I took Harper yesterday morning to Arakansas Children's Hospital to have an ultra sound done on her sacral dimple in hopes of ruling out any abnormalities of her spine. I first must say, it was such an overwhelming experience to walk through the halls of ACH. All of the children there facing such monumental life challenges. From the child sitting across from me battling cancer to the child being wheeled down the hall, both of whom were doing so with such bravery and adversity. It was such an eye opening experience. These children were overcoming obstacles with more courage and heart than a lot of adults I know facing much less. It never ceases to amaze me the resiliance children have no matter what they are going through. God sure did equip these amazing children with a strength way beyond any physical or health limitation. Although I pray Harper may never have a need to go back to ACH, I commend the men and women who make it their daily priority to ensure the best quality of life for the children they care for each and every day. These men and women are such blessings to not only the children but to so many families as well.
The ultra sound went so well, little Miss Harper didn't miss one ounce of shut eye. I talked with the radiology tech performing the procedure and explained what her pediatrician's concern. After she was done, the tech took the pictures to the radiologist to look over and when she came back, she gave me the 'unofficial' everything looked just fine pat on the back. The results were sent to the pediatrician however I did not get the official ok as of this morning. Since I will be taking Harper for another weight check tomorrow morning, I will wait until then to discuss the results if I have not heard anything prior. I am anxious to learn what her weight is now as I believe she has continued to gain. She is so much more alert and has even woken to eat on several occasions. The nights are getting a bit more difficult for me. I continue to set my alarm to feed her but she just isn't as interested in eating at 2 am. Not that I am any more interested in being up and trying to feed a sleeping baby, but I am doing everything I can to ensure she takes in as much as possible to get the weight up and where her pediatrician feels it should be. What I need to keep in mind is that the growth chart for a down's baby is different than that of any other baby. After the initial pediatrician visit, Harper was placed in the 8% for her weight. I know she is little but I have brought home a baby even smaller (Hayden was 6 lbs when he came home) so my level of concern isn't the same as if she were possibly my first child. I see a pattern of gaining, rather than loosing or remaining stagnant, as positive and good progress. Along with her gain, albeit small, her ability to stay awake for extended periods of time and even waking for a few feedings also gives me hope that she is thriving and doing just what she needs at this early stage in her life. Until tomorrow, I will just keep plugging away at what I know best to do and will send all of the official updates tomorrow.
The ultra sound went so well, little Miss Harper didn't miss one ounce of shut eye. I talked with the radiology tech performing the procedure and explained what her pediatrician's concern. After she was done, the tech took the pictures to the radiologist to look over and when she came back, she gave me the 'unofficial' everything looked just fine pat on the back. The results were sent to the pediatrician however I did not get the official ok as of this morning. Since I will be taking Harper for another weight check tomorrow morning, I will wait until then to discuss the results if I have not heard anything prior. I am anxious to learn what her weight is now as I believe she has continued to gain. She is so much more alert and has even woken to eat on several occasions. The nights are getting a bit more difficult for me. I continue to set my alarm to feed her but she just isn't as interested in eating at 2 am. Not that I am any more interested in being up and trying to feed a sleeping baby, but I am doing everything I can to ensure she takes in as much as possible to get the weight up and where her pediatrician feels it should be. What I need to keep in mind is that the growth chart for a down's baby is different than that of any other baby. After the initial pediatrician visit, Harper was placed in the 8% for her weight. I know she is little but I have brought home a baby even smaller (Hayden was 6 lbs when he came home) so my level of concern isn't the same as if she were possibly my first child. I see a pattern of gaining, rather than loosing or remaining stagnant, as positive and good progress. Along with her gain, albeit small, her ability to stay awake for extended periods of time and even waking for a few feedings also gives me hope that she is thriving and doing just what she needs at this early stage in her life. Until tomorrow, I will just keep plugging away at what I know best to do and will send all of the official updates tomorrow.
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