Day 8 update - fairly smooth sailing

Lily had an ok day today - her blood oxygen level was a little volatile, I mentioned the episode in my earlier update. That hasn't happened too often, but the nurses tell us to be prepared for more. Micro-preemies' lungs are each about the size of small acorns - they need to work very hard, and sometimes they just get tired.


Lily had a few blood gas tests today - they all came back with "good" readings. Not good enough for the docs to wean her futher from the ventilator, but good enough for them not to have to turn the oxygen content above 40%. It's amazing how fixated one can get on those numbers - you have to force yourself to detach from them. Low 90s and high 80s is good - high 90s, too much oxygen, can be bad for the eyes. Anything below mid-70s is bad.

The green number on the top is heartbeats per minute. The white number is a respiratory count, and the blue number is blood oxygen content. 84 is ok. Looks like a few of Lily's IV bags are also in that picture - electrolytes, sodium chloride, emulsified fat, and azithromycin to fight what docs suspect may be a small infection in Lily's lungs.

The doctors told us that Lily was so sick when she was born, she was presumed to have sepsis; the sepsis was (hopefully) killed off with the ampicillin, but the dark areas in the x-rays of Lily's lungs may be remnants of that.

So, all said - today was a good day. Lily's blood oxygen was a little wild, but other vitals are remaining in range. We're getting more hopeful as each day passes, but still remind ourselves that we have a long road ahead of us.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and well wishes - you can see they are working miracles. Our Lily continues to defy all odds - as soon as she is on the CPAP ventilator (next stage, hopefully soon) we will post up pictures of her!