Daddy Changed His First Diaper! (and more updates)

I'm about to go visit Harper again in just a minute, but I wanted to post a quick update. I know a lot of people are checking the blog to see what the latest information is. Sorry it's taken me so long today. It's been a busier day than anticipated, but it's all good stuff.

Today Harper is doing really well and showing signs of improvement. Let me clarify one thing that I myself didn't entirely understand. Harper was never on a ventilator nor has she been dependant on a machine to do her breathing for her. She's always been breathing on her own and has always been in an open-air crib in the NICU. She just needs some extra oxygen at certain times because her vitals tend to dip when she gets stressed or upset.

TODAY, however - Jon and I went and visited her this morning to drop off some breastmilk and she was a very unhappy baby. The nurse was about to change her IV so we couldn't stay. We waited in the waiting room feeling very discouraged that she didn't seem to be starting off her day so well. But they called us right back in as soon as they inserted her new IV and had us very involved in all the other things they needed to do. Both Jon and I got to help as they took out her old IV in her head - it was getting a little red, and they said that tends to happen, so they moved it to her hand. Jon and I comforted her while they removed the tape and things from her head, and remarkably she stayed pretty calm the whole time. Then the nurse asked me if I would like to change her diaper, so of course I got over to that side as quick as my stiff and tired body would allow, and she let me change her!! And Harper was calm and quiet!!! I never thought I'd be so happy to change a poopy diaper in my life! And I was really surprised at how comfortable I felt handling her even with her being hooked up to various things. She did great!!! Once her diaper was on, the nurse had us help her with putting the oxygen mask back on and getting her settled back in. Needless to say it was a great ending to the visit and the nurse commented on how Harper had NEVER been that calm ever when they had handled her. Jon and I walked away feeling SO BLESSED that our little girl was so content to have us there.

We came back for a little rest in the room, and Jon really wanted to get me outside to see the beautiful day and get some fresh air, which was WONDERFUL!! He got a great workout pushing me around! It was a nice little break that was definitely appreciated.

We went right back up to see Harper after that and she had just been moved around again since they were changing her mask and things. We were prepared for her to be a bit upset since this is the stuff she hates most. They did a foot prick, changed her mask, and then it was time for another diaper change which I couldn't wait to see Jon do. He of course gladly jumped in to try, and as you'll see by the pictures, he did a FANTASTIC job. It was his very first diaper change and it was on his little girl. He too didn't hesitate at all even though she was hooked up to the machines. I was so proud of him and he looked like a pro. And she stayed very quiet the whole time again!

We were fortunate to be in the NICU this morning and watched the Doctor do his assessment on her, which he talked to us all through and helped us understand things a bit more. They have detected a heart murmur, which he said is not uncommon at all in preemies, but they do not want to medicate her as they really want to try to see if she works it out on her own. Most tend to do great and simply outgrow murmurs, so they're anticipating that's what will happen with Harper. Also, they still haven't given her the lung medicine to help her breathe easier on her own since they're also hoping she will start to improve and produce it herself. Really, the only times she needs extra help is when she gets upset and it seems now that those episodes are becoming fewer and farther between, which is fantastic news. Harper is still not an any medication at all - Praise God! She is on an enriched IV fluid that has extra vitamins for her, but that is being decreased as her feedings are being increased. Today she was bumped up from 6 ml every 3 hours to 12 ml every 3 hours, which I'm thrilled about. She is being fed through a feeding tube, but as you can see in some of the pictures, they pour the breastmilk into an open-air syringe that's hung up by some tape, and they simply let gravity push it into her stomach. Occasionally some comes back up, but eventually she works it all down there. And she sucks the pacifier all the time, so they don't think she'll have a problem feeding when I actually get to nurse her, which makes me feel very relieved.


**NEXT PARAGRAPH - TMI ALERT**

Overall, we are very encouraged by today in so many ways. I won't go into too many details as I fear it is Too Much Information for some of you out there, but I have become the talk of the nursing staff AND NICU staff since the volume of breastmilk I've been able to pump has far exceeded the norm that they get from new moms. I really feel like it is just one of the ways God has blessed us since we truly feel so helpless to do anything for her - but that this nourishment seems like the simplest thing to provide, yet so many struggle to do so. And my milk hasn't even truly come in yet, so still all I'm pumping is Colostrum. We are truly thankful (and amazed) at how easy that's been for us. The lactation staff here has already talked to me about possibly signing up to be a donor for those babies who could really use breastmilk but don't have it and since this hospital just became a drop-off site, I'm really excited about looking into it.

**TMI ALERT OVER**

Here are the latest pics from today. They might seem a little disturbing because of all the equipment she's hooked up to. Her eyes are also a little puffy from the IV fluid, as are her knees. We did get one GREAT picture of her today without anything on her face, but I have to wait for Jon to send it from his phone since we didn't have our camera. Yes, we will plan on bringing our camera to every visit from now on. We've learned our lesson!!

Enjoy these, and please do not be alarmed. She truly is doing great. If nothing else, enjoy the smile on Jon's face and know that we are so encouraged and thrilled by our little girl. And definitely notice the level of concentration he's got while changing the diaper!!! I love it!