One Year Old!!

Sydney turned one on November 21st! What a year we had. Sydney has done so well these past few months and has overcome so much. Sydney is a really happy baby and has the most amazing smile and laugh. She can really light up a room. 

We are looking forward to a great year ahead for Sydney.  Most of all having Sydney home with us for the holidays this year and sharing special times together with our family and friends.  

10 Months Old!!!

Sydney is now over 10 months old. She is doing great, sitting up on her own and beginning to talk! We can't believe she will be a year old in November. Sydney is very active, she takes a variety of classes which she loves. Swimming, playgroups, yoga, and music which is one of her favorites!

Syd has made lots of new friends along the way, but has not forgotten her old ones. She made a visit back the BIDMC NICU to visit all the special people who helped her. It was nice to be a visitor, and not a resident on the floor.

Little Miss Personality!

Sydney has made so much progress since her discharge from the hospital on April 7th. She is getting bigger and stronger and now weighs 13lbs 6 ounces! We went to Children's Hospital for Sydney to be tested to come off daytime oxygen. She passed her test and we are in the process of weaning her off. It is so exciting for us to see her beautiful face without the canula on.

Her personality comes out more and more each day. She is laughing and smiling. Sydney loves her playmat and playing with all her toys, especially looking at herself in the mirror.

It is not uncommon for Syd to sleep through the night now. Sometimes mom has to wake her up to start her day. Sydney loves to go out to eat, and participate in play groups.

Sydney is working hard at becoming stronger by exercising. She does tummy time, and lots of stretches. Syd also sits in her bumbo seat which helps build her core and neck muscles.

Syd has come such a long way since her delivery. She never stops amazing us with her spunky attitude, and fiesty will. She is always talking, and letting us know what she wants, even if we don't know what she is saying.

One month later...

Sydney has been home for a little over a month now. She continues to grow and put on weight. She now weighs over 10lbs. She has a good appetite and has gotten better at eating. She will still make a mess, but she is much more coordinated when she eats.

Sydney has been busy since getting home. She has lots of appointments with Dr's. They like to keep track of her progress as she grows and develops. Syd is very aware and observant now, listening, and smiling when you talk to her.

Syd sleeps in her crib like a big girl. She usually only gets up once at night to eat. Its not so bad now that she eats a little better. After her late night snack Sydney likes to listen to lullaby songs that Aunt Heidi gave her on her ipod.

Now that the nice weather has arrived Sydney has been getting out much more. She likes to shop with mom, or go for walks on nice days. Getting around is a little difficult with an oxygen tank and monitor. Sydney is bigger and stronger, but still needs some help breathing. The Dr's will keep watching Syd until she is able to do it on her own.

It has been a big adjustment coming home with oxygen and adjusting to Sydney's ever changing schedule. Sydney is doing her job, eating, sleeping and growing. She is keeping us on our toes, and we are loving it.

Discharged!

April 7th Sydney was discharged from the NICU. Her stay lasted 137 days. When she arrived on Nov 21st 2007 she weighted 1lb 9oz, the day she left she was 8lbs 60z.

Sydney ate her breakfast and got to take one last bath at the hospital. We loaded her into her car seat and said our goodbyes to the staff. Syd's primary nurse made a special trip in to see her off. Going to the hospital had become so much of our life for so long. It will be a big change adjusting to having our daughter home.

Sydney slept the ride home without a peep. She is adjusting to the new sights and sounds that go along with not being in the hospital. Mom and Dad are also adjusting to our new schedules. We already know that as soon as we adjust, she will change the rules again.

We want to thank the staff at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. They were incredible, and helped Sydney in so many ways throughout her time there. The doctors, nurses and respiratory therapist at the NICU were all tremendous in their care and support. We have made so many friends and learned so much from so many quality people during our stay at the BI. We owe them so much.

TeamKatz

Thick-it

Sydney's stay in the NICU has been a long one. She has been there for 18 weeks, we have seen three seasons and six different attending physicians. We are hopeful to not be there for the summer.

The month of March was an interesting one. Syd started it out by getting a virus. This stomach bug made her very tired, and she had a hard time keeping her food down. Luckily she was able to kick this bug and after a couple of days she was back to herself again. This really showed us how weak her immune system really is. Once Sydney comes home we will need to be extra cautious about her being around germs.

Once she got over being sick it was decided that Syd would benefit from bringing in the feed team from Children's Hospital of Boston. This team of specialists watched Sydney eat from a bottle. They did not like what they were seeing, so they arranged for her to go to Children's for a swallow study.

The study involved an ambulance ride down the street to Children's Hospital. This marked Syd's first road trip, although not a fun one. Once there she was put in a chair and a dye was added to her food. Using a ultra sound device they were able to see what happens when she sucks and swallows. Syd had a very uncoordinated action that resulted in milk getting into her nose when she tried to swallow.

The feed team decided to add a thickening agent to her milk and change her bottle. This was done to slow down the milk, and prevent the reflex that was causing the liquid to get into her nose, and make her choke. Immediately a change could be seen with the thicker milk, and change in bottle. The milk now began to go the right way, and Syd could eat without much incident.

Since using the additive "Thick-it" Sydney has been able to handle more and more of her eating responsibilities. Just yesterday we reached a large milestone when her NG feed tube was removed, and she ate orally on her own all day. Syd now just needs to show that she can keep this up, and gain weight. Once she does that, it wont be long before she is discharged.

40 weeks

Sydney reached her due date on Wednesday February 27th, 40 weeks gestation. This date also marked her 14th week in the NICU. Syd has continued to make good weight gain and is now 6lbs 7oz. She has also become very active, just like any full term baby would be.

Sydney knows what she wants. She will not hesitate to let mom and dad know that she wants to be held, or fed. She is very eager to feed, however it is still a difficult task at times for her. Her prolonged intubation makes it dificult for her. She is still working to build strength and stamina.

We were surprised this morning when we arrived at the NICU. Syd was out with her nurse at the main desk on a portable oxygen tank. Just sitting with her primary, content to be with her friends. She also now has a radio in her room. Sydney likes to listen to classical music when she is reflecting on the days events.

Sydney still has ups and downs, good days and bad. Through all this she continues to grow, and gain maturity. Her little personality is very evident. Her fiesty attitude continuing to push TeamKatz along.

Five Pounds

Sydney reached five pounds on February 1st. She has continued to have good weight gain. Syd has a good appetite, and has now started feedings without her feeding tube. For now twice a day and they will slowly bring it up depending on how Sydney handles it.

The doctors have also began to take her off supplements. They stopped her diarel and pottasium supplements this week. Soon they will take her off the caffeine supplement.

Sydney has also continued to get more coordinated. She holds her pacifier, and will grab at her feeding tube. She knows her mother and fathers voice, and loves to hear them read stories.

Nasal Cannula

Sydney was placed on nasal cannula on Monday the 28th of January. The big difference between cannula and CPAP is that there is no pressure helping to keep Syd's lungs open. She has to do all the work on her own. She gets a constant blended mix of oxygen. The Dr's and respiratory therapists will continue to ween her off of the oxygen as she grows.

This change officially marks Sydney being downgraded to a level two baby. She can be held at anytime now. Sydney will be able to have baths more frequently and go in her bouncy seat. These changes will mean pretty soon Sydney will be moved to another room. The rooms in the middle of the NICU are usually reserved for the less stable level three babies.

The move to the cannula also was the last step in the way of her beginning to bottle feed. The NICU staff will let her try this at the end of the week if she continues to behave herself. Feeding is a lot of work for preemies, so they will take it slow. Starting out with once a day and gradually working up to every time she has a feeding. Syd will have to show that this does not drain to much energy, and that she can maintain her breathing.

Two kilograms

Sydney is now 35 weeks, 4lbs 6.9 oz (2010 grams). Her sucking instinct is very strong now. She will have to wait to feed like a big girl until she graduates from CPAP. She is also getting much more coordinated. Syd will grab her CPAP and hold onto it. She also holds her pacifier while sucking on it.

The diuretics she is on cause her to loose some vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes. The Dr's continue to try and balance out her supplements. Her sodium has been cut back to try and keep her from retaining fluid.

Even though this balancing act with her supplements continues Sydney is very stable. She is gaining weight, and the instincts necessary for her to breath on her own are strong now. It wont be long now until she graduates from CPAP to the nasal cannula.

C.P.A.P.

Sydney was extubated and placed on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on 1/16/2008. She was exactly 8 weeks old, 34 weeks corrected age. The CPAP looks like scuba gear. It has two prongs that are placed in the nose. A hat with a strap is used to help keep the hoses in place. This is attached to the ventalator. The major difference with CPAP is that it does not breath for her, it only applies a small amount of pressure to help keep her lungs open.

With her extubated Sydney can now be heard when she cries. Her vocal cords are sore though from the tube. She sounds horse and scratchy as she lets us know that she is unhappy. With the CPAP in her nose, they move the feeding (OG) tube to her mouth. She will need this until the CPAP is removed and she starts bottle feeding.

On the same day that Sydney went on the CPAP she also got a crib. Syd's nurses have continued to ween her heat in the isolette down. Eventually they turned it off completely and monitored her body temperature. Once they felt comfortable with her ability to maintain her temperature they made the switch.

The crib makes it much easier to change and interact with her. She can use her own sheets, and decorate it with toys and pictures. Soon she will have a bouncy seat to sit in and look around. She likes stimulation a lot now. She listens to you when you speak and likes to have her head rubbed.

Three Pounds!

Sydney weighed in at 3lbs 1oz (1390 grams) tonight. Her increased weight helps her maintain heat better. She can now be swaddled, and her isolette has been changed to help get her ready for a crib in room air.

With Sydney swaddled she can be held facing you, it is a lot easier to see her this way. She enjoys looking at her mother, and listening to her voice. Sydney still enjoys to kangaroo, so we try and switch up how we hold her.

Sydney is still on the ventilator. She is more stable, and requires less oxygen then she has in the past, but it is still a struggle for her. Within the next few weeks as she has more weight gain this will help her get stronger to be extubated to get on the next step CPAP.