6/27/08 - Making Progress!






Today, Aimee and I went to see little Kayleigh and we received some wonderful feedback. First off which I am sure you can see, she is off the biliruben lights. They have also reduced the oxygen level even more which they push through her canula because she is beathing very well on her own. The trapped gas in her stomach has reduced a good bit, but they are still keeping a close eye on it. Aimee said she must NOT be a true Freeman if she has trouble farting. Kayleigh did lose a couple ounces, but that was expected. With the lights and the humidity she was putting up with over the past couple days caused her to lose weight. She is now weighing 13 ounces, but the nurses increased her fluid through her I.V to try and put some weight on. They say most preemies will lose around 10-20% of their body weight after they are born, but her 25% loss so far is not a huge threat until they weigh her over a weeks period to compare the fluctuation.
We received a wonderful email today from a Mother who works in a NICU. I am going to post her email in the comments below so everyone can read it. Emails such as this one makes Aimee and I feel so blessed by God with such a miracle like Kayleigh. Aimee and I can't even begin to describe the feelings we are going through. We are so amazed, shocked, excited, and scared all at the same time. I feel like I am in a movie that lasts a lot longer than the normal 2 hours.
I also want to thank everyone so very much for all the flowers, cards and gifts. They are all so beautiful, smell very good and are greatly appreciated! Many of you have been asking us what we could use or how you could help if we needed help. Aimee and I are not the kind of people to ask for things, but we know that many of you want to do something but just don't know what that something is. Aimee and I were talking about how tough it is going to be to visit her as much as we want with the gas prices the way they are and he being about 25 minutes away. We also know she is going to be in the NICU for a long long time. So if any of you want to help with gas cards or gift cards for quick dinners, we would be so thankful. Trust me when I say I hate to ask for things, but I know a lot of you asked and we would just hate to not see her as much as we want.
Thank you all for your prayers and please please please keep them going so our little blessing can win this fight of her life.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Aimee and Adam,

I just wanted to write and tell you how truly amazed I am with your story.
About a week ago, I read all your posts from the beginning regarding you and
Kayleigh needing prayers. I can't believe what you all have been through
with her being so small, the low amniotic fluid levels, the doctors telling
you she had a pericardial effusion, then no sign of it, etc, then the
doctors telling you there's pretty much no hope. (The power of prayer is
truly amazing, and little Kayleigh is living proof of that).

When I got on BabyCenter the other night to get an update and saw that she
had been delivered and was only 1 lb, I was really scared for you guys. I'm
a NICU nurse, and I've taken care of some small babies, but none quite as
small as Kayleigh. The smallest I've taken care of were probably just a few
ounces bigger than Kayleigh, but I have to be honest. Those babies did
struggle.

So I got on your blog to take a look at her, and I immediately started
bawling. You see, I see tiny babies all the time, but never in my life have
I seen a baby as tiny as Kayleigh BREATHING ON HER OWN! I can't believe she
is only on a nasal cannula. It is absolutely an amazing thing to see. It
proves that even though she is small, she is more mature than her size, and
that gives so much hope. I cried, and cried, and cried. (I was still
crying when I put my computer away to go to bed! But they were happy
tears!) She is truly a miracle baby. All I could thing was that you were
pretty much told to give up on her, and look at her now. I am no longer
worried about her like I was when I first read that she was born at 1lb. I
mean, she still has a little ways to go, but I think she'll do fine. She's
already proved that she's a fighter.

I have your blog saved, and I will continue to check it regularly. The
three of you remain in my prayers, and I can't wait to see her go home!

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Mandy

Jessica said...

I just wanted to wish you all luck. I was in the same boat as you exactly one year ago... my son was born at 25 weeks, 2 days, on June 21st, 2007.

He was bigger than Kayleigh, but he had many more problems....

I will keep praying for her growth and your sanity. God will not give you more than you can handle!!! I promise. You will make it through the next three months or so.
We ended up leaving the NICU when he was 37 weeks, 2 days gestation.

God bless you!

Anonymous said...

I come to this blog everyday to check for updates. Kayleigh is truely a miracle. She is just so beautiful!

Sam said...

Kayleigh is beautiful. And can I just say WOW I can't believe she's so little and doing so well on just an oxygen canula!
I looked through and read your entire blog just now and can feel your emotions. See, I also had a very premature child. He was born at 26 weeks 6 days, and weighed 1lb, 4oz.
So I've been where you are right now, and I wanted to send you some words of encouragement. It's such a long, hard, fight - something that sometimes seems unobtainable. But when you look at little Kayleigh, and when you get to hold her for the first time, something amazing happens, and you manage to pull out strength that you didn't know you had from the bottom of your soul.
My little boy is two years old now. He's been through more things than I'd like to remember, but we've pulled through. I invite you to come and read my blog, when you have time. I know you're extremely busy. And if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, even though I'm a complete stranger. LOL
I'll come back often to see little Kayliegh's progress.

Anonymous said...

Two words come to mind every single time I stop by here to check up on everyone's progress: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
My thoughts are with you both and my prayers are with your baby.
Shonene

Chase said...

You guys are amazing as always, I trust she will become a "true Freeman" in time, most babies are experts on "that stuff"!

I am so happy about her progress, as a 3 time NICU Mom, I know of the ups and downs and she is doing great. Such a tough little cookie.

Keep the emails and updates coming, if you guys need to talk you know where to find us!

Love and Prayers, Dave, Heather, Alex, Chase and Trey (our angel will watch over your little one, I put in a special request!)