Take the Good with the Bad

It was a long day for me at the hospital today. Overall, Cora is doing very well and this is what I have to remind myself!

• Neural ultrasound showed no evidence of any brain bleeds!!
• Cora has elevated sugar levels in her urine and is not producing as much urine as they would like. So, a blood test revealed that her blood glucose is not too high, so that is a relief. They are increasing her feedings and hopes that her kidneys mature a bit more, very soon! Levels are not too high to warrant further therapies at this time.
• Cora is losing a little weight, but, since she is functioning very well, this is not a concern, yet... we went through this with Stella B.
• Stella B got a super nice Big Sister care package and participated in a craft activity for NICU siblings today. She made Cora a stocking and made herself a snowman.
• I snuggled Cora for over an hour! She had a "brady" moment a few times, while I was there, though, which just makes your heart stop, each time. The monitors sound an alarm and you watch Cora's heart-rate drop, because she has forgotten to breathe. Basically, you pat her bottom, rather vigorously, to remind her to breathe and then her heart rate returns. The doctors and nurses reassure me that this is what she's supposed to do - after all she is a preemie, but this is not good for my stress level!
• Cora's eyes have opened!! I got to look into her eyes today... awesome.

Daddy doing the hand-hug!

 More items causing me stress:

• I'm having to get my "Maternity Leave of Absence (MLOA)" escalated for approval to postpone until Cora comes home. But, the Duke social worker is putting together a letter for me to submit with a physician's signature describing the need for me to have time with her at home for specialized care. So, I'm hoping to get this resolved soon and think this letter is going to do the trick!
• I'm having an allergic reaction to something (right now we think it's adhesive), so I had to bounce around from doc to doc to try to get someone to look and make an assessment. Finally, today, I just walked in and grabbed a doc in the lobby and got an initial diagnosis of adhesive allergy and prescription for a steroid and antihistamine.
• We think it is further exacerbated by stress.
• We are aware that antihistamine can lower milk production.
• I am pumping every 3 hours, so my sleep pattern is erratic.

 It is clear to me that I need to introduce some relaxation techniques into my daily regimen.