Mady is back off of her CPAP. They decided at rounds this morning that she could come off today or tomorrow and if she fussed and pulled them out today, then she could return to the nasal canula. She must have overheard this because when we went in today, just 3 hours after rounds, she had pulled it out and was back on the canula :) It's great to see her tiny face again. Last night when we got her out to kangaroo she cried so loudly because she hated that CPAP so bad. Once she got comfortable, she did so well!
We were both in today because the nurse told me the doctor wanted us to talk to him in person about Mady's repeat brain scan. This of course, scared us to death, but we felt a little better after talking to the doctor. Hopefully, I'll be able to explain this fairly well. She has a few tiny cysts on the right side of her brain in the white matter. The technical term is Periventricular Leukomalocia. It's scar tissue, but scar tissue in the brain basically creates little holes. In most cases, the brain is able to re-route the nerves around these holes. This is a very common finding in preemies and the doctor assured us that hers are very, very small. What does this mean for her? It hopefully means nothing. It can cause developmental delays and complications with motor skills. Worst cases would be mental retardation and cerebral palsy. In those worst cases though, the doctor explained that the brain looks more like swiss cheese and involves very large cysts. Upon examination, the doctor sees nothing but a normal, progressing preemie. Her muscle tone and appearance is great. It's his opinion that she will have no issues, but because we are aware of these cysts, it's something that we and our pediatrician will keep an eye on. We will keep an eye on it by watching for when she reaches her milestones such as smiling, walking, etc. We know she will be fine!!
He said both of the girls are doing really well for their gestational age and right now it's just a matter of them growing, learning to feed and maintaining their body temperatures. Emma is just coasting along!
On a side note, I talked to my doctor today and she, reluctantly, will release me to work next Wednesday barring that I still feel okay. If I start to feel worse or if it's just too much returning so early, she will write me back out of work. We discussed a shortened schedule with me leaving work at 3, so that I can spend time with the girls and still be able to go home and rest at night. Hopefully this will only be for a few weeks, as we're remaining hopeful that they'll be home in 4 weeks!
2 comments:
Go Mady GIRL!! LOVE YOU sending jersey love! You and your sister have to have some trace of your grandma's blood in you.. cause Deckers Are TROOPERS!! Can't wait to meet and hold you!
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