28 ounces: Alexi's Story (Part 2)

LEXI IS HOME!

Hey guys!!! Sorry it took so long to send an update out. LEXI IS HOME!!! She came home August 27th and she was sent home on a monitor that alarms if her heart rate drops or is too high or if she has an apnea spell.
Lexi had her first doctor appointment with the pediatrician last week and he said that besides her being tiny, she looks nice and healthy! She weighed 3 lb 13.5 oz and was 15 1/2 inches long!
Lexi also had an appointment with the eye doctor and she has stage 1 ROP- retinopathy of prematurity.
Lexi had a follow up appointment today with the eye doctor and she said that she is pleased with how her eyes are looking. The ROP is even more mild than it was last week. There is a real good chance that she will outgrow the disease and have no lasting effects from it.
Monday is another appointment with the pediatrician and they are going to give her the first set of immunizations and vaccines. I cannot wait to see how much she weighs at this appointment! I have to wake Lexi every three hours to eat, but she has been wanting food halfway in between feedings a lot, and I'm assuming that means she is going through a growth spurt.
She is a great baby! Poor thing, though, she is very gassy, I've been going through lots of gas drops, which seem to help her a lot.
Well, Lexi is starting to wake up. I will promise to try and update you all more frequently! I'm so glad she's home!!!!

September 11, 2006
Hey guys! Lexi had her 2 month check up and got her 3 shots today. She was not happy at all! I got sick over it too, my stomach was so upset by the time everything was all said and done. But it’s over now, thank goodness!
The doctor said that Lexi looks like a nice healthy baby! Her weight is up to 4 lb. 15 oz!!! One more ounce and she's a 5 pounder!!!! And she is 16 1/2 inches long.
Just wanted to let you all know how she's turning into a little chub!

October 7, 2006
Hi guys, sorry it’s taken so long to update. As you can imagine, I have been really busy! Lexi is off of her apnea monitor. She came off of her monitor on September 26th, the day after my original due date. The doctor said that she had no true episodes of apnea, just false alarms due to her breathing shallow and he is very pleased with her progress!
The ROP (retinal eye disease) is almost completely gone and the doctor said that Lexi most likely outgrow it completely (she is 99% sure) with no residual side effects!
Lexi now weighs 6 lbs 8 oz and the doctor said she is really healthy! Lexi has developed a slight case of colic though. She is fussy most times that she is awake and there is not really much that helps to calm her. The dr said to just hold her and swaddle her as much as possible. My mom suggested I get a snuggli (baby carrier that you wear) and I have. I got it yesterday. So far it is working great! Lexi is sleeping right now while I am wearing it. She looks so sweet and peaceful!
Lexi is going to be starting her first round in a series of 7 shots of the drug synagis which is to help her out during this winter with the RSV virus. Its an upper respiratory virus which can be dangerous, even deadly in babies, especially preemies. She gets her first shot on October 19th. The only side effect that she should have is a sore leg from where she got the shot and I am allowed to give her a little Tylenol before she gets her shot to help ease the pain.
I really can't complain here, Lexi is doing awesome and she is truly a little miracle! She is healthy as ever! And as fussy as she is I have stocked up on Tylenol and am just waiting for her to grow out of it, and the doctor said that she should within a couple of months.

October 19, 2006
Lexi had her eyes checked on Monday for the Retinopathy of Prematurity that she has been dealing with. It is gone!!! The eye doctor was very pleased with what she saw, said that Lexi's eyes are perfect and look just like newborn eyes! We don't have to go for another eye checkup until 6 months from now.
Tuesday Lexi rolled over for the first time! She was laying on her tummy with her hands under her chest, so she had a bit of help to begin with, but it counts for going in the baby book.
Today Lexi had her pediatrician appointment for her Synagis shot (shot to help out with RSV season- nasty bronchial respiratory infection that lands many infants in the hospital). She will get the shots every 28-31 days all the way into March or April. She did real well with the shot. I gave her some Tylenol first and it helped her to sleep a bit afterwards. Poor girl, she was exhausted after the shot.
Lexi weighs 6 lb 12 oz now and is 18 3/4 inches long. She's fitting into some of her newborn clothes now, and outgrowing those preemie clothes finally! She is sleeping for longer periods of time now, about 4 hours at a time and eating more too. Lexi is also wanting to play more and she loves her play mat that has the toy bar. She is starting to interact a whole lot more now and is so much fun! I love watching her look at everything so curiously! She is not very colicky now (well... as of a couple of days ago, I won't press my luck just yet).

October 26, 2006
Not much of an update really, nothing too new. You will see in the pictures though that Lexi is so curious now, and she smiles, and likes to play a bit too!

November 6, 2006
Hi guys!! Lexi turned 4 months old on Friday, and she had her 4 month check up and shots. She did much better this time with her shots.
Lexi weighs 7 lb 11.5 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long now. She is healthy as a horse, and she is progressing fast! The pediatrician is very pleased with her growth and maturity. Lexi is getting to hold her head up for a little while now on her own, and she is smiling true smiles… and she just might be in the very beginning stages of teething. She is drooling a lot more than before and is starting to chew on everything. We were given the go ahead to start trying rice cereal!

November 11, 2006
Hey guys! I'm excited to report that Lexi had her first bite of single grain rice cereal on Wednesday! It was very messy feeding her with a spoon, but we had fun.
Now that Lexi is eating cereal, she will be packing on the pounds... she's going to be a chunky monkey before we know it! She is just an absolute joy! Lexi is talking a lot more, she loves to hear her own voice. Haha! No complaints here. I just wish I could see everyone in person so I can show off my little princess. She is just beautiful!

November 22, 2006
Last Thursday Lexi had her doctor appointment for her RSV shot (respiratory virus vaccine), and she did real well with the shot. She only cried for a couple of minutes, and then the poor thing slept for 2 days. Lexi now weighs 8 lb 9 oz and is still healthy as ever. The pediatrician gave us the go ahead to start her on fruits and veggies and her first fruit she tried was bananas. She really liked the bananas. She has also just tried pears yesterday and likes them too. Lexi wants cereal in all of her bottles now, she's a little piggy. The cereal is awesome!!! I am now able to get a 6 hour stretch of sleep, which is the best thing ever!

November 27, 2006
We had a great Thanksgiving! Lexi got to visit with a lot of family. She had a very busy but fun Thanksgiving holiday and she's worn out!
So far Lexi has tried bananas, applesauce, prunes, and sweet potatoes. She loves the bananas, likes the applesauce after she gets over the initial tartness, is not too sure about the sweet potatoes yet, and absolutely does not like the prunes one bit. I have been feeding her a little bit of the food with the spoon, which she does real well with, and will make her smoothies with her formula, cereal and fruit. She chows down big time on the smoothies.
Lexi is now using the baby bath tub that goes inside of the regular tub... I call it the big girl bath tub... and she loves it!

December 6, 2006
Lexi was sick on Monday with a tummy bug. She didn't eat much all day and what she did eat came right back up. Yesterday she slept a lot, and was a bit crabby, but today she is back to her charming self and eating like a little piggy.
Lexi is getting so big! Well, as far as weight goes, I don't know how much she weighs. Maybe around 9 1/2 lb or so. She is rolling over more, and trying so hard to crawl a little, or at least to move. She is one strong little girl! Lexi is always happy, smiles at everything, and talks away like nobody's business.

December 11, 2006
First off, Lexi is feeling much better from last week's tummy bug. She is so over it. She has been crabby, and I thought it was because she was still feeling a bit woozy, but it is because she is teething now. I've been rubbing her gums with Orajel, giving her a bit of Tylenol here and there, and giving her cold wet wash cloths to chew on. The teething toys are too big for her tiny little mouth.
Lexi is now 5 months, 1 week and 1 day old and her adjusted age is 2 months 2 weeks and 2 days old. (adjusted age is age she would have been if full term, going by my due date of 9-25); She is a little bit ahead of schedule if going by the adjusted age to be teething, but she is pretty much on target from what I have read if going by her actual age. Lexi has actually been almost on target for a lot of milestones from reading about what to expect and when for newborns. She is very strong in her legs, and is able to stand with some assistance for a few seconds at a time (lightly holding her waist), she can roll over from tummy to back with almost no problem now, she follows objects with her eyes, she looks at you when you talk to her.
Lexi is grabbing things like my shirt, batting at toys, talking up a storm and using many different sounds. She is an extremely smart baby, and I'm not JUST saying that because she's my daughter, but because she is on target for her real age and ahead of schedule for her adjusted age. She's acting like a full term baby. I can gush about Lexi all day long. We are just so incredibly proud of her and feel so blessed this holiday season to have a happy healthy baby. ->

28 ounces: Alexi's Story (Part 1)

November 17th is Prematurity Awareness Day. I am sure everyone has heard of the March of Dimes Foundation and seen the advertisements regarding premature babies, however until you have had encountered one of these tiny miracles first hand, you will never fully grasp just how precious life really is.
On July 3, 2006, I gave birth to my daughter Alexi. I knew from early on in my pregnancy that Alexi would be premature, but I never could have imagined that she would be born at 28 weeks, weighing in at only 1 pound 12 ounces and measuring 13 inches long.
I had just found out earlier the year before that I had developed Membranous Glomerulonephritis, a kidney disease specifically related to Lupus. My nephrologist wanted to put me on heavy chemotherapy drugs, however warned me of infertility. I was given two options: start the medications or start a family. I chose to start a family. Please join me in my journey from Alexi's first breath to her first birthday.

NICU DAYS
First day in this world- click here for video

July 11, 2006
Alexi's only 1 lb and something ounces... so she's a tiny little bugger! I got to hold her yesterday! Alexi is doing really well, she is off a lot of her tubes and wires!

July 13, 2006
Alexi is 10 days old. She had a very minor setback to where she is back on her CPAP (the oxygen), but she is breathing mostly on her own. Lexi is only on it to help her so she doesn't have to work so hard. The doctors are adding some extra calories to my milk to help her gain more weight. And they have her lying on a wedge to help with acid reflux. Lexi is a fighter though, and she is doing real well!!
I got to hold her today for 45 minutes, and she let out all sorts of little coos, it was sooo cute!! I will be able to hold her more once she reaches 1,000 grams, and we can't wait!

July 15, 2006
Lexi had a tiny bit of a set back today; she is on antibiotics due to a slight infection. She will be alright, but she needs to just get over this little bit of infection that she is battling. The nurses said that she will probably be on antibiotics for just a couple of days.
I held Lexi for an hour today, and it was great. She was so content just cooing away. Lexi is now 1 lb 10.6 oz. She's almost back up to birth weight.

July 21, 2006
Alexi is 2 weeks and 4 days old. Since she's been born, she has had 2 blood transfusions (one on July 6th and one on July 17th) and a platelet transfusion (July 6th). Both transfusions have been successful and for the second transfusion, she received her dad’s blood!
Lexi was put on antibiotics last week for a slight infection, but is better now, and her last round of antibiotics was today at 4pm. She is through with the antibiotics. Lexi lost a little bit of weight at first and was having a hard time keeping weight on. She was not completely digesting her food either, but as of two days ago, things are turning around and looking better! All of her food is being digested, and she is tolerating her feedings well, and she is gaining weight now!
Tuesday Lexi was finally above her birth weight- 1 lb 12.2 oz. Wednesday she was 1 lb 13.4 oz and as of today she was 1 lb 14 ounce. She is doing very well and the nurses and NICU doctors are pleased with her progress at this time. Lexi is getting some cheeks and even a little bit of a chin!!!

Lexi will be able to come home most likely in the middle of September. They do not determine when she can come home based on her weight, but on her progress. Even when she comes home from the hospital, we are going to have to be careful with her for a while. The nurses were saying that Lexi's immune system is very weak and she will be coming home from the hospital during flu season. She will be a candidate for a special shot for preventing the flu which will be given monthly. It's recommended that she stay away from large crowds until the end of flu season and to make sure that whoever comes in contact with Lexi is healthy.
I go into the NICU to see Lexi at 2pm and 8pm every day. At the 2pm feeding I stand there looking at her, she holds my finger and I talk to her. She is so cute, she just looks at me and it’s amazing that my voice can be so soothing to her. At the 8pm feeding, I get to hold her for an hour. I love this time. I sit there with her and hold her so close, and I just talk to her. She makes all sorts of coos and she sneezes and just all those baby sounds make me melt.

July 23, 2006
Lexi is doing well. Her weight is up to 2 lbs 0.8 oz as of today, and she keeps on gaining. She is still doing well and her feedings are up to a half ounce each feeding. I can see Lexi starting to fill out a little!

July 26, 2006
Lexi is doing really well and gaining weight a lot quicker now. It seems once she hit the 2 lb mark, she started gaining quicker. The beginning of the week Lexi was 2 lb 0.8oz. She went up to 2 lb 2 oz...2 lb 3.9 oz...2 lb 4.8 oz... and today she is up to 2 lb 5.6 oz. The doctors are really pleased with her progress so far. We are finally able to hold Alexi twice a day now because she has gained enough weight.
Lexi gets a shot of Procrit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to help her make red blood cells. Preemies have a hard time making red blood cells on their own and this drug will help prevent Lexi from needing to get another blood transfusion. The doctors said that too many transfusions could result in her rejecting the transfusions later, so they like to save the transfusions for when they are absolutely needed.
I am starting to get my symptoms of lupus back, and need to go back on my medication. I am unable to breastfeed because the medicine passes into the milk and there is contraversy over whether or not it could cause dammage to the retina.
We have decided to go through a milk donation center to get breastmilk for Alexi. The lactation nurse, NICU doctor and nurse at the hospital spoke with me about the pros of giving Lexi breastmilk vs just formula so we feel confident in our decision to use donor milk.
With breastmilk, Lexi will most likely be able to come home from the hospital sooner. Breastmilk helps with allergies, colds and upper respiratory diseases, helps to prevent bowel problems common in preemies, helps to give them immunity and a whole host of other things.

August 6, 2006
Lexi is up to 2 lbs 8.4 oz today and has been doing really well. They keep having to turn her isolette bed down because she is starting to be able to maintain her own temperature a little better. Her nasal cannula (the oxygen prongs in her nose) is turned down also to 0.25, which is real low, almost non existant. Her weight has been slowly getting up there. When Lexi reaches 1300 grams, we will be able to hold her at every feeding. Right now we are only able to hold her twice a day. Also, soon they are going to try bottle feeding on Lexi. I told the nurses that they NEED to contact me when they are going to do so. I don't care what time of day or night it is, I want to be there.
We painted Lexi’s room light purple last week and put it all together and decorated it this week. It is sooo cute!! I Now, since we put her room together, I've been a little bit depressed. I just can't wait for her to come home. Only one and a half more months, hopefully sooner! I wish that the time would just fly by.
We picked out a pediatrician the other day. And we looked at car seats and strollers. Because Lexi is going to be under 5 lbs when she gets discharged from the NICU, she needs a car seat that is designed for 4 lb babies. We found one that we will be getting at Babies R Us.
And then today we took an infant CPR class. We've been real busy trying to get everything done!

August 11, 2006
Lexi started bottle feeding this past Monday, and we are feeding her by bottle twice a day. She still has her feeding tube in, but she's giving bottle feeding her best effort.
Lexi has also been taken off of her nasal cannula (oxygen) and is breathing completely on her own. It's so good to be able to see her without all of this stuff all over her!!! They took the oxygen off of her on Wednesday night. And.... Lexi had her first bath too!
Lexi is really starting to get her own personality. If she doesn't like something, she will let you know! It's soo funny! And she smiles (or maybe its gas), and wrinkles her nose at us. Lexi is up on her weight too! She had a big jump in weight from yesterday to today. Yesterday she was 2 lb. 10.6 oz, and today she is up to 2 lb 13.3 oz!

August 16, 2006
Lexi is doing awesome! She's getting to be a big girl... meaning more mature. The doctors are really impressed with how well she is doing. Weight wise, she's still a little peanut but she's coming along!
Lexi is up to 3 lb 3.3 today! Yesterday she had a little bit of quick breathing, and the drs checked her out. They said that she has a little bit of a heart murmur, but it is nothing to get very worried about. The drs are just going to keep an eye on it, and said that lots of people have heart murmurs. Most of the time it is no big deal. She hasn't had any more episodes of quick breathing since.
Lexi is now taking the bottle at every feeding and she loves her bottle. She is usually finished with her bottle within 15 minutes. The doctors said that Lexi will most likely get her feeding tube taken out within a week. They just want to make sure that she continues to tolerate the bottle feedings before they take the tube out.
Lexi has quite a reputation here at the NICU. She's known as a little feisty one. And the nurses love it. They all fight over who gets to take care of her. They said that she's got a cute little personality :)

August 21, 2006
Lexi is doing great! I had some cute pictures so I just wanted to send them out. She is going to be home in a couple of weeks and we are so excited! I can't wait!
Lexi is up to 3 lb 6.6 oz tonight and she's a little piggy, she loves her bottles! She was still hungry tonight after she was finished with her bottle.
Not much else to report, just that she's a feisty little thing! ->