A week ago Tessavale was due in 30 days. Now she is 7 days old.
Born 5 lbs 2.5 oz and 19 inches long and in her 35th of +37 preferred weeks. She has been on and off the ventilator twice, spent most of the remaining time with the slightly less invasive CPAP, and now, finally, on her second Monday she has been enjoying the comfort and passive oxygen from a plain old nasal canula.
She went from an IV in the scalp to one in the hand, the other hand, the foot, back in the scalp, hand, foot, and other foot. But she is no longer using that either and has graduated from 6 cc’s of milk to 36 at last count. She will max out at 46–probably tomorrow.
As a premie, her liver is smaller and does not process the breaking down of fetal red blood cells as quickly as it might if she had been full term. She spends most of her days wearing purple shades and sitting under 3 bright lamps to reduce the jaundice.
It has been a bit odd for us as new parents. We had planned for things and planned to plan for others, but we had not anticipated not getting to take her home with us when we left. Its like we are parents in limbo.
Maybe it will feel like this when the last one goes off to college. Knowing that we can always go see them, knowing that our lives have changed forever, but not having them here with us.
I have been told to enjoy this neutral zone–and I will try–but I can not help feeling a bit disconcerted.
Dad