The last three days have been very rough for little Elizabeth. On Wednesday night she was re-intubated because of a small collapse in her right lung. Her belly was also filled with air, which compressed her lungs, so that she couldn't take deep breaths. This is a side effect of being on the CPAP.
The results of her belly ultrasound showed that her liver was O.K.
Elizabeth is still being fed, but her feeding routine has changed. She is now fed continuously. The amount of milk that she was getting previously every two hours was too much and she was getting reflux. The reflux seemed to make her heart reate and breathing decrease. So far this change has not helped. Her heart rate and breathing still fluctuate.
On Friday, she was extubated and put back on CPAP.
Due to the infection in her nose, the nurses frequently have to suction her, so that she is able to breathe. Elizabeth doesn't like that and expresses her dislike by pulling out her suction catheter. Her cries are getting noticeably louder.
Today, Elizabeth's belly was filled with air again and she seemed very uncomfortable. Her mom tried to settle her by putting a warm mini-IV bag (normally used to give medication) on her belly. This seemed to help and she was able to sleep for a while.
To help her lung development, a round of steroids (DEX) were started this afternoon and will continue for the next seven to ten days. The doctors are hopeful that the medication will start working soon. Two side effects of DEX are higher chance of developing Cerebral Palsy and no weight gain (while on the medication). If the medication works as expected, Elizabeth will be able to come off the CPAP and breathe on her own sooner.
Mom and dad can't wait until Elizabeth is feeling better and starts to gain weight...