Gracie's 5th day!

Updating quick as I can so I can hopefully grab a few minutes of shut-eye before the pump or the baby calls : )

They took Avery off the ultraviolet lights and have wrapped her up like a baby burrito in a blanket that does the same thing. This girl is a flailer!! I think she looks like she enjoys it, but the nurse last night said that her "stretching" is actually just a reflex and baby's aren't that comfortable right off the bat not being enclosed in a small space (like their Mommy's tummy). So wrapped up she went. She DEF looks like she enjoys this! Her paci is huge, but she loves it. Is trying to suck on this and her fingers and anything she can get her claws on, which is a very good thing. She should have minimal trouble feeding through a bottle or through me once her bowels catch up to speed.

We spoke to her doctor this morning and he gave us this information:

• She had half a mL of bile from her stomach this morning....that is a lot less than other times, and he is encouraged by this small amount.
• Her external exam (of the hardness of her belly, if it is protrouding, etc) was normal.
• They took another x-ray of her abdomen and found that it actually looked better than the one yesterday (or the day before? See: days running together) It showed no blockages or kinks in her intestines; there is just air in her bowels that she will have to push out herself. She is still not stooling on her own, which they want to see, but it goes hand in hand with her bowels not really working 100% at the moment.
• All her labs came back normal; there are no infections in her body.
• Her platelet count is now over 100!! 
• Jaundice level has raised another point, but he assured me this is still in the "normal" range for premature baby's and they are not concerned with this. They will keep her on the lights and continue to monitor the level, but expected to see this. If she was eating and stooling on her own, the levels would be way down a lot faster.
• All signs point to her just having an immature bowel. Her body isn't used to having to do all this on her own, so it's taking a little while to get everything in order. They will restart her feedings on my breastmilk tomorrow morning and see how it goes from there. She currently weighs 2 pounds and 13 oz- still normal for a baby at her gestational age. 
• They will have to start the PICC line today, probably this afternoon. Her veins are getting harder to find and God knows, I do not want them to have to continue to stick her every day if they don't have to . She has these dark bruises on her hands and feet, and it breaks my heart. So this, while still scary, seems to be the best option for us right now. The doctor said that they will be able to push more IV fluid and nutrients to her through this as opposed to the regular IV. They will monitor her closely and if she begins to exhibit symptoms of infection, we will go from there. 

I guess that is all so far for today...I will let everyone know how the insertion of the PICC line went as soon as they do it. I feel peace about all these results today, and continue to pray that the upward trend of her health stays steady. 

Prayer Requests

That God will watch over Avery and the nurses and doctors who put in her PICC line today, and that there will be no infection or problems associated with this procedure.

That there will be no residual bile found in her stomach from here on out, and that when we begin feeding her tomorrow, her bowels will be able to accept Mom's milk to the nourishment of her body. We need her to start putting on that weight!

That all her bloodwork and levels continue to be going the way they need to go (platelets up, jaundice levels down, blood sugar steady, no infections). 

That our baby continues to be happy and healthy!!

Above all, we give all the glory to God in this situation. I know that He is taking care of our Gracie, and will continue to heal her body so that she can come home with Mom and Dad when the time is right. When I feel hopeless about her being here for a month or two or longer, I feel His strength and peace wash over me...I know that I don't have to worry about what is going to happen to my daughter. He already has set a plan for her and is blessing her every single day. I believe in His mercy, I believe in His grace, and I believe most of all in the power of prayer. I am literally blown away and humbled and brought to my knees over the sheer amount of people, strangers, praying for us and for Avery. I thank you for these; they are working and God is working miracles!