Happy 1 Week Birthday, Callie!

Callie is one week old today, or 36 weeks gestation! She is still doing very well! They are continuing to watch her bilirubin levels, which increased slightly over the past few days. This morning, her bilirubin decreased, which is good news! So, she has been able to avoid the phototherapy.

Yesterday, her feeds were increased and she is now getting the “full feeds” for her current weight, which is 25mls (or just below an ounce) of breastmilk every 3 hours. They also began supplementing my breastmilk with a formula known as Enfacare (which is specially designed for preemies). Supplementation provides 2 additional calories per ounce of breastmilk. It also provides vitamins and minerals that are not present in breastmilk but are usually supplied during the last weeks of pregnancy, such as calcium and phosphorus, which are important for bone health. Since Callie is up to “full feeds”, she no longer has an IV since she does not require any additional fluids. Callie weighs 1240g, or 2 pounds, 11 ounces.

Today, Callie was trying to show everybody that she is a big girl! She has remained in an isolette, which has been set at its lowest temperature setting, so that she does not have to work hard to maintain her own temperature. Apparently, she doesn’t have to work too hard because she has been hot all day! We have even removed her blankets and clothes to try to keep her cooler. Babies are not usually able to maintain their own temperature until they reach approximately 1500g (or ~ 3 ½ pounds). However, most babies Callie’s age are already above that weight and are “mature” enough to regulate their own body temperature. Although Callie is old enough, the doctors are not comfortable taking her out of the isolette due to her low weight.

Callie had a head ultrasound this morning to check for signs of an intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), or bleeding in the brain. This type of hemorrhage is more often seen in preemies born at early gestational ages or low birth weight preemies and typically occurs within the first week of life. Although we haven’t received the formal report, the technician told us that he did not see any signs of an IVH.


Henry had his hearing screening this morning. The purpose of the screening was two-fold; it is a requirement for his next evaluation with Wake County’s Early Intervention Program (which should occur by the end of the year), and it is a pre-op requirement for getting his ear tubes. The results were a surprise to us… Henry has moderate hearing loss in his right ear. The good news is that it is not expected to be permanent. It is expected that the hearing loss is a result of fluid build-up behind his eardrum, which is preventing his eardrum from moving properly in response to sound. The persistent presence of fluid behind his eardrum could be the culprit for many issues we have seen with Henry, such as poor balance (noted by his PT and OT), slow speech emergence, feeding difficulties, and possible may be contributing to his sensitive gag. We are still waiting for his surgery date, but are hopeful that it may be scheduled next week.

Stewart is doing great! He scored a goal in his soccer game tonight! This is his last week of school before he tracks out for a 3 week break!

Here’s a cute little video of Stewart and Henry playing air hockey! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YSVYp9dlQg