would be a quick fix that would allow me to continue on like normal. They explained to me that the only way to cure the pre-eclampsia was to deliver the baby. The back pain I was experiencing was coming from my liver and my platelet level was extremely low. If I didn't deliver now, I would be at risk for full on eclampsia; which can lead to seizures.
Needless to say, we were in a bit of shock and I did not want to have my little girl enter the world before she was ready, but the nurses kept reassuring me that 29 week old babies do great -- especially little girls!
Kyle was amazing through all of this and was my rock. He kept reassuring me everything was going to be okay and helped keep me calm as I headed into emergency surgery. I last looked at the clock on the OR wall at 6pm and 25 mins later Lydia Susanne was born!
Lydia has been doing quite well in the NICU for the past 12 days. The NICU has its own language and terms that can seem overwhelming, but Kyle and I already feel like preemie experts as the nurses and doctors patiently explain what every test, wire and machine is used for. Lydia has started gaining weight and has now surpassed her birth weight. :)
Each day is filled with another victory and we can see her getting stronger and chubbier. We have experienced such an outpouring of love and support from our friends and family near and far. It has been so uplifting to read everyone's encouraging and prayerful notes. Through this experience, we've also been hearing more stories of other families with preemies that have gone on to have perfectly healthy children; which is so encouraging and helps me remember that these short months in NICU will one day be a distant memory as our little girl grows.
We'll continue to update the blog with Lydia's progress in the coming days/weeks until she gets to come home.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Noah is TWO
While we were in Florida for our first shower, we were able to celebrate Noah's second birthday! I can't believe how much changes in one year. Noah is full of energy and is constantly on the go. He also gives the best hugs and has started calling Kyle and I by name.
Noah had a Thomas the Train theme party and a good time was had by all.
Noah had a Thomas the Train theme party and a good time was had by all.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
12 weeks and counting
This week I hit the last trimester and to celebrate my body decided to kick it off with some nice back pain! While I know back pain is suppose to be normal in pregnancy, I think I somehow pinched a nerve. Not fun! After a few visits to the local chiropractor I'm starting to feel back to normal.
We also had our first shower in Florida and were so spoiled by our loved ones. It was great to see all our friends and family and get to celebrate the arrival of Miss Lydia. Here are a few shots from the shower.
We also had our first shower in Florida and were so spoiled by our loved ones. It was great to see all our friends and family and get to celebrate the arrival of Miss Lydia. Here are a few shots from the shower.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Pop goes the Belly
Well this post is a little late, but I feel like my belly has started to pop! Everyone keeps telling me I'm still so small, but is definitely an adjustment getting use to seeing myself with a belly and carrying around this extra weight. Here are the most recent pictures over the past few weeks of my belly
My birthday weekend - 24 weeks
Right before our Post Holiday Party for work - 25 weeks
At our first shower - 28 weeks
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