Ella seemed to be doing a bit better today. Although she was not that excited to wear a Halloween costume. She could tell that she was getting lots of attention by her outfit, but I think it was uncomfortable. Ella loves to grab her feet and kick. The outfit made it tough to do her daily foot kicking exercises.
The home nurse came to listen to her. She affirmed that Ella has good air flow and that the upper airway congestion persists, but it was better than last Friday. That was reassuring. Also, Ella weighed in at 7.9 kilos (17.7 lbs), an increase from 7.7 kilos last Friday. Weight gain is good for Ella. It confirms that the increase in volume of food is helping. Now, we just need to make sure that it is a good weight gain. As we put her to bed tonight, her heart rate did seem a bit higher than normal. Again, we are hoping it was good weight gain and not fluid retention.
The occupational therapist visited today and it was a successful session for Ella as she sat in her chair for 45 minutes. She already made progress from last week, simply with all if us playing around her mouth more and making her drink diluted juice again. Progress is slow, but Ella is following the same pattern as last time in Gainesville.
The rate of 31ccs per hour on a continuous feed seems to be going well. We are going to stick with that volume for a few more days before we try increasing the volume more. Our goal of 32 ccs per hour is not far off, although we were supposed to be using 26 kcal and we are only using 24 kcal. I’m hoping that adding corn oil will do the trick. Once we can see some solid weight gain on 32ccs at 24 kcal formula, we can try working towards bolus feeds.
We are scheduled to see the pediatrician next week. That will be good to see Dr. Perry again. It has been a long time.
I couldn’t believe that it was Halloween today…mostly because it was 70 degrees and sunny. It is usually bitter cold and/or snowing on Halloween in Denver. I am so thankful for the last few days of sunshine. I’m not mentally ready for snow, but I know it is around the corner.
Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
