Kymani Update 6/19/2017: Photos, Progress, & Daily Activities

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

Kymani Lyrique Rowell 6/19/2017 Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

Kymani 6/19/2017 Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

When we first walked in the NICU room today, Kymani was fast asleep. As you can see, she was extremely comfortable. The nurses are all doing a great job taking care of her, as are the rest of the folks on her medical team. The tube you see in this picture is just her feeding tube.

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Kymani is eleven days old and is still doing very well. Her bilirubin went up slightly yesterday, but then it went back down today. If you haven't been keeping up or don't know what this means, it's in relation to jaundice. The lower the number, the better. If the numbers go up to a certain point, she will need to get phototherapy (light therapy) again.

Kymani 6/19/2017 Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

Her stools still look great and there has still been no further need for glycerine suppositories. She has had no BRADY events since June 15 - so 4 whole days without them! - that is awesome progress for a preemie baby this young.

Kymani also has started rooting, meaning she wants to breast feed. The nurse said we can try this tomorrow. She's very small, but because she has been sucking her binky (pacifier) very well and has been trying to root a bit, this is a good idea. She tried here and there before, but today, she tried very hard to do so and even got frustrated when she couldn't.

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Kymani 6/19/2017 Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

The most important things that need to happen before she goes home include being able to feed properly without the tube, gaining weight properly, and getting the bilirubin levels low enough. Prior to that, she also had to be off of breathing support (she has for some time now), stool without suppositories, and not have any BRADY events. As you can tell, she is getting very close.

So, the goal that we have to personally work on is getting her to feed properly. Obviously, the nurses will be helping with that, as you never know whether a preemie is ready or not until you try.

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We are looking forward to trying out breastfeeding tomorrow without the aid of the pump and tube. We will see how she does. Don't worry, if she doesn't take to it the first try, it's okay. Most babies born as early as she was are unable to do this. So, if she does, it will be a nice surprise.

Another piece of big news is that she may be graduating to a regular crib instead of the isolette. To do this, babies need to be able to regulate their own temperature, among a few other things. The temperature on her isolette has been getting turned down lower and lower each day, meaning she doesn't need as much aid with staying warm. This is very good.

Each day with a preemie baby is full of milestones, new information, and sometimes even setbacks, but not always. Each day holds a new plan, so you never know what to expect. We don't yet know when she will be able to go home. But we do know she is making great progress each day.

Since our vehicle has broken down to a state that would cost more to repair than the vehicle itself is worth, we will be looking into the boarding available to NICU parents tomorrow. We can't ask or expect anyone to drive us back and forth as much as we need to be there. Love, kangaroo care (skin-to-skin therapy),  and her parents and siblings spending time with her is one of the most important factors in her healing process.

There is a nightly fee for the boarding, but we do have two free nights courtesy of the hospital, we got a little bit of extra work to help, and a friend was generous enough to help out with enough for a night and a half. We will just keep looking for extra web-related work and/or try to sell enough crafts to keep the boarding going until she is able to come home because she really needs us there.

All positive vibes toward her coming home as soon as healthily possible are really helpful because obviously, the best possible scenario is that she is at home, rather than in the NICU. Again, with preemies, it is hard to pinpoint an exact time when that will happen, but all good thoughts toward her being ready soon are very helpful.

Nova Skye Rowell 6/19/2017 Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

Until tomorrow, we will leave you with this cute photo of Nova playing peek-a-boo with a nurse in Kymani's NICU room. This is her favorite game and since we are working on her communication skills with people outside the family, it has been a great ice-breaker.

Another cute thing Nova does is say "baby play" over and over while we are there. We are trying to get her to understand Kymani cannot play yet.

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