Video from Day 1
I captured a few moments of a just-born AnnahLilly in our quiet hospital room that first day, May 19. What a little wonder.
One week birthday
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Somehow a full week has already passed since our little AnnahLilly joined our family. The time really has flown and we've been in awe of every single moment and blessed by every little breath our tiny little girl has taken.
This weeks milestones include her overcoming a variety of issues:
Her tiny hands and feet turned a deep purple and were treated by exchanging some of her blood for saline.
Her jaundice was finally kicked to the curb for good on Day 6 with the help of a BiliBlanket that made her glow like a little glow worm.
And, finally, she seems to be conquering the small little infection incurred by some of the medicines given to me during labor.
Whew! What a little fighter! She's a tough little thing already.
She's been to the hospital every day of her life. But, finally, today the visit wasn't for a blood draw, but for something fun!
Today we had our first Little Nippers class. The class is a mommy and me hour with the hospital's childcare educator and lactation expert. And it's an opportunity for the babies and mommies to meet each other. So far, the babies in the class are all much older than our little girl, but I'm sure that will change soon. The hospital has been hopping of late with a bunch of babies being born.
AnnahLilly is still very popular with the hospital staff. Yesterday during her visit, she had several nurses running down the hall to get to hold her first. And today, Christine, the child care educator, spent 30 minutes after everyone left class just holding her and answering all of my crazy questions.
We've made some great friends at the hospital and we're blessed by their addition to our lives. We've never met so many people with such big hearts.
Speaking of big hearts: We've been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that has blanketed us from every corner of the globe from our friends and family. AnnahLilly is the luckiest girl in the world. She has so much love wrapped around her.
I started this blog on October 8th with this post . . .
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
I also wore that quote on a bracelet during the early months of my pregnancy. I knew that God had a plan for us. I just had no idea that his plan would change our lives so powerfully.
This weeks milestones include her overcoming a variety of issues:
Her tiny hands and feet turned a deep purple and were treated by exchanging some of her blood for saline.
Her jaundice was finally kicked to the curb for good on Day 6 with the help of a BiliBlanket that made her glow like a little glow worm.
And, finally, she seems to be conquering the small little infection incurred by some of the medicines given to me during labor.
Whew! What a little fighter! She's a tough little thing already.
She's been to the hospital every day of her life. But, finally, today the visit wasn't for a blood draw, but for something fun!
Today we had our first Little Nippers class. The class is a mommy and me hour with the hospital's childcare educator and lactation expert. And it's an opportunity for the babies and mommies to meet each other. So far, the babies in the class are all much older than our little girl, but I'm sure that will change soon. The hospital has been hopping of late with a bunch of babies being born.
AnnahLilly is still very popular with the hospital staff. Yesterday during her visit, she had several nurses running down the hall to get to hold her first. And today, Christine, the child care educator, spent 30 minutes after everyone left class just holding her and answering all of my crazy questions.
We've made some great friends at the hospital and we're blessed by their addition to our lives. We've never met so many people with such big hearts.
Speaking of big hearts: We've been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that has blanketed us from every corner of the globe from our friends and family. AnnahLilly is the luckiest girl in the world. She has so much love wrapped around her.
I started this blog on October 8th with this post . . .
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
I also wore that quote on a bracelet during the early months of my pregnancy. I knew that God had a plan for us. I just had no idea that his plan would change our lives so powerfully.
Fighting jaundice
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Savannah Lilly Conklin has only been around for four days, but she's had enough needle sticks and pokes to make a pin cushion jealous. Poor little girl. But she's been a champion for baby battlers of bilirubin the world over.
Well, it was pretty much a given that AnnahLilly would get jaundice with her way-above-average red blood cell count. Fortunately it hasn't been so high that she needs to be put into a suitcase. Her treatment thus far has been around-the-clock use of a biliblanket. She's been using it for as long as we've been home: the past two days. This Tampa Bay-area health care company brought it to our house shortly after our arrival Friday afternoon, and went over everything with us; dude was extremely nice.
What has it been like for AnnahLilly at home?
1. Eat
2. Sleep atop biliblanket
3. Go potty
4. Repeat steps 1-3
So, what's next?
Little girl's latest heel stick blood numbers, taken Saturday morning, came back a little lower than the previous day, so that was good news. She scored a 14 on the bilirubin graph, which for her hour age -- she was approximately 80 hours at the time of the test -- is in the high intermediate risk zone. So, her on-call doctor ordered one more day of biliblanket, plus another heel stick Sunday morning. We're crossing our fingers that another day of Mr. Biliblanket will prove beneficial.
AnnahLilly update: Blood concerns
It sure was love at first sight with AnnahLilly.
Every eye flutter. Every cry. Every squeak noise. Every little thing she does is magic. Sorry, Sting.
She has, however, given us, the nurses and doctors cause for concern.
It started around noon on her first day when her hands and feet started getting really deep purple in color. This condition, known as acrocyanosis, is common in newborns. What is not common: the discoloration started going up to her knees. She was put under the baby warmer and pinked back up, almost immediately. A batch of blood tests was ordered.
What we learned from those tests: She has a high blood count, and very thick blood. (The latter was evident when they tried to draw blood from her arm and couldn't get any. In and out the needle went, with no luck. AnnahLilly was a trooper; Daddy felt nauseated. So they slowly and painstakingly filled several vials from a single heel stick.) She also was found to have a high white cell count (an indicator that she was fighting infection) and a high red cell count (a precursor of jaundice).
More repeat tests, including another needle in her other arm; blood made it out of her arm that time, thankfully.
By that point, she had not gone to the bathroom, either, a sign of dehydration. So that was another BIG concern, and they had us use formula to supplement the little fluid she was getting from nursing.
More fluids = thinning out her blood = good thing.
A few hours later, more blueish-purple color was becoming more prevalent in her extremities, and our nurse called the neo-natologist on call. Dr. Lilly (how ironic is that!) got to our room after midnight and checked her out. His main concern was her thick blood and the likelihood that she also had Mommy's Factor V blood clotting mutation.
Blood clotting disorder + thick blood = bad thing.
So he decided the best thing would be to draw out some blood and put in saline. So AnnahLilly and Daddy headed to the nursery, where the doctor had to stick her twice in the right hand to get a good entry point for the saline. Then he had to stick her twice before being able to draw out blood from her opposite arm. She cried and Daddy felt a continuous punch to the gut. He was only able to draw 8 cc's of her blood.
So ... fast forward to now: 16 hours later. Things are looking up.
The coloring in her extremities is good. Test numbers are coming our more in her favor. A new worry, though, is jaundice. They're going to do some bilirubin tests soon, so we'll see if we'll be able to take her home tomorrow morning. That's the gut feeling and the hope.
More importantly, throughout all of this, AnnahLilly has been a trooper. Sure she's shed her fair share of tears, but who wouldn't being poked and prodded as much as she's been.
Hang in there, little one. We be home soon.
Hello, Savannah Lilly Conklin
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Born 4:57 a.m., May 19, 2010, at 6 pounds, 11 ounces, 19 inches long.
The evening in photos
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The day so far in pictures
A gem inside Jen's purse
Monday, May 17, 2010
We got this fortune while dining with friends Angie and Bryce at Pei Wei in Kansas City a while back. Jennifer's been carrying it around in her purse ever since.
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