The first few days (Oct 21 - 25)

Evelyn's birth day was all about survival. She came out crying and never had to be resuscitated or put on a ventilator. All good things! She was immediately taken down the hall to Phoenix Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and hooked up to a bunch of different tubes, machines, etc. She had surfactant put in her lungs to help keep her lungs open and start to function. She was put on a CPAP machine which keeps positive pressure in her lungs so the tiny air sacs do not collapse. Amazingly, they were able to give her just 21% oxygen (the same oxygen level we breathe) nearly from the beginning. She was also on an IV to give her the other calories, minerals, fats, etc that she needs to survive. Her left eye is still fused shut, but the nurses say that is perfectly normal and will likely open in the next couple days.


By Day 2, Evelyn was taken off the CPAP machine and only needed the nasal cannula (those little tubes that go in her nose). Pretty amazing for such a little girl. They also started Evelyn on regular feedings. Now for her, that means just 1 cc every 3 hours. That's basically a thimble full of milk, but for her, that's a big deal. She did drop down to 2 lbs 1 oz today, but that is to be expected and actually helps her body adjust to the outside world. Roger was also able to see her diaper changed today.

Day 3. So far there are no signs of infection, which is a major concern for her at this point, and they've only had to occasionally remind her to breathe. I know that sounds strange, but we're pretty excited about that! The new thing for today is that they started her on light therapy for her jaundice. This is very typical for preemies and she seems to be responding well. Evelyn is showing her strength already. When she is on her stomach, she will often stretch her legs so that her whole body comes off the bed.

Day 4. She gained some weight today, which is great news. She also opened her left eye today, just as the nurses predicted. And today, Colette got to see a diaper change. What's so funny is that instead of a typical wipe, they use a damp cotton ball and a saline wipe. Everything is so small!








Day 5 showed more improvement. They lowered the humidity level in her incubator and are going to increase her feedings tonight. They would like to see Evelyn gain 0.5 oz/day, on average, which equals 15 grams/day. They also increased her oxygen flow from 1.5 liters to 2 liters. This is still amazing for such a little baby. When they first took her off the CPAP, she was getting 4 liters of oxygen, but because she's been doing so well, they decrease it down to just what she needs. Since being on 2 liters, Evelyn hasn't had to be reminded to breathe. She's maintaining it all on her own. She also gained 5 grams today. It's amazing to be thinking of her weight in grams instead of pounds.