Not so fast.

Sydney decided she had enough of the ventilator. She self-extubated early Sunday morning by pulling away from the tubing. Syd had been making progress prior to this, so they let her try CPAP.

When we arrived at the NICU she had her new head set which looks like scuba gear. When her nurse took her out of the isolette they removed the head gear. We could see Sydney's face without the ventilation equipment.

Stephanie got to kangaroo with her for a little while. Unfortunately all of the excitement must have been a little to much for her. Her nurse decided it would be best to intubate her again. We agreed, and the respiratory therapist was called back in to put a tube back in. She had outgrown her old one, so a larger one was used this time. This will help her breath a little easier now, and in a week or so they will try CPAP again.

One Kilogram

Sydney passed the one kilogram (2 lbs 2 ounces) mark on Sunday the 23rd. She has been handling her food well, which we are happy about. Hitting this milestone of one kilogram means that we are able to kangaroo with Sydney everyday as long as she behaves. The Dr is using a dieratic to help dry out the fluid around her lungs which will help her become stronger and more stable on the ventalator.

Two Pounds

Sydney reached a milestone at her weigh in this evening. She weighs 910 grams (2lbs .02 oz). We are so excited. Gaining weight will help her get stronger to start breathing on her own. Sydney is definitely a fiesty one, she self extabated herself on Monday. While turning her head to the other side, her ventillator tube came out. Sydney is a strong little girl able to move her head around and keeps a tight grip on not only your hand, but also the ventillator tube! The nurses need to keep a close watch on Sydney!!

Happy Hanukkah Sydney!

Sydney celebrated her first Hanukkah in the NICU. All of the nurses asked us to bring in decorations for her. One of the nurses made a Hanukkah picture from Sydney to Mom and Dad of her footprints.

Grandma and Papa Egel gave Sydney her Hanukkah bears and decorations for her isolette. Roz and Jerry gave Sydney a cute little doll which giggles when you squeeze it. The nurses took a picture of Sydney with her doll! Sydney looks forward to Grandma's visits everyday for her "new outfit" and of course to spend time with Grandma.

Nana Katz made Sydney an adorable isolette cover which is the hit of the NICU. Auntie Heidi keeps Sydney in style with her adorable knitted hats.

Weight gain

Things have remained relatively stable with Sydney. She does struggle with the ventillator, but is able to correct this herself most of the time. This is fairly normal for baby's of her age and size. She had another blood transfusion which will also help her. Once she is bigger and stronger it will get less difficult for her to breath.

Sydney has done well with feeding. She now gets 30 calories every four hours and weighs 855 grams, or 1lb 14oz. Getting to one kilo (1000 grams, or 2.2lbs) is a large millstone for her that we are eagerly awaiting. At that size the Dr's will let her be held everyday as long as she is doing well on the ventillator.

3 weeks!

Sydney has now been in the NICU for three weeks. She had another good weight gain last night, and is now 769 grams (1 lb 11 oz). Dad got to Kangaroo for a while last night, and Syd behaved herself. Nana and Papa Katz visited for awhile, and got to see Sydney out of her isolette.

We have added a image gallery to the blog. It is hosted over on flickr, and can be seen by following the link. We will try and upload pictures as we get new ones.

Sydney's pictures on flickr!

Technical stuff.

We will try and keep most of the technical aspects of Sydney's time in NICU off this page. However a good place to get up to speed on some of the terms, and techniques would be the Wiki.

Premature Birth
NICU
Isolette
The Vent
Kangaroo Care
PDA

In the future we will try and link to outside information when appropriate. We hope this helps explain some of the NICU terms that are used.

Care time.

Sydney has care time every four hours. During this time she is fed, changed, and her temp is taken. She may also have some medicine, or vitamins administered. We often change her diaper, and take her temperature during these times. At her 8pm care time she is taken out of her isolette, and weighed. While she is out, they will remake her nest with fresh linens.

This is one of our favorite times, it is much easier to see and touch her while she is on the scale. She will hold our hand as we clean her face. It's always an exciting time as we watch to see if she gained weight. It's funny how just a few grams can brighten a day.

During this care time we can also hold Sydney. This is called "Kangaroo care". They will set up powerful lights to help keep her warm. They will give us a mirror to use so that you can look and see what the baby is doing. It usually lasts around 45min to an 1hr. Sydney usually determines when it is over. She has her way of saying its time to go back. Right now we can Kangaroo every other night. As Sydney gets bigger, and stronger we can do it more often. She really enjoys Kangarooing, as its an opportunity to take a nap on Mom or Dad

The BI NICU.

When we got to see Sydney for the first time in the NICU it was about 4am Wednesday morning, November 21st. She was under a heater, on a small table. She had a ventilation tube in her mouth, an umbilical monitor in her belly button and an IV line. She was covered in a gel to help keep moisture in, and protect her skin.

In spite of all this she looked and acted like any normal baby. She squeezed my hand, and opened her eyes. She kicked and cried, however she made no noise because of the ventilator tube in her throat.

Over the next few days Sydney would have tests to check her head and lungs. She had a central IV put in to administer antibiotics, nutrients, lipids and other drugs to help get her little immature systems working. One of the drugs was used to close a valve in her heart. Once it was closed they began to feed her food.

Once Sydney was able to feed, the nurses in the NICU began to increase how much food she got. Now she only feeds on milk. The Dr has removed her central line, so all nutrients come from the milk. Sydney has done well with her feedings. She is past her birth weight after two weeks. Her birth weight was 723 grams, she got as low as 609, and on 12/8 she was 729 grams.

Sydney has a long way to go. She will likely be in the NICU until her due date of Feb 27th. It could be more or less time. It is all up to her. Right now she needs to eat and rest. She needs to get big and strong to handle breathing on her own. Stephanie and I appreciate everyones support, and will keep you updated on her progress.

The back story.

Some of you might not know how we got here. On Nov 18th, 2007 Stephanie started having contractions and complications, while away on a girls weekend with her mother and sister. The doctor thought it was best for her to go to Beth Israel Hospital to get checked out. By 10:30 am Sunday we were in a room on the Labor & Delivery ward. Not exactly what we expected that weekend.

One of the first things they did was administer a shot of steroids for the baby. A two part course that is intended to help the baby get ready in case of delivery. They also gave Stephanie magnesium in an attempt to stop the contractions. For two days the Dr's worked to figure out why early labor was coming on. Nothing obvious ever showed itself. By Tuesday, things had settled down enough for them to start talking about bed rest, or a possible extended hospital stay. Things appeared to have stabilized.

At 12am Wednesday, November 21st Stephanie's water broke in a room on the high risk floor at the hospital. The Dr felt her body was doing what needed to be done, and that we should proceed with the delivery. By 2:51am our daughter Sydney Gabriella was born, 26 weeks gestation, 12.6 inches long, 1lb 9.6 oz (723 grams). Sydney gave an attempt at a cry, managing to squeak out her announcement of existence to the room. The NICU team let Stephanie hold her for a second, then whisked her away. It would be another hour or so before we would see our daughter again.

What's this all about?

TeamKatz decided it was best to start a blog for those interested in tracking the progress of Sydney. We will update as much as we can, so check back for updates.

Thanks the Katz family.