the Last Mile
Here we are. We have made it through the toughest part. Ruthie is "out of the woods" so to speak. She is no longer in critical condition. We are still in the Intensive Care Unit but she is no longer a critical patient. She looks fine. Well, I mean she doesn't appear sick. She looks nice and chunky. She has no tubes sticking out of her. (right now anyway... they may have to put her feeding tube back in. We're not sure how she'll eat the next few days.) Jimmy said it best today when we talked on the phone. We have been running a marathon and we are on the last mile.
Ruthie is a champion. Two weeks ago, she had a nurse named Barb. Barb took care of Ruthie several days. Then, she went on vacation for 2 weeks. Today was her first day back and she was nearly in tears at the accomplishments Ruthie had made. Barb's been a nurse in the newborn ICU for years and years...She won't tell us how long exactly.... She said today she's never seen anything like it. Ruthie is a real over-achiever!
Now, the last mile... Feeding. She has been given her food (milk) through a feeding tube since she was born. We have now started her on a bottle. She has to work for her food. She can now breath on her own. But, not only does she need to breath, but she has to eat too. It is interesting thing... she has to get into a pattern of eating and breathing at the same time. It generally takes a preemie weeks to learn this vital skill. Ruthie has been working on it for about a week and a half. She is doing well. She is taking about 85 % of what she needs. If we can get her endurance up and she's taking all her food without tiring out, we can go home. We want to go home but we want to take home a little girl who knows how to eat. The last thing I want is to be back here in two weeks because Ruthie can't eat correctly. We need to set her up for a win. So, we're letting her set the pace in this last mile.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support. Here's the latest picture of tube-less Ruthie.
the Last Mile
Here we are. We have made it through the toughest part. Ruthie is "out of the woods" so to speak. She is no longer in critical condition. We are still in the Intensive Care Unit but she is no longer a critical patient. She looks fine. Well, I mean she doesn't appear sick. She looks nice and chunky. She has no tubes sticking out of her. (right now anyway... they may have to put her feeding tube back in. We're not sure how she'll eat the next few days.) Jimmy said it best today when we talked on the phone. We have been running a marathon and we are on the last mile.
Ruthie is a champion. Two weeks ago, she had a nurse named Barb. Barb took care of Ruthie several days. Then, she went on vacation for 2 weeks. Today was her first day back and she was nearly in tears at the accomplishments Ruthie had made. Barb's been a nurse in the newborn ICU for years and years...She won't tell us how long exactly.... She said today she's never seen anything like it. Ruthie is a real over-achiever!
Now, the last mile... Feeding. She has been given her food (milk) through a feeding tube since she was born. We have now started her on a bottle. She has to work for her food. She can now breath on her own. But, not only does she need to breath, but she has to eat too. It is interesting thing... she has to get into a pattern of eating and breathing at the same time. It generally takes a preemie weeks to learn this vital skill. Ruthie has been working on it for about a week and a half. She is doing well. She is taking about 85 % of what she needs. If we can get her endurance up and she's taking all her food without tiring out, we can go home. We want to go home but we want to take home a little girl who knows how to eat. The last thing I want is to be back here in two weeks because Ruthie can't eat correctly. We need to set her up for a win. So, we're letting her set the pace in this last mile.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support. Here's the latest picture of tube-less Ruthie.
Here we are. We have made it through the toughest part. Ruthie is "out of the woods" so to speak. She is no longer in critical condition. We are still in the Intensive Care Unit but she is no longer a critical patient. She looks fine. Well, I mean she doesn't appear sick. She looks nice and chunky. She has no tubes sticking out of her. (right now anyway... they may have to put her feeding tube back in. We're not sure how she'll eat the next few days.) Jimmy said it best today when we talked on the phone. We have been running a marathon and we are on the last mile.