Our little peanut is two weeks old, and she's doing great!
To recap the last two weeks, the doctors were concerned at our first appointment because Grace had dropped more than 12 ounces since birth. All babies lose weight after they're born, but this was a bit more than they'd have liked. They told us to wake her every two hours to feed her, then the following day the instructions were to continue with that plus supplement with formula. Waking a sleeping, satisfied baby to try to get her to eat is ridiculously difficult, and after about two days of that we'd had enough. We needed to do what would work for us and for Grace. So we let her sleep, but filled her little tummy to the brim whenever she would eat. At the next appointment, she had gained four ounces -- enough to let us avoid a fourth doctor visit until a week later.
In the meantime, we set an appointment with a lactation consultant at the hospital so we could check to make sure Grace is eating well. While we were there, the consultant noticed some redness and swelling on Grace's chest, and was concerned enough to send us to our pediatrician that afternoon. The pediatrician was concerned enough to call back to the hospital for a consult with another doctor. That doctor (who, incidentally, had spent the day reading about the exact symptoms Grace had) was concerned enough to recommend that we come back to the hospital and have Grace admitted for two days so they could give her antibiotics via an IV. Apparently newborn babies don't have the immune system developed yet and they don't have the barriers between body systems that older children and adults have. So, for example, if they get an infection in their blood, it could spread easily and quickly to their lymph system, nervous system, brain, organs, etc. Given this explanation, we completely agreed with the doctor's recommendation. After a quick trip home for a few essentials, we went immediately to the hospital. Grace did so well, surviving the IV in her hand and several blood draws via a poke in her foot. And, after two days, the redness had completely gone and the swelling was significantly reduced. The hospital released her, and she's now on an oral antibiotic for several more days to finish off the infection.
We don't recommend five doctor visits and a two-day hospital stay within the first ten days of a baby's life, but if it should happen to you, we do recommend Providence Everett Medical Center and the Everett Clinic. The doctors and nurses there were great during Melinda's pregnancy, Grace's delivery, and the stay last week.
So what now? Well, we're home, trying to get some sleep between feedings and diaper changes. Vic is back to work and Melinda is establishing a pattern for her days with Grace. Thanks to all who sent their congrats, brought food, prayed, helped, and encouraged. We like our little girl a lot and can't wait to introduce her to you!
