Carissa has had a pretty good start to the week. We are in the phase of a little slower moving sometimes now so it can be a little hard to not see as fast of improvements as we saw in her first 3 weeks. Of course she has overcome so much that there are not as many things to work through now. Carissa's platelet count went up again Monday and they are only checking it on Monday and Friday now. Her breathing seems to be slowing down some. She nursed pretty well at noon yesterday and I was able to feed her her entire bottle at 6:00 yesterday evening. She had started tiring out some trying to feed orally at every feeding (every 3 hours) so they have gone to orally feeding every other one except when Mom is there she can nurse every time.
She has grown to 19" long from 16 1/4" at birth and is up to 5# 9oz. You may recall she started at 5# 12oz but a lot of that was the fluid from the Hydrops that needed to be lost and she went down to well below 5# and has been working/eating her way back up. The level of oxygen support in the nasal cannula for Carissa has been fluctuating but staying in a little higher range than when she was in level 3 and that is one of the big things that needs to improve for her to be able to start thinking about coming home.
Carissa was very alert and stretching and moving and pulling out her nasal cannula when I was there last night. A nicer man than me would have put her down and taken more pictures to share. Unfortunately for you her Daddy was quite content just holding and talking with Carissa.
The view that Dr. Gedde shared last week about not really thinking that Carissa would have any long term issues is a view that we really like but not necessarily one that some of the other doctors agree with or at least think that they are ready to embrace. They are not necessarily saying that Carissa will have any long term issues but they are concerned about her anemic condition before birth and whatever caused that condition, thinking that developmental could still arise as a result of those conditions. We, of course, are planning on Dr. Gedde being a prophet and know that the Great Physician can heal her of any things that might should have come up just like He has already time after time.
- Please thank God that Carissa is on her 28th day and for bringing her through the amazing steps He has to get her to this point.
- Please pray that Carissa will continue to grow and get stronger, that her breathing will continue to slow down like it has, and that her oxygen content can start being weaned down.
- Please pray that God will continue to amaze us with progress that He brings Carissa through and that she will not have any long term issues to address.
- Please continue to pray for Dante and his mom, Misty, and that Pamela might have opportunity to see her and check up on them
- Please pray that God will continue to get the glory for these amazing 28 days and counting that He has proven more than able in Carissa's life.
May we all be as amazed as John was when we consider what he wrote in 1 John 3, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" Thinking about that verse can make you feel very inconsequential and very important all at the same time. Who are we to be able to call ourselves children of God...and how awesome is it that we can do that!
Thanks for praying and please keep praying,
Terry
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