Our Growing Gloriana

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 11 days already since Gloriana came home.  Even harder to believe: our girls will be 2 months old on Saturday!  Where has the time gone?

In church on Sunday, some of you heard good news about Gloriana.  More came today.  But before I get to that, I’d like to get everyone caught up to speed.

On Friday, July 2, Gloriana was discharged from the hospital and weighed 4 lbs, 9 oz.  As we mentioned in an earlier post, the doctors really want her to gain (roughly) an ounce a day; continued failure to do so results in the eventual diagnosis of “failure to thrive.”

Last Monday, July 5, we heard discouraging news from her pediatrician – in the 3 days she was home, she didn’t gain any weight.  At all.  The doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment for three days later – the Thursday of that week.  We called Gloriana’s primary nurse from the NICU – Sue – that night to see if she had any tips so that she would eat better and start gaining.  She gave some very helpful advice, and we began to see Gloriana eat much more consistently.

Last Thursday, July 8, we had the follow-up appointment and were extremely pleased with the results: Gloriana was up to 4 lbs, 15 oz – she had gained a whopping 6 oz in three days!  We could look at it in two ways: she either was making up for those days when she didn’t gain anything or she was putting on 2 oz per day.  Either way, that was really great news!

Gloriana continued her great eating habits over the next few days.  For the last couple days, Lisa and I have been noticing how much healthier – and even bigger – Gloriana is starting to look.  She’s beginning to look less like a preemie and more like a newborn (even though she’s almost 2 months old!).

This morning a home nurse (Loreen, who we liked right away) visited.  She checked Gloriana’s vitals and her weight… and the scale showed 5 lbs, 8.5 oz!  She gained another 9.5 oz in the last 5 days – again, a near 2-oz-per-day rate!  Thanks be to God – we are SO thankful!

Gloriana continues to have occasional (every other day or so) Brady’s or apnea episodes, but it’s really hard to tell whether they really happen or whether the belt/contact is loose.  Overall, she seems very stable and continues to look more and more healthy.

Belladia looks great. =) On July 5, she weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz… and I would guess that she’s past the 7.5 pound mark by now.  She’s starting to get some substance to her.

Lisa and I are doing well… Lisa’s mom helped us from the time we came home from the hospital until this past Sunday.  We were wary of how it would go when she left, but the night’s have been okay and during the day we’ve had help from friends.  It’s incredible how God’s strength – directly from Him and indirectly through others – continues to carry us through.

We thank you again for your continued prayers; we feel so blessed.  It’s one of those days when it’s easy to say, “God is good, all the time.” =)

~Jeff