Kymani NICU Update 6/28/2017: Photos, Progress, & Daily Activities

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

All Images   6/28/2017 © Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

Kymani is now 20 days old! The photos, slideshows, and info below reveal how she is doing as a preemie NICU baby on 6/28/2017.

Kymani's Making Huge Progress!

At just 20 days old (33 weeks and 3 days gestational age) and having been born at 30 weeks and 4 days, our little fighter is doing extremely well!

As we mentioned in the prior update, Kymani has been gaining weight steadily. Remember that in order to be in an open crib, she has to be 1800 grams. She is now 1790 grams! That means she is only 10 grams away from that milestone.

Kymani also tried to breastfeed for a longer period today. She latched on very well and stayed there for more than 15 minutes. She wasn't suckling the entire time, but she did suckle for a good portion of that time. She also roots every time it's time to eat.

Her medical team says she may be ready to start feeding via breast and bottle and forego the feeding tube very soon. We will talk to them further soon - possibly as early as tomorrow! So, there might be more good breastfeeding news in the next update.

Because she is doing so well, feeding and weight gain will be the majority of the news in the updates, along with anything else that goes on each day. Before you know it, we will have an update about taking her home. We don't have an estimated date on that yet, but she's definitely getting closer.

See a photo slideshow at the end of this post

Sisterly Love

Kymani and Nova continue to interact well. Nova looks for Kymani and asks to see her by saying "Baby Ky" repeatedly. Ky is easier for Nova to say, though we are unsure if this will be her nickname or not. It may be what Nova calls her affectionately and may be Nova's nickname for her. But we are trying to come up with something more inventive and fitting of her personality when that starts coming out more.

Kangaroo Care Continues

Kangaroo Care (skin to skin contact) continues to be an important part of Kymani's care and treatment plan. This will help her develop and grow, so we ensure she gets this therapy daily.

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How Can You Help?

 Some people have asked how to help. We have most of what we need for Kymani and don't really want to ask people to go out of their way for the few items we haven't yet hunted down. Right now, the most important thing is us boarding at the hospital so that Kymani receives as much kangaroo care and chances for family bonding and breastfeeding as possible.

These things will help her get home more quickly, as they help her thrive and develop. We are funding the boarding with money earned from sales in our family craft shop, as well as professional business services ordered through our web services page. We would love to help out with anything you need from either of those places. Writers receive discounts on many of our services. You can also share either or both of them if you want to help but don't need any services or crafted items.

We really only need a few items for Kymani and will acquire them ourselves. But if you see any of these items priced low and in used condition, let us know (we like to use hand-me-downs and then donate as many items as possible to help keep the earth green and kind-hearted): *4Moms mamaRoo Swing, preemie footie pajamas (sizes between 4-7 pounds), and preemie summer outfits (sizes between 4-7 pounds). The mamaRoo has shown to be very life-changing to preemies and they have them in many NICU facilities, including the one Kymani is in. This is why we are looking for it. Again, please don't go out of your way to find these items. But if you have any lying around that you're trying to sell (or see someone else doing so), let us know.

The above of course optional and is only mentioned due to the number of people asking how to help.

What Helps Kymani The Most?

What helps the most, besides our family's love and care to Kymani, is sending lots of positive and healthy thoughts her way on continued progress toward going home. These positive thoughts, along with family attention are really the most important thing right now. She's doing a great job, but continued loving thoughts, prayers, lit candles, white spells,  healing meditations (or anything else positive in nature) are sure to help. We appreciate all good vibes and so does she.

Thank you!

All Images   6/28/2017 © Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

*Life Successfully has no affiliation with 4moms or the MamaRoo product mentioned in this post. They also did not ask or compensate us for this post. We simply heard about the benefits from other parents, as well as nurses and doctors. We also did a bit of research and like what we found.

Keep an eye on the blog for more of Kymani's journeys!