Willow updates

I have been busy..very busy- holding my baby. my day consists of waking at 7 am to pump, scarfing down some oatmeal and packing my stuff and heading out the door. I drive to NICU and spend the next 9 hours there, holding Willow and trying to breastfeed her. I pump every two hours during the day, usually with her in my lap. i then go home at 5pm to eat dinner with my family. i come back up to the NICU after shift change at 7:30 pm and stay till about 10pm. Then i drive home in a daze, pump and sleep for 4 hours, till i need to pump again.
but every minute is worth it. i could hold her 24 hours a day. i hate putting her down and driving away.

So, as far as her progress. She started off on a CPAP machine which blew air into her lungs under pressure. She had all feeds by IV and was on IV antibiotics for 10 days. She was jaundiced (put under Billi lights).She had to stay under a radiant heat warmer in just a diaper to maintain her temp. She blew out IVs like most people change socks- 10 (or more??) IVs placed in 10 days....
She had multiple apnea spells and heart rate dips, for which they put her on oral caffeine. She had one dose of surfactant to lubricate her lungs. She had a spinal tap and countless blood draws.
She dropped from her birth weight (4 pounds) down to about 3pounds 14 ozs.

Now,at 16 days , Willow is rocking the NICU. She has done better, faster than anyone predicted.

She is over her birth weight (4 pounds, 1 and 1/2 oz). no more IV antibiotics or feeds. no infection. no more breathing apparatuses. She is breathing room air without help. She has been taken off the caffeine and we are waiting to make sure her heart rate stays steady. She is fed through a tube in her nose. My milk supply has risen to enough for two Willows!
She has been trying at the breast all week and has had two real swallowing feeds there (yesterday and today)

She has moved into a regular infant bed and is wearing (tiny) clothes.

Like i said, she is a rock star!

All she needs to do to come home is learn to eat for all her feeds and continue gaining weight and keeping her heart rate steady.

So any prayers towards those goals would be welcomed!

God is good and everything he does is good. Thank you Lord!