Another Night in the Big House

It seems that Anna and I are spending another night together in the hospital. She had a stable day but is still not taking (and keeping enough) formula down to go home. The doctor seems to believe that her reflux has just gotten worse over the past week and her inability to keep her food down has caused her to lose weight. When you only weigh 10 pounds you can not afford to lose much weight before they get concerned. Today they have changed her medications and are trying to make her comfortable. Her feedings are made with pedialyte. ½ the amount of formula normally used and are thickened with rice cereal to help to get them to stay down. Anyone who has had stomach acid issues would know the discomfort that she feels. It is like vicious cycle where she screams because she is hungry and them screams because she is uncomfortable and then eventually she loses the nourishment that she has taken. She has been more comfortable today and has for short periods of time laid in the crib by herself and slept for longer periods of time.

David and I did get the opportunity to get some dinner together. I had basically spent the last 32 hours straight holding Anna. My sister-in-law Janice was generous to come and stay with her for an hour so we could have a meal. It was a quick meal and I was very nervous. When we got back, Janice and Anna had many adventures to tell. Janice was blessed with some of Anna’s vomit and Anna was in one of her very uncomfortable periods. The nurses were trying to be helpful but Anna was just not happy. Janice looked at me and said “I do not know how you do it”. I told her that it is not a matter of how and a matter of have to. Someone has to be able to take care of her even when she is sick and irritable. The one thing that Anna has taught me is to be patient.

This evening I am thinking about all of my girls. As I lay here with Anna asleep on my chest, I know I need to be here for her but I am longing for a hug from Lissie and Jill. I am hopeful that tomorrow we will have some good news with this new medication combination and that we can return home as a family.

Waiting for nothing to happen

We're in the rare situation today of waiting for absolutely nothing to happen. And when nothing happens, it's good news.

We're waiting for Anna to drink and not regurgitate any of it. If she can accomplish that, we get to go home today. If she can't, she gets another night at the hospital.

Every time something happens, it delays our trip home.

She's happy right now, so we thought we'd share a somewhat happy picture of Anna. I read the look on her face as saying, "I've spent enough time in this hospital. Let's get out of here."

Back to the hospital

Our little puker has decided she needs a little more attention. So she's spending the night at the friendly neighborhood hospital.
We've had trouble with Anna's vomitting for several weeks. Earlier in the week, the doctor switched her over to a different kind of formula and bottle. It succeeded mainly in letting her vomit a farther distance, estimated at a foot and a half.
So in today's follow-up, the doctor decided the 6 ounces Anna lost since Tuesday wasn't acceptable. So we're enjoying the perks of blogging on the free hospital wi-fi.
Right now she's on IV fluids to help bring her back where she should be. And as long as Jessica's holding her tight, she's not too fussy.
Thanks for the prayers and concerns in the past. I'm sure they'll lead to a quick stay this time around too. It's just another bump in the road for this extraordinary young lady.
As for the parents, it's hard not to think about our last hospital stay, the two weeks after Anna arrived. It's terrifying to even think back those four months to that. But it helps to remember how different Anna is now. She's so strong-willed and full of personality, as opposed to that shell of a girl we barely knew back in August. She'll fight through it, no doubt.