Today was the day we have all been waiting for. Lauren was able to go home today!!! Katy was a little nervous for the car ride since Lauren hated her car seat so much during her test, but she did great. She got so tired of the St Louis rush hour traffic that she fell asleep.
Thank you so much for the support and prayers while we were at the NICU. We couldn't have made it through this adventure withouth everyone's help. We will continue to keep everyone up to date on Lauren. Please keep her in your prayers as she continues to develop and grow into a fine young lady.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
NICU: Day 16 - Talk of Going Home
So today during rounds was the first time that Dr. Brian Hackett, Lauren's NICU Doctor, named a possible "end-date" for our stay here in the NICU. If Lauren has continued to gain weight as of her official weigh-in tonight (midnight), we'll get to take her home tomorrow--Wednesday, 28 July 2010!!! It's going to be weird to be able to go down the hall to see Lauren, vs. a 40 minute drive each way to SLCH. But we'll absolutely take it!
We do appreciate everyones thoughtful cards, emails, and gifts we've received over the last 16 days...as well as the spontaneous meals and yard care. We truly have outstanding friends and support, and we are sincerely appreciative to you all...
Keep your fingers-crossed for Lauren's weigh-in tonight and sufficient weight gain to bring her home tomorrow.
We do appreciate everyones thoughtful cards, emails, and gifts we've received over the last 16 days...as well as the spontaneous meals and yard care. We truly have outstanding friends and support, and we are sincerely appreciative to you all...
Keep your fingers-crossed for Lauren's weigh-in tonight and sufficient weight gain to bring her home tomorrow.
NICU: Day 15 - Car Seat Test
Yesterday Lauren took her first official, and hopefully only, car seat test. What's that you ask? Well in order for us to be cleared to take Lauren home from SLCH, she had to pass a two-hour car seat test. Yes, we only live 30 miles away from the hospital, but all NICU children must be able to sit in their car seat for a minimum of two-hours without desaturating--her vital signs needed to remain within an acceptable range. So Lauren did great when she was put into the car seat initially; however, when she realized that we were leaving her in there and not taking her out immediately--well, all heck broke lose. She screamed bloody-murder for the first 30 minutes of the test, only to tire herself and zonk out for the last hour and a half. This was our first time seeing a Lauren melt-down, so it was a bit tough to endure...but we're stoked she passed the car seat test with "screaming" colors! :)
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Bath Time
Sunday night Lauren had her first bath ever!! Normally we would not wait fourteen days to bathe our child, but this was the first time they would allow us. Lauren didn't like the water at first, but then she got a little too comfortable. So comfortable in fact that she decided to take a number two in the water. We performed an emergency evacuation of the wash basin and had to start all over. Needless to say there are no pictures of this momentous occasion.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NICU: Day 14 - Tube Free
Lauren has been doing great learning to feed on her own. She has done so well that they removed her feeding tube this morning. This put Katy's mind at ease because before today the doctors would force 3 ounces of food down her feeding tube every three hours. I know it sounds like fun not having to worry about chewing, but Lauren's little stomach didn't seem to be able to hold that much food and she let us know by spewing it all over the cute outfit mom picked out for her. Now, after three days of breast feeding the eruptions from her stomach have seemed to stop.
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MRI Results
On Thursday Lauren went on her first field trip to the first floor of the hospital for her MRI. In order to stay still for the MRI they had to strap her into a baby straight jacket. It sounds a lot worse than it is because the moment they got her strapped in she stopped crying.
It was a very stressful day waiting for the MRI results, but that afternoon we sat down with the neurology team and her primary care team. They showed us the results of the MRI and talked us through each picture. About half way through the pictures they showed us an area in her left frontal lobe which had sustained a hemorrhage. They also found other areas in her brain that had suffered damage due to her hypoxic event.
At this stage they weren't able to give us much definitive information because they are not sure how the damage will affect Lauren as she grows. They plan on keeping her on anti-seizure medication for the first two months of her life as a precaution. We will also have to monitor her development very closely to see how her brain injury affects her development.
Overall we were not surprised by the MRI results, but want everyone to know that Lauren seems to be doing fine with all of her motor skills and feeding. She is basically acting like a normal two week old as far as we can tell. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as these next couple of months will give us a better idea of the effects of her injury.
It was a very stressful day waiting for the MRI results, but that afternoon we sat down with the neurology team and her primary care team. They showed us the results of the MRI and talked us through each picture. About half way through the pictures they showed us an area in her left frontal lobe which had sustained a hemorrhage. They also found other areas in her brain that had suffered damage due to her hypoxic event.
At this stage they weren't able to give us much definitive information because they are not sure how the damage will affect Lauren as she grows. They plan on keeping her on anti-seizure medication for the first two months of her life as a precaution. We will also have to monitor her development very closely to see how her brain injury affects her development.
Overall we were not surprised by the MRI results, but want everyone to know that Lauren seems to be doing fine with all of her motor skills and feeding. She is basically acting like a normal two week old as far as we can tell. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers as these next couple of months will give us a better idea of the effects of her injury.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
NICU: Day 9 - Feedings Begin
So the feedings for Lauren have officially begun. She is being fed through her nose tube right now, but we hope to progress to "all natural" or bottle feeding of some sort by the end of the day. She also had her first BM in the wee hour this morning (I know--TMI), but that's an event we've all be waiting for anxiously around here. The doctors were looking for proof her inner workings are getting into gear/weren't effected by her HIE, and she's on a mission to prove it now apparently.
Nate also does multiple "work-out" sessions with Lauren each day now. We need to do these, as Lauren was strapped down and sedated for the first 72 hours of life during her Cooling--leaving her a bit behind the power curve. These sessions consist of stretching her fingers, arms, legs, and centering her limbs to her torso (coordinated movements). Nate is a dedicated trainer, so I'm sure she'll be catching up quick-like...no push-ups just yet, but I've no doubt Nate will try sometime before she's a year old.
We've also been told that Lauren should be moving out of the "Giraffe" (NICU warming bed), and hopefully into a mini-crib today or tomorrow. This should make getting her in/out of bed a lot easier for her OTPT and neurological checks.
Right now we're encouraged by Lauren's increasing awareness/alert time, as well as the new limb movements she shows us each day. Tomorrow is a big day for Lauren, as she will be taken to get an MRI and we hope to get a better understanding and awareness of HIE's impact on her brain. So everyone please hope and pray for the best...We appreciate the thoughts and prayers at this time, as we truly know we are loved and looked after...
Nate also does multiple "work-out" sessions with Lauren each day now. We need to do these, as Lauren was strapped down and sedated for the first 72 hours of life during her Cooling--leaving her a bit behind the power curve. These sessions consist of stretching her fingers, arms, legs, and centering her limbs to her torso (coordinated movements). Nate is a dedicated trainer, so I'm sure she'll be catching up quick-like...no push-ups just yet, but I've no doubt Nate will try sometime before she's a year old.
We've also been told that Lauren should be moving out of the "Giraffe" (NICU warming bed), and hopefully into a mini-crib today or tomorrow. This should make getting her in/out of bed a lot easier for her OTPT and neurological checks.
Right now we're encouraged by Lauren's increasing awareness/alert time, as well as the new limb movements she shows us each day. Tomorrow is a big day for Lauren, as she will be taken to get an MRI and we hope to get a better understanding and awareness of HIE's impact on her brain. So everyone please hope and pray for the best...We appreciate the thoughts and prayers at this time, as we truly know we are loved and looked after...
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The Arrival of Lauren Elizabeth Olsen
As most of you know, Nathan and I had our fist child, a baby girl, last week--Lauren Elizabeth Olsen. She was born on 12 July 2010, at 6:01pm, weighing 8.02lbs, and measuring 22" in length.
So how come we fell of the map? Well, Lauren's birth/Katy's labor was very long and stressful, due to multiple complications (two days between Katy being induced and the actual delivery, failed epidural, etc). But most importantly, Lauren was not breathing when she was delivered. Lauren was "bagged" immediately upon delivery, and then intibated shortly thereafter... Within one hour of birth, Lauren was taking her first road trip to St. Louis Children's Hospital, of which she is still a resident/patient of the NICU's Room 534.
So what does this mean for Lauren? She has been diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), which basically means that some time during pregnancy or birth, Lauren was without oxygen for an extended period of time. HIE is often linked to brain damage and other complications in babies--in Lauren's case, we do not know to what extent yet.
However, we are lucky to be stationed so close to St. Louis at this time, as Children's is a leading authority on HIE and a process they call Cooling. Cooling is a process where babies are cooled to hypothermic levels in order to reduce the amount of damage caused to the brain. When Lauren arrived at the hospital they immediately cooled her to 34.5 degrees Celsius for 72 hours. During the cooling process, some of Lauren's issues were brought to light, as she had three seizures within the first 30 hrs of her Cooling. These seizures are evidence that her brain underwent a severe shock a some time. Also, Thursday afternoon she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension--this has to do with an elevated pressure in her lungs, which disrupts blood flow to/through her lungs to the rest of the body.
As of today though, things appear to be on the up-and-up. Through many different medication combinations and medical formulas, Lauren has made drastic improvements to overcoming her pulmonary hypertension. She even had her intibation tube removed this morning at 5:00am--what a wonderful sight to see. Now we're hoping/praying for her nose cannula to be removed by the of this week (i.e. Lauren will be completely weened of oxygen). That said, as of physician's "rounds" this morning, Lauren officially no longer suffers from pulmonary hypertension--an answer to many, many prayers.
So what's the next milestone for Lauren? Her recent EEG has shown evidence of normal functions, while a head ultrasound has displayed areas of abnormal function. The "final say" and best method on analyzing if Lauren has any sort of brain injury is through an MRI and finally, through her development over the next couple years. The MRI is scheduled for this Thursday, so please keep Lauren in your prayers and hope for the best possible outcome.
We are very optimistic that the Cooling treatment helped and Lauren will be able to recovery properly. Lauren is doing much better and Katy was actually able to hold her in her arms for the first time ever yesterday evening. We anticipate this will be a long process and stay in the Children's NICU, so please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we're taking this roller coaster ride one day at a time.
So how come we fell of the map? Well, Lauren's birth/Katy's labor was very long and stressful, due to multiple complications (two days between Katy being induced and the actual delivery, failed epidural, etc). But most importantly, Lauren was not breathing when she was delivered. Lauren was "bagged" immediately upon delivery, and then intibated shortly thereafter... Within one hour of birth, Lauren was taking her first road trip to St. Louis Children's Hospital, of which she is still a resident/patient of the NICU's Room 534.
So what does this mean for Lauren? She has been diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), which basically means that some time during pregnancy or birth, Lauren was without oxygen for an extended period of time. HIE is often linked to brain damage and other complications in babies--in Lauren's case, we do not know to what extent yet.
However, we are lucky to be stationed so close to St. Louis at this time, as Children's is a leading authority on HIE and a process they call Cooling. Cooling is a process where babies are cooled to hypothermic levels in order to reduce the amount of damage caused to the brain. When Lauren arrived at the hospital they immediately cooled her to 34.5 degrees Celsius for 72 hours. During the cooling process, some of Lauren's issues were brought to light, as she had three seizures within the first 30 hrs of her Cooling. These seizures are evidence that her brain underwent a severe shock a some time. Also, Thursday afternoon she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension--this has to do with an elevated pressure in her lungs, which disrupts blood flow to/through her lungs to the rest of the body.
As of today though, things appear to be on the up-and-up. Through many different medication combinations and medical formulas, Lauren has made drastic improvements to overcoming her pulmonary hypertension. She even had her intibation tube removed this morning at 5:00am--what a wonderful sight to see. Now we're hoping/praying for her nose cannula to be removed by the of this week (i.e. Lauren will be completely weened of oxygen). That said, as of physician's "rounds" this morning, Lauren officially no longer suffers from pulmonary hypertension--an answer to many, many prayers.
So what's the next milestone for Lauren? Her recent EEG has shown evidence of normal functions, while a head ultrasound has displayed areas of abnormal function. The "final say" and best method on analyzing if Lauren has any sort of brain injury is through an MRI and finally, through her development over the next couple years. The MRI is scheduled for this Thursday, so please keep Lauren in your prayers and hope for the best possible outcome.
We are very optimistic that the Cooling treatment helped and Lauren will be able to recovery properly. Lauren is doing much better and Katy was actually able to hold her in her arms for the first time ever yesterday evening. We anticipate this will be a long process and stay in the Children's NICU, so please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we're taking this roller coaster ride one day at a time.
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