More Elyse

first photo

night of her birth

tight quarters

This photo was taken on Elyse's fourth day of life - the day my milk came in.  The significance of my milk coming in is that a new mother can become very 'hormonal' on this day - as the milk floods in, so do the emotions.  I had a really hard time.  Dan and I went to see Elyse for our usual morning visit, and she instantly brought tears to my eyes.  After sitting with her a while, we left to go for a coffee break and I just couldn't stop crying.  The Respiratory Therapist who was working with Elyse that day happened to see me sobbing as she walked by while on her break.  A big part of my heartbreak was that I couldn't hold Elyse because she needed a very delicately placed respiratory tube after her surgery to help her breathe, as her breathing was suppressed by her pain medication.  When we got back from our coffee break, it was evident the RT had spoken to Elyse's nurse on my behalf, and the two of them put in a huge effort to carefully transport Elyse into my arms - without moving the tube - and tape down all the precarious parts.  They also had to cover her in warmed blankets, and make sure all of her other lines would still reach.  Amazing.  You never realize how such a seemingly small thing as holding your baby in your arms can mean so much.  I will be eternally grateful for that RT's kindness and empathy.

Breathing tube out!  Sigh of relief

showing some attitude already

tiny toes

wide awake

Practising

***Update!***

You would be amazed how quickly things change and progress for a baby who has been through surgery, and how the ever-changing nursing staff manage to keep track and keep things moving.  Today Elyse is 10 days old.  She weighs what she did at birth, which is perfectly normal for her situation.  She is scheduled to move into a crib this afternoon, and out of an isolette.  Once that happens, we will be able to pick her up freely - without having to rely on the nurses so much - which will be very nice.  Her breathing tube came out days ago, and she is doing really well breathing on her own.  Her bowels have began to work and do their job after the surgery, and they began to clamp the tube that drains her stomach for an hour at a time, every 3 hours, (instead of 6) to get her body to do the work itself.  If she doesn't get sick today they will completely clamp her drainage tube tonight, and her digestive system will be doing all the work.  The next step is to introduce breast milk right into her stomach through a feeding tube (they'll replace the one in her nose) to see how she handles that.  Once she is tolerating breast milk, I will begin the process of breastfeeding, which seems a bit tedious.  I have to build up her oral feeds slowly, adding one more every few days - it could take weeks.  The hospital will not discharge her until she is capable of taking 8 oral feeds a day.  Presently, I am pumping 8 times a day, and freezing a whole lot of breast milk!  I cannot wait to give it a try with Elyse; I just don't feel the same love and affection towards my pump.

Elyse is doing very, very well.  I usually visit her three times a day:  morning, afternoon and night, for several hours.  I hold her, sing to her; she uses her soother, sleeps, looks around, and we read stories with daddy at night.  It is really hard not to get ahead of ourselves, and to just be patient for her to be able to come home.  As always, Elyse is running the show, and we still have a little ways to go before she will be home.  In the meantime, thanks so much to our family and friends for all of your support!  We have babysitters lined up all next week, so that Dan and I can visit the hospital to see Elyse together once Ariel is in bed - beautiful.