Week Nineteen

Monday: The surgeons have scheduled Madelynn's gastronomy surgery on the 1st. They have decided not to do the nissen. Much to our relief. We are getting closer and closer to her coming home.

Thursday: Madelynn is 6 pounds 9 ounces. Her tests are showing she is low on Vitamin D. They are upped her Calcium and Vitamin D intake. We are getting closer to the surgery day. We will have to take classes on the gastronomy tube, and oxygen classes before we are allowed to take her home. She has to pass the car seat test, and we have to spend a night with her in the hospital.

Saturday: We received encouraging news today: Maddie may not need oxygen when she comes home. She is doing so well, they are thinking of taking her off it tonight. The surgery is still on for Monday, and she will be getting hernia surgery at the same time. Next Friday we have our g-tube class. Then it's just a couple of bedside classes, and then hopefully we will be able to send out Maddie's homecoming announcements!! We are getting so close!!

Sunday: We have been moved to a new room. Maddie's neighbor, James, has been there a while. He is getting teeth. His parents still have a positive attitude, and work with him on his development as they would if he were home. I am humbled by their strength, and situation. When we are at the end of our rope, wondering how much longer we have, we look around the unit and realize how truly blessed we are. Madelynn, for all of her scares, has come out of this experience with very few problems that normal micro-preemies have. She is a miracle. There is no other way to describe her. She has beaten her odds, and is leaving the NICU with just a gastronomy tube. While we are aware she is still at high risk for cerebral palsy, and will not know for sometime the neurological, and developmental complications she may have; we are a very lucky family. We will get through, and deal with whatever we have to, but it is well worth it to have her in our lives today.
She is 6 pounds 10 ounces. She is second on the surgeon's schedule tomorrow. She will have her gastronomy tube placed, and her hernia fixed. She will have her MRI Tuesday morning, and we will get an update on the spots on her brain.