Sydney Gabriella Katz

Happy 4th Birthday Sydney!!

2011-11-21T07:26:00.003-05:00

11/21/2007

11/21/2011

Happy 4th Birthday Sydney! You are an amazing little girl!!!!!

School Begins!!

2011-09-16T16:24:00.005-04:00

Sydney started school and all of her activities this week! She is doing dancing, gymnastics, soccer, and a superstars music class! Sydney is loving her classes and doing awesome! Hope everyone has a Happy Fall!

Summer Time!

2011-08-03T15:21:00.005-04:00

Sydney is having a great summer! She is having fun at camp and being an awesome big sister to Eden!

Three Years Home from the NICU 4-7-2011

2011-04-07T20:18:00.004-04:00

Sydney has been home from the NICU for THREE Years! She is so amazing and a TRUE MIRACLE!

Sydney!

2011-02-13T22:01:00.002-05:00

Sydney is doing great! She loves preschool and her dance classes! Syd has an amazing and fun personality! She is a great big sister to Eden and loves to help out!!

Sydney's a Big Sister!!!

2010-10-08T21:23:00.002-04:00

Sydney is a Big Sister!! Eden Julia was born on Tuesday, October 5th at 9:53pm! Sydney is loving her big sister status and doing great!!!!!

Sydney's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-14T14:18:00.003-04:00

Sydney started Preschool today and LOVED it!! What a huge milestone for all of us!

Summer!

2010-08-25T16:07:00.005-04:00

Sydney has had a great time this summer! Going to the beach and pool has been a blast! Sydney is going to be a big sister in the fall and is really excited! Preschool starts in September too! Lots of great changes coming her way!! We hope everyone has had a great summer!!

Sydney's First Red Sox Game!!

2010-06-09T14:05:00.004-04:00

Sydney went to her first Red Sox game and had a blast!! She took the train into the game and sat in her own seat for 6 innings!!!! Syd had ice cream, hot dogs and was having so much fun cheering on her favorite team!!!!

Sydney is home from the NICU for "2" Years!

2010-04-07T19:42:00.002-04:00

Time flies... On April 7, 2008 Sydney was discharged from the NICU. Two years later on April 7, 2010 we celebrated!! Sydney is doing great! She is an amazing little girl!

Sydney and Static!!

2010-02-24T15:12:00.002-05:00

We hope everyone is doing well and having a good winter!!

Sydney came home from a birthday party and was having a blast with the balloon.

We wanted to share these great photos!!

Sydney's Story

2010-01-06T10:35:00.001-05:00

Sydney's Story is featured on the Grateful Nation site!!!

www.gratefulnation.org

www.gratefulnation.org/nicu

Happy and Healthy New Year to Everyone!

2010-01-02T11:31:00.002-05:00

We wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Happy Holidays from Team Katz!

2009-12-21T17:01:00.006-05:00

We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! Sydney had a great Hanukkah with her family and friends! Here are some updated pictures of Sydney during hanukkah and enjoying all of her gifts!!! She has an amazing personality!!

Sydney is 2!!!!!!!

2009-11-23T00:06:00.003-05:00

Sydney turned two on Saturday! She had a princess party for friends and family today and had a blast!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-05T08:11:00.002-05:00

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! We had alot of fun, Sydney loved dressing up and was a very cute ladybug!!!

Fall is here!

2009-09-29T18:40:00.003-04:00

We hope everyone is doing well. Sydney is doing great, she started her new fall activities and is having a blast with gymnastics, Toddler Time at our temple, and music class with her cousin Lauren! We are looking forward to apple and pumpkin picking and we will be sure to get some great photos and post them!

Summer Fun!

2009-07-25T19:27:00.005-04:00

We are having a great summer!! Sydney is doing excellent and enjoying swimming in the pool and being with family and friends. We hope everyone is having a great summer.

Sydney's Walking

2009-06-21T19:44:00.002-04:00

Sydney is 19 months old and just started walking on her own! She is doing great!
We just moved a few weeks ago and everyone is adjusting really well!
We are so excited how well Sydney is doing. She is ready to go to the beach at Grandma and Papa's with her friends from Pennsylvania in July!!!

16 Months

2009-04-04T20:35:00.002-04:00

Sydney is doing great. She had surgery last month and had her adnoids out and tubes in her ears. Sydney is crawling all over the place and talking so much! We can't wait for the nice weather so we can play outside!

15 Months...

2009-03-10T17:54:00.006-04:00

Sydney is doing great. She is moving around everywhere and will get herself into just about anything! Sydney is talking so much saying hi and bye and loves being around people! Syd just spent a week at her Grandma and Papa's house while we were in Paris and had a blast. She had so much fun spending time with them that she didn't want to come home!

Winter 2009

2009-01-09T21:10:00.004-05:00

Syd is doing great... We had a great hanukah together as a family and a wonderful new year. Sydney finally has 2 teeth at 13 months! She is beginning to move around alot, and loves to talk!! Here are some recent pictures of Sydney.

One Year Old!!

2008-11-28T20:35:00.005-05:00

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!!!

2008-10-06T19:24:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-06-29T21:38:00.011-04:00

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...

2008-05-11T20:29:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-04-08T15:28:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-31T08:44:00.008-04:00

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

2008-03-01T22:47:00.007-05:00

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

2008-02-02T23:06:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-29T21:39:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-01-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-01-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

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.

Not so fast.

2007-12-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T21:22:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-16T12:51:00.001-05:00

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

2007-12-16T10:32:00.001-05:00

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!

2007-12-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-12-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-12-10T22:40:00.001-05:00

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.

2007-12-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-12-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-12-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

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.