Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/10 and 7/11/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below. We have HUGE news!

 The past couple days have really been a blur. When you read all that has gone on, you'll see why. You will definitely want to read until the end.

Weight gain: On July 10th, we found out that Kymani gained 100 grams overnight! That's the most she has gained in one night. She gained 10 more grams the next day, making her total weight this morning (July 11th) 2180 grams. That's 4 pounds and 13 ounces.

Feeding - Kymani met and exceeded all of her feeding goals!

BRADY Events - Kymani still has had zero of these since June 6th!

Newborn Screenings - July 10th and 11th were very busy, as Kymani was doing all of her routine newborn and discharge screenings. She had her second head ultrasound done, as well as her hearing screening. She also did the car seat test to make sure she stayed oxygenated the whole time. Rich and I also watched some routine newborn safety videos.

This morning we were told that Kymani would be doing the car seat test. She did the others yesterday. Worst case, she would have a BRADY during the test and have to stay at least another five days. If she had any desats, then she would be coming home with oxygen. Otherwise, she would be coming home as is... today!

Kymani passed this test with flying colors and is now HOME - no hospital monitors, no oxygen, no extra equipment of any kind. After such a long ordeal, it feel surreal, but is definitely a big welcomed relief. Kymani seems pretty happy about it too.

Nova was napping when we came in (she went home  a day early with her big sisters because she was pretty done with the hospital and needed something familiar). When she woke up and saw Kymani she looked at me with a huge smile and shouted "Baby! Baby?" and then tried to rock her in the car seat.

Everyone else felt the same happiness, including the pets. Bo-Bo laid down by her car seat and Pinky rubbed against it. Velma sniffed  at the car seat and then laid down. She got the seal of approval from them all.

The discharge procedure started yesterday and wasn't as short as we made it sound here. It was pretty exhausting, but we'll spare you all the details and leave you with the happy news, as we sign off to finally relax at home with our family.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/8 and 7/9/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! More awesome news!

The past couple days have been very busy - but in a good way! On July 8th, my oldest daughter's 20th birthday, we received the news that Kymani would get the feeding tube taken out if she nippled (drank her breast milk from the bottle) at least 80%.

So, what does Kymani do with that news? She pulls the tube out on her own once she has nippled 73%. Because it was so close and she was doing so well, everyone agreed to go ahead see what she did and then put the tube back in if necessary. She decided to be an overachiever and nipple at 100%.

So, we are getting very close to going home. She now has a high and low range of what she should eat, with a total goal per 12 hour period. She has been meeting that. So, if she continues to meet that goal for at least two days, has no more BRADYs for five days in a row (it's been 3 days now), and shows a good increase in weight, then the earliest she could go home is Tuesday.

But we aren't going to get a specific date in mind because remember, preemies can go up and down all the time. If it goes backward, it doesn't mean she isn't doing good. It simply means she is being a normal preemie. She is already way ahead.

Again, to go home, she must be consistently meeting her feeding goals for at least two days in a row, show consistent weight gain for at least two days in a row, and have zero BRADYs 5 days in a row.

We thank those of you who have been following along, praying, meditating, sending happy vibes, casting white spells, lighting candles, or anything that is positive toward Kymani meeting her goals to go home. One of us is religious and one is not. But we both agree that all positive energy is good.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/7/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! More awesome news!

Feeding 

Kymani has been doing so well with feedings. She had a bit of a backslide yesterday, due to the stress from her vision exam. But that's very normal and she has seemed to pick right back up since yesterday evening. She has been drinking at least some of her bottles every feeding, finishing (or getting close to finishing) most of them.

Once she is nippling (drinking the breast milk on her own via the bottle) 80% of her feedings, the feeding tube will come out and what she doesn't finished will no longer be given via the tube. We will soon find out what her current percentage is and how close she is to that eighty percent.

The other big feeding news today is that she has been switched to Dr. Brown's bottles with preemie nipples because the slow flow disposable hospital nipples with the breast milk containers were a bit too fast for her. She choked a bit on them a few times and we felt that this was hindering her progress. The doctors agree. It was their idea to switch the bottles.

But the funny thing is we talked about asking them before they did it and coincidentally wanted to use those same bottles. They are the ones we bought Kymani before she was even born. Once she switched, she looked so much more comfortable during feeding. Everyone feels this should help.

Weight Gain - Kymani lost 20 grams yesterday, but that is a small amount and doesn't affect her overall progress. She is likely to show a gain after the way she ate today. But if she doesn't, that's normal too. The loss is likely due to the stress of having her vision exam yesterday, coupled with trying to feed with a nipple that was a little fast for her. She also had the immunization the day before yesterday. So that's a lot of stress in a row for a little baby.

BRADY Events - If you read yesterday's update, you'll know that Kymani had a small BRADY in response to her vision screening. The good news is that one doesn't count toward the amount of BRADY events that affects her going home. That's because it was small and quick and was in response to a stressful action. So, she still hasn't had a true BRADY since June 28th. That means she has gone 9 days since having one and it only takes 5 non-BRADY days in a row to be safe enough to go home.

You may have noticed that Kymani seems more aware and awake as the days go by. She is! That's a very good thing. It means she is doing what a baby should do. She can lift her head on her own. She turns her head all the way toward voices and sounds. She smiles in response to smiles and laughter. She knows her name and recognizes various voices and sounds.

She especially likes the voices of mommy, daddy, and siblings - of course! She also really likes Dave & Ava, just like Nova does. There's a lot more. Simply put, she is progressing extremely well for a preemie baby born at 30 weeks that is only 4 weeks old. She hasn't even reached the gestational age of a term newborn baby and already she is doing so much! What a superstar!

Some of the doctors and nurses have mentioned some interesting facts to us regarding her success rate. Apparently, African Americans who are born prematurely often fare better and thrive more quickly than others. This is also true for females. She has some African American blood in her and is a girl, so that gives her a better chance, statistically. We looked it up and sure enough, it's definitely been scientifically proven that African American baby girls do the best as preemies. Is this why she's doing so well? Who knows for sure? But it definitely can't hurt.

Basically, it's all up to Kymani now. Once she nipples eighty percent and gets the tube taken out, she will be going home soon after that. She needs to nipple closer to  a hundred percent and then she gets to come home.

So, please continue to send positive vibes, pray, light candles, cast a white spell, meditate, whatever it is you do that is positive toward Kymani feeding consistently so that we can bring our sweet baby girl home.

Don't forget to enter our contest regarding when Kymani goes home! Hurry, before she goes home and you can't guess anymore! Will you win?

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/6/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Lots of news!

Kymani is 4 weeks old today (34.4 weeks gestation)! Yay! Not only is this just a happy thing to celebrate, but this also means you will start to see various milestones, examinations, screenings, and the like. This is normal for a 4 week old baby, but preemies just have some extra or different ones.

Today, Kymani got her vision screening that we mentioned yesterday. She has immature retina (but without retinopathy or ROP), which is normal for a premature baby at her stage.

She will need a follow-up in 2 weeks to make sure she doesn't have ROP at that point. It's normal for premature babies to need these follow-ups because if ROP develops, it can cause blindness if not treated soon after. She doesn't appear to be at risk, but it's a good precaution to take.

The immature retina is normal and will mature with time. Everything else in the vision test was as it should be. She was cross-eyed in the beginning, like all newborns and that was shown to be mostly gone.

Weight Gain - Kymani has been gaining steadily this whole time and last night was no different. she gained 40 grams! She's now at 2080 grams, which is about 4.58 pounds.

Feedings - She slowed down slightly on some of her feedings, first due to the vaccine yesterday and then after the vision test today. This is normal for a premature baby, as it's a lot of extra stimulation and they can get tired. She started to pick back up tonight. So, she may speed back up to where she was or surpass it. But if she is still too tired to do that, don't worry. It's perfectly normal.

BRADY Events - If you've been following along, you'll know that Kymani had not had a bradychardia (BRADY) event since June 28th. She did have one today after the vision test and that's normal. She recovered quickly and even took in some feedings afterward. This might slow down her come-home date, but maybe not. Generally, there should be 5 days in a row without one before she can be discharged. But since it was after a procedure, it may not matter for this count. We will talk more with the doctor tomorrow. Also, she does have other goals to meet, especially the feeding, so if it does count, it still may not make a difference where time is concerned.

Don't forget to guess when she is coming home to see if you win the contest!

Rich and I ordered an outfit for Nova and a onesie for Kymani on thredUp and that package came today! You can see the black and white polka dot outfot for Nova, as well as Kymani's onesie in the slideshow below. The onesie looks off-white in the photo but it's actually white with a dotted pattern. We will just blame the poor photo on my low quality phone and terrible lighting.

Grandma Paul (my mom) also found some cute dresses and onesies for Kymani and brought those to the hospital today, too. Those are depicted in the secind photo of the slideshow. If you check out the photos in the very last slideshow in this post, you'll see Kymani wearing one of the dresses. This morning, she wore one of the gowns from Grandma Rowell (Rich's mom) too!

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/4 and 7/5/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she coming home yet?

In the past two days, Kymani has gained 90 grams. That's three ounces! She's also doing excellent with her feedings. On July 3rd, she was nippling (feeding via bottle or breast, rather than tube/gavage) at 34%. On the 4th, she was nippling at 52%! We won't know the percentage for today (July 5th) until tomorrow because all feedings for the day need to be completed for calculation. It goes by 24-hour periods.

As stated in the update prior to this one, Kymani needs to meet three main goals, as well as do some simple newborn screenings. Some are different than the usual newborn screenings, as these are tests that preemies would do, since they are technically still supposed to be inside the womb. The tests are done based on their adjusted (or gestational) age.

The three main goals to meet are:

• No BRADY Events For Five Days In A Row
• Consistent Weight Gain
• Consistently Finishing All Bottle Or Breast Feedings

Kymani is getting closer to nippling at 100% (finishing all bottle or breast feedings)! We'll know tomorrow how much closer she is. But we know that she seemed to take even more of her feedings today.

Remember to get your guess in for the contest on when she gets go home!

Kymani received her vaccination for Hepatitis B today. This is usually given at birth, but for preemies, it must be done at a different time, depending on each baby. Kymani will be one month old tomorrow and is at 2040 grams now. So, it's safe for her to get the vaccine.

She will also be getting her vision screening as soon as tomorrow. The order has been put in, since she is a month old. Her developmental screening will be coming soon too. You will start to hear us talk about a number of screenings as she gets closer to going home.

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 7/2 and 7/3/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she closer to going home?

Kymani continues to gain weight daily. That's very good, since consistent weight gain is one of the goals needed to make it home. There isn't a target weight, but rather she should have a consistent track record, which she does.

Our little fighter is getting better at feeding every day. She finishes some bottles already, which is amazing for a baby at her stage. Bottle feeding and breastfeeding is alternated. When she does breastfeeding, she gets her measured feeding via the tube as well, just to make sure she gets the amount prescribed. She has stayed latched on through a few entire feedings like this.

Kymani has these main goals to meet before she can go home:

• No BRADY Events For Five Days In A Row
• Consistent Weight Gain
• Consistently Finishing All Bottle Or Breast Feedings

Oh my goodness! She is almost there. Her last BRADY was on June 28th and she gains weight consistently. So, she mostly needs to be completing all of her feedings, which she is getting closer to. When she doesn't finish the bottles, not much has been left. She's getting close!

Remember to enter the bonus guessing contest on when Kymani gets to go home!

On July 3rd, Kymani received two packages! The first package was from Grandma Rowell. That one contained two preemie gowns and some preemie mittens, all sized appropriately to her current weight. She will be able to wear these until she's about 7 pounds.

The second package was from mommy and daddy. That one contained three side snap preemie onesies that are easier to get around her feeding tube and monitor wires while in the NICU. It also contained two preemie pajamas that have similar features. She wore one of the side snap onesies the evening of July 3rd because mommy put it on her so that it would be easier for the nurses when it was time to weigh her at midnight.

Kymani is also now back off of the oxygen support. She was having frequent oxygen desaturation during feedings before. This is normal for premature infants. However, that has slowed down to minimal or zero of these small events during her feedings. So, she doesn't need that extra help anymore.

As we have mentioned in prior posts, it's normal for preemies to go on and off oxygen as they grow. This will not affect whether she can go home or not, as oxygen support can be done at home, if necessary. We obviously hope that isn't the case, but simply want to let people know so they are not alarmed if it does happen.

Nova is getting better and better at being patient during the hospital stay. This has got to be hard on a toddler with so much energy. To help, we have been taking her to the park that is behind the hospital whenever she needs to run. Sometimes, that is multiple times in a day. Nova really likes nature and running. So this is essential.

Back to Kymani, she has been more and more alert every day, studying all of us. July 3rd has been her most alert day yet. During her 9 p.m. feeding, she was alert before, during, and after the feeding. Prior to that, she would fall asleep during or after feedings. So, she just might be closer to going home than we think!

Remember that with preemies, things change day by day. So, we likely won't know her going-home date until it's here. A preemie's plan of care is renewed daily. That means that when she is ready, it will be a surprise even to us!

Thanks to everyone who has been following along. We really appreciate your support. Please continue to send those positive vibes. It's working!

Find out how Kymani is doing in the NICU on 6/30 and 7/1/2017 via the photos, slideshows, and info below! Is she going home soon?

Kymani is now about 4 pounds and 4 ounces as of 9 pm on July 1st! She is gaining steadily, sometimes 70-80 grams per day! That's a lot for a little baby. Grow Kymani, grow! She has already met and exceeded weight goals for going home. But it's always good for babies to gain weight steadily. So, please continue to send positive thoughts that she keeps it up.

Kymani is getting better with feeding every day since she started. Non-tube feedings have consisted of mostly bottle feedings. She hasn't consumed all of them. Sometimes, some or all of each feeding has to be given by tube. But she is already ahead of most babies who are at 33 weeks gestation. Most babies don't start this until 34 weeks or so and Kymani was able to start at 33 weeks, due to signs of readiness.

On July 1st, she tried breastfeeding while getting a tube feeding to teach her that she would get full during breastfeeding. At the first attempt, she latched on easily and remained there for the entire feeding. If she can keep this up, that gets her closer to getting the tube out, as well as closer to going home.

Kymani is getting closer and stronger every day. We don't have an exact date, but her main goal right now is learning to feed consistently. She already has met most of the other goals required for going home. Other than feeding, she needs to do the usual newborn tests, such as being monitored in her car seat, along with things like hearing and vision. She will do those other tests when she is closer to going home. Right now, the focus is on feeding and as mentioned before, she is making great progress there. Please continue to send lots of healthy and positive vibes that she is able to meet this goal as quickly as healthily possible so that she can go home relatively soon.

Post your guesses in the comment section below. This contest will remain open until we know when Kymani goes home. The person who guesses the closest will receive a fun surprise gift from Kymani. Please be sure to subscribe to this post when you leave your comment in case you are the winner. Please do not put any personally identifying info in your comment text.  

Some quick facts before guessing:

• Kymani is 23 days old as of July 1st and will be 34 weeks gestations as of July 2nd.
  
• Kymani needs to either breastfeed or bottlefeed consistently to go home.
• She has already met most extra goals, outside of the usual newborn tests.

Enjoy these photos of time with Kymani from June 30th to July 1st, 2017.

Despite being at the hospital for a large amount of time, we do get out and enjoy time with the other kids too. Nathan and Nova both like to run and play, as well as enjoy nature. On June 30th, we took both of them to the park and then when Nathan went to Grandma's on July 1st, we took Nova again.