The results of the sleep study are in and Emma does have mild obstructive sleep apnea, which basically means she stops breathing some times when she sleeps. Thankfully it no longer affects her oxygen levels and she can come home without a canula or CPAP! She will have a monitor though so we can keep an eye on things.
On the other side though, should she get a simple cold it can mean an increase in the apnea and the chances of her requiring hospitalization are high. Being congested would be very bad for her. Hopefully as she gets older, and bigger she will be able to handle it better. However now, and for the future we must be incredibly vigilant in preventing her getting sick.
Not easy, right?! I am actually going to have a use for my paranoid hypochondria!! We won't be hanging out much in large crowds, have specifically been told to avoid other children that might have a runny nose and the like, and of course, we are buying shares in hand sanitizer companies! Emma will also receive RSV immunizations to protect her from the most common cause of colds.
These extra precautions will also include asking family and friends alike to be VERY objective in assessing their health when coming to visit. Clearly Emma is irresistible but it has been a long wait to have her home, should we have to take her right back would be a bitter pill to swallow.
So, Monday is the proposed day of "Escape from NICU!"
In the meantime we are trying to clear up some really bad diaper rash, caused by too many loose bowel movements. They are doing tests to see if she is sick, we're trying to feed her slower and they are also removing the fortifier from her milk to see if it helps. I don't know if this can delay discharge, we'll have to wait and see.
I am not as tired as I was and this will be a weekend of building up sleep reserves!
Thank you for being as excited as we are. We feel truly blessed to know how loved Emma is by so many. I hope it won't be long before she is strong enough to meet everyone!
On the other side though, should she get a simple cold it can mean an increase in the apnea and the chances of her requiring hospitalization are high. Being congested would be very bad for her. Hopefully as she gets older, and bigger she will be able to handle it better. However now, and for the future we must be incredibly vigilant in preventing her getting sick.
Not easy, right?! I am actually going to have a use for my paranoid hypochondria!! We won't be hanging out much in large crowds, have specifically been told to avoid other children that might have a runny nose and the like, and of course, we are buying shares in hand sanitizer companies! Emma will also receive RSV immunizations to protect her from the most common cause of colds.
These extra precautions will also include asking family and friends alike to be VERY objective in assessing their health when coming to visit. Clearly Emma is irresistible but it has been a long wait to have her home, should we have to take her right back would be a bitter pill to swallow.
So, Monday is the proposed day of "Escape from NICU!"
In the meantime we are trying to clear up some really bad diaper rash, caused by too many loose bowel movements. They are doing tests to see if she is sick, we're trying to feed her slower and they are also removing the fortifier from her milk to see if it helps. I don't know if this can delay discharge, we'll have to wait and see.
I am not as tired as I was and this will be a weekend of building up sleep reserves!
Thank you for being as excited as we are. We feel truly blessed to know how loved Emma is by so many. I hope it won't be long before she is strong enough to meet everyone!
1 comment:
Deb and Scott, we are soooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for you and hoping all went well with the move home from the hospital. Love you all, Dan and Lou
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