Holistic

This picture doesn't necessarily correlate with the title/topic of today's post, but I like it, so I thought I'd share.

There was a new nurse for Cora today who described a way of thinking about Cora's health as "holistic." Basically, I was asking about her CPAP, because she is still reliant on it, fact so much so, that today the level was raised from 4 back to 5. I wasn't sure if it was a bad thing or not. (By the way, the picture shows Cora with nasal cannula, which was a rather fleeting tool for her, so far.) He explained that the CPAP aides her breathing by making it easier for her to breathe. It is not an issue that she relies on it, because she is a Preemie and her lungs are still developing. Her lungs will eventually mature, and she will not need it. If we removed it now, she would probably do okay, but her breathing would be more labored and therefore she would expend more calories to breathe and then she wouldn't gain weight. Since part of growing out of these Preemie issues is gaining weight, this can be counter-productive. So, it's better to think about what's going on with Cora in a holistic way and not worry about CPAP.

It is especially easy to do this, today, because she is gaining weight!! She is over 800 grams now after gaining almost an ounce yesterday. Those milk fortifyers are definitely doing their job. It's a relief to know that she's tolerating it well.

Finally, I had a nice chat with her Physical Therapist today, who assured me that she was going to be just fine when she came home. She's been with Duke for 17 years and she is so confident with the way that they manage the therapies that are implemented, now, and with the training that's offered to the parents. She warned me not to compare Cora to Stella too much in the first year or 2, but said that even though things may be delayed from when Stella did them, that she was going to do great! Umm... so glad to be riding a good wave, again, today!