Braelyn is finally home!

Dear followers,

Just a quick note to tell all that we came home from the hospital today! She seems to be doing well and we just hope everything continues to improve as well as it has. Thanks for all of the prayers, we couldn't have done it without all the support!

Daniel

NICU News

Braelyn is continuing to do well. I, Rachel, just got home from visiting her and feeding her. She is eating REALLY well, which is great for her age. They did have to put her back on the jaundice light because her level went up a little bit, but they said that was pretty much expected. She will probably be on the light for another couple of days. They said once they get her jaundice under control, they will send her home as long as she continues to eat as well as she is.

We realize how much can change in a 24-hour period, but if everything goes well, she might be home at the end of this weekend or beginning of next week. Again, thank you all SO much for you prayers. We believe God is hearing every one of them and we are continuing to see him work in our lives.

Love you all...

No light!

Hello everyone! Sorry we haven't been able to update in a few days. Braelyn is continuing to do well! Yay! I just called the NICU and they have taken her off of the jaundice light completely. They will re-check her jaundice level in the morning to see if it goes back up. They said she was a little sleepy at her last feeding and they had a hard time keeping her awake to eat, but they said it is completely normal for her to have "sleepy days."

I am about to drive out to the hospital for the first time on my own. Daniel made me drive to the hospital last night so he could observe my skills. No worries - apparently you don't forget how to drive after four or five months...lol! He said I passed...woohoo!

We are hoping that we may be able to bring Braelyn home this weekend or at the beginning of next week. They have not said anything definite...but things are going really well. We are trying not to get our hopes up...but it is difficult not to.

We greatly appreciate your love and prayers. God is wonderful!

Quick Praise!

Daniel just talked to the nurse in the NICU and Braelyn is completely off of oxygen support. She is breathing on her own very comfortably!! YAY!! The nurse said she was eating well and that things are going in the right direction. She said that she was in the process of making their plan for the day and told us that she would call us if anything big happened. We are heading over there this evening for her 9pm feeding and will learn more then.

God is wonderful!!

Braelyn

Here she is! Braelyn Elizabeth Mitchell! She was born on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 11:51 a.m.!!

She loves holding Daddy's hand! Watching her with Daniel is the most amazing feeling ever!

She continues to improve daily!! I, Rachel, was allowed to hold her for the first time since delivery last night. It was such an amazing feeling. As of last night, they were continuing to ween her off of her oxygen, and were hoping that by today she would be completely on her own. We will find out later today if she was able to do it...

She is eating approximately 15ml every few hours at this point and tolerating it very well. They are slowly increasing the amount she eats at each feeding. Once she is tolerating around 40ml at each feeding, they will begin to feed her by bottle. For her to go home, she must be able to breathe without oxygen tube, eat by bottle, go to the bathroom, and regulate her body temperature with clothes on. We are hoping that she will only have a few weeks in the NICU, but it is very touch and go at this point. It is all up to her. Let's continue to pray that Braelyn will continue to be strong and will achieve all of these milestones soon...

Thank you all for your prayers. Again, we will keep you posted as soon as we know anything new!! God is amazing!!

Hospital Update

Hello everyone! First of all, thank you SO much for your prayers. God is truly amazing and is carrying us through this. I, Rachel, am doing well. My blood pressure seems to have taken care of itself for the most part - so no stinky medicine was needed. I am pretty sure that they will send me home today, but haven't had the official word yet. As you already know, Braelyn will have to stay in the NICU for a while, but we are hopeful that it will not be a terribly long stay. They have given us NO time frame so please know that we will let you know once we know something...

Braelyn is doing FABULOUS! We are hoping to go visit her at 8 o'clock when they open the NICU up again. As of last night, she was continuing to do well off of the C-pap machine and was resting very comfortably. The nurse said she has a very sweet disposition and that they are very happy she is able to rest. That is a really good sign! Her blood work has been coming back completely normal and they are doing an x-ray today to get an updated look at her lungs. Once she is able to eat enough to maintain her weight, they will remove the IV from her belly button and we will be able to hold her! (Again, not sure when that will be - it is completely up to Braelyn at this point, so rest assured she is getting lots of advice from mommy and daddy when we see her....HAHA!)

Please send some special prayers our way today as we will more than likely be leaving our baby girl and returning home. I am confident that today will be one of the hardest days of my life...but I am also confident that God will give us the strength to know that it is what is best. Love you all and I PROMISE we will post pictures once we get home...cross my heart!!

Braelyn and Rachel

Dear Followers,

Brealyn is in the NICU while they make sure that everything is ok and that she if functioning properly. I went twice last night to visit her and she seemed to be doing good. They said she has done 1 of 2 things needed (#1) and she seemed to be doing well. Her breathing has calmed down to more of a routine rather than short burst of quick breathing. Last night Rachel and I were told that we could go and see her pretty much whenever we feel like it however,

Rachel's blood pressure is still a little high. We went last night and Rachel had a hard time seeing her hooked up with tubes and moniters. Rachel has been such a trooper through all of this and has been amazing! It looks like they might hook Rachel up with some medicine to help her blood pressure through an IV that even doctors say will make her feel "pretty crappy". Rachel is taking a shower while she can, just in case of the IV being needed.

I love that they have wireless at the hospital and will put it to good use. Until next time!

Daniel