Saturday, September 20, 2008

September 20, 2008

Good morning,

Bree had a pretty good night last night...the nurse did get the results of her abdominal x ray, and the problem is that the ventilator is somehow pushing some of the air into her stomach area, which is then going into her intestines. So she has pockets of air in her intestines. Right now they are just keeping an eye on it, and if it persists or if it becomes a problem they will insert a second tube in her mouth, but this one will go into her stomach to allow the air to escape out of that. One of the problems with that is if she has the second tube they can't feed her the breastmilk and she will have to remain on the TPN that she is receiving now. (TPN is artificial 'food' that gets put into her IV, kind of like a type of sugar water)

We asked when the next time she would have a brain ultrasound to check on her brain bleeds. We were told that if they are going to do another one, it will happen on Monday. Also, they will give Bree three or four days on the jet ventilator before trying to switch her to the regular ventilator since when they tried yesterday to switch her she was not unable maintain her blood gases where they wanted her to keep them.

The nurse did say that she had a good night though so that is a bit of good news.

Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and in love with life!

LoveAdam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

7:30 report

7:30 update!

I called and got our update...no news on the xray of her belly and her intestines. The nurse I spoke to, Amanda, said that it was not mentioned to her in report so hopefully that means no news is good news, but she is going to double check for me. They did switch her to the regular ventilator, but she did not maintain her blood gases where they wanted them so they switched her back to the jet ventilator. So, she has had a bit of a down day today, but that's okay. The next few months are going to be full of good days and not so good days...this is just one of the not so good days. We hope that she has a good night of rest and a better day tomorrow....

Love
Tasha

7:30 report

7:30 update!

I called and got our update...no news on the xray of her belly and her intestines. The nurse I spoke to, Amanda, said that it was not mentioned to her in report so hopefully that means no news is good news, but she is going to double check for me. They did switch her to the regular ventilator, but she did not maintain her blood gases where they wanted them so they switched her back to the jet ventilator. So, she has had a bit of a down day today, but that's okay. The next few months are going to be full of good days and not so good days...this is just one of the not so good days. We hope that she has a good night of rest and a better day tomorrow....

Love
Tasha

7:30 report

7:30 update!

I called and got our update...no news on the xray of her belly and her intestines. The nurse I spoke to, Amanda, said that it was not mentioned to her in report so hopefully that means no news is good news, but she is going to double check for me. They did switch her to the regular ventilator, but she did not maintain her blood gases where they wanted them so they switched her back to the jet ventilator. So, she has had a bit of a down day today, but that's okay. The next few months are going to be full of good days and not so good days...this is just one of the not so good days. We hope that she has a good night of rest and a better day tomorrow....

Love
Tasha

September 19, 2008

Good evening all!

I know, I know...this update is later in the day than usual! We spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the hospital with Bree and we spent the rest of the day looking at houses. Since Adam has this week and next week off of work we are taking advantage of it, and using our time wisely. Soooo..onto Bree!

Our little Miss Bree Marie is officially a poop machine! She passed her first "stool" as the nurse called it, yesterday, and since then has pooped twice more. This is exciting for us as each little milestone is even more of a celebration! She weighs 1 lb 15 oz as of today and her swelling has gone down dramatically! She looks so much better without all the swelling.

The neonatologist that was there today mentioned that Bree has a slight blue tinge to her belly area which can be suggestive of her intestines not working properly (there could be a hole in them, they could be twisted in a section, there could be an infection, etc, etc) so they took an x ray while we were there and we should find out the results of that when we call for an update on her day here at 730.

Breathing news! Bree's blood gases have been great for the past five days so we were told that they were going to switch her from the jet ventilator (which pumps the air in at like 300 breaths a minute and she has to push the air out) to a regular ventilator (which is the normal breathing pattern) and she has to do a lot more of the work.

I wanted to add in here that we are so grateful for all of the help that has been offered and been given to us! I I cannot put into words how much it means to me personally, and I am sure that Adam feels the same way. There are too many people to name here, but you all know who you are and please remember that we hope to be able to be there for you in your time of need as you all have been for us. Thank you so much!

We hope this finds you happy, healthy and in love with life!

Love
Adam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

September 18, 2008

if (typeof YAHOO == "undefined") {
var YAHOO = {};
}
YAHOO.Shortcuts = YAHOO.Shortcuts {};
YAHOO.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.sensitivityType = ["sensitive_news_terms"];
YAHOO.Shortcuts.doUlt = false;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.location = "us";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_id = 0;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_type = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_title = "September 18, 2008";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_publish_date = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_author = "tnkrbll53@yahoo.com";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_url = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_tags = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_language = "english";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.annotationSet = {
"lw_1221932055_0": {
"text": "Good morning",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 114,
"endchar": 125,
"start": 114,
"end": 125,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.425303,
"type": ["shortcuts:/us/tag/other/wiki"],
"category": ["WIKI"],
"wikiId": "Good_Morning_America",
"relatedWikiIds": ["As_the_World_Turns", "Diane_Sawyer", "Live_with_Regis_and_Kelly", "Lucasfilm", "MSNBC", "The_Early_Show", "The_Oprah_Winfrey_Show", "Trading_Spouses", "Ugly_Betty", "Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Superhero%3f"],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "Good morning all! Bree is doing WONDERFUL this morning! The past two",
"metaData": {
"visible": "true"
}
},
"lw_1221932055_1": {
"text": "blood gases",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 601,
"endchar": 611,
"start": 601,
"end": 611,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.247885,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Arterial_blood_gas",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "but we are thankful that they have not grown. Her blood gases have been really good the past three days so they",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221932055_2": {
"text": "bathing beauty",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 773,
"endchar": 786,
"start": 773,
"end": 786,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.550694,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Bathing_Beauty",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "which one, there are like 20!) She is still a bathing beauty under her photo therapy lights to help her body break",
"metaData": {
"movieID": "1800149871",
"moviePosterHeight": "150",
"moviePosterURL": "http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/images/muze/vhs/sm/74/115674.jpg",
"moviePosterWidth": "83",
"movieRating": "Unrated",
"movieYear": "1944",
"visible": "true"
}
},
"lw_1221932055_3": {
"text": "wedding rings",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1182,
"endchar": 1194,
"start": 1182,
"end": 1194,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.253746,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Wedding_ring",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "us. We want to do some fun ones with our wedding rings, (putting them around her wrist), and anything else we can",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
}
};
Good morning all!Bree is doing WONDERFUL this morning! The past two days she has had to receive platelets because she wasn't maintaining her level on her own, but this morning she is holding steady on her own....yay! She had a brain ultrasound yesterday and the "unofficial" report (what the tech said while doing it) is that it looks there is no growth of the brain bleeds. They are still at a stage three, but we are thankful that they have not grown.Her blood gases have been really good the past three days so they lowered one of the pressures on her ventilator. (not sure which one, there are like 20!) She is still a bathing beauty under her photo therapy lights to help her body break down the used blood products. Her swelling is still the same as yesterday. So, overall she had an uneventful day and night...which is what we love to hear! On Saturday, as long as Bree is having a good morning, our good friend Carrie Fay is going to come and take some pictures of Bree for us. We want to do some fun ones with our wedding rings, (putting them around her wrist), and anything else we can think of. It will be a little challenging because we can't really move her and we have limited things we can do with her. She is beautiful so I am sure her pictures will turn out perfectly!Hope this finds everyone happy healthy and in love with life!LoveAdam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

September 17, 2008

Good morning all,

Adam and I went and saw Bree this morning and she is doing well. Her oxygen was at 35% this morning, but she was having a little bit of difficulty so they said that they would probably be raising it this afternoon to help her out. She now weighs one pound fourteen ounces, but a lot of that is "water weight" from all the fluids and meds that they are pumping into her. She is retaining water right now, so she looks a little swollen in her belly area, and her arms. They have her on medication to help her reduce her swelling so hopefully it will get better.

No news on her brain bleeds. Right now they have an IV in her head, giving her platelets and clotting factors, which is preventing them from performing an ultrasound. They are trying to find ways to work around the IV, but they are not sure they will get a clear picture of the brain bleeds and be able to measure them correctly. I wish I had better news to share with you all this morning, but no news is good news.

Other than that, she is doing well. She was a little wiggle worm when we were there because she showed up right before it was time for her sedation meds. They have to keep her sedated or she fights the ventilator. When she fights the ventilator it doesn't allow it to work properly and her oxygen saturations will start to drop. Please keep praying for her continued strength and healing of her brain bleeds.

Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and in love with life!

Love
Adam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

September 16, 2008

Thank you so much for your response about prayers for Bree...she is doing well this morning. They have not done another brain ultrasound so we have no news regarding that aspect. Her update as of this morning is as follows:She is on 55% oxygen, which goes up and down everyday. Her blood gases were great last time they checked and she is still under the photo therapy lights. She was weaned off of her dopamine yesterday (which is her heart/blood pressure medication) and she is doing great off of it and has not needed to go back on. So, it is looking like she will start receiving breast milk here in the next 4-5 days.I did ask the nurse what they would look for for signs that the brain bleeds were affecting Bree and was told that her vitals would be unstable and she would have a poor response to treatment. Thankfully, she has not had any signs of that in any way! So Praise God that she is doing well with that! Let's all continue to pray for healing of her brain bleeds and continued strength for her little body....she is our little fighter!In fun news today, Adam and I (and Riley) are going to wal mart to purchase some small things to brighten her "station". She has a bulletin board and small area that we are allowed to decorate and make our own so we plan on getting some fake flowers, her name in letters and a few other things to make it feel more like home. Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and in love with life!LoveAdam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

Prayers please!

Hello all,I wish I was sending this out with better news but we just got a call that Bree's brain bleeds have gotten worse. They have advanced to a stage three, which means that the bleeding is causing her brain to swell. Here is a link to some information about what is happening with her: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_ivh_hhg.htm Please be praying for this swelling to stop and to go down. They will be doing brain ultrasounds at least every day at this point now so we will keep everyone updated...Thank youLoveTasha

September 15, 2008

if (typeof YAHOO == "undefined") {
var YAHOO = {};
}
YAHOO.Shortcuts = YAHOO.Shortcuts {};
YAHOO.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = false;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.sensitivityType = [];
YAHOO.Shortcuts.doUlt = false;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.location = "us";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_id = 0;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_type = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_title = "September 15, 2008";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_publish_date = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_author = "tnkrbll53@yahoo.com";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_url = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_tags = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_language = "english";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.annotationSet = {
"lw_1221931861_0": {
"text": "flickr",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 271,
"endchar": 276,
"start": 271,
"end": 276,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.602045,
"type": ["shortcuts:/us/instance/organization/company/yahoo_property"],
"category": ["ORGANIZATION"],
"wikiId": "Flickr",
"relatedWikiIds": ["AOL", "Apple_Inc.", "Facebook", "Google", "Microsoft", "MySpace", "Twitter", "Yahoo%21", "Yahoo%21_Mail", "YouTube"],
"relatedEntities": ["aol", "apple", "facebook", "google", "microsoft", "myspace", "twitter", "yahoo", "yahoo mail", "youtube"],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "to see Bree this morning!!! The pictures are up on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/gonce) and I will attach a few to this message",
"metaData": {
"domain_name": "Flickr",
"domain_url": "http://www.flickr.com/",
"visible": "true",
"yprop_description": "Upload your photos to share with the world.",
"yprop_name": "Flickr",
"yprop_url": "http://www.flickr.com/"
}
},
"lw_1221931861_1": {
"text": "www.flickr.com/photos/gonce",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 279,
"endchar": 305,
"start": 279,
"end": 305,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 1,
"type": ["shortcuts:/us/place/virtual/web_site"],
"category": ["IDENTIFIER"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "see Bree this morning!!! The pictures are up on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/gonce) and I will attach a few to this message as",
"metaData": {
"visible": "true"
}
},
"lw_1221931861_2": {
"text": "danger zone",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 887,
"endchar": 897,
"start": 887,
"end": 897,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.509572,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "days of life so we are halfway out of the danger zone! Bree was weaned off of her dopamine today, which is",
"metaData": {
"ambiguous": "true",
"movieID": "1800262900",
"moviePosterHeight": "120",
"moviePosterURL": "http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/images/muze/vhs/sm/98/999998.jpg",
"moviePosterWidth": "101",
"movieRating": "R",
"movieYear": "1996",
"notrailer": "true",
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931861_3": {
"text": "NICU",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1668,
"endchar": 1671,
"start": 1668,
"end": 1671,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.227699,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Neonatal_intensive_care_unit",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "goodness for modern medicine! We had the chaplain at the NICU stop and pray with us today over her, and I",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
}
};
Hello all!This update is a little later in the day than usual, but not without good reason. I got to see Bree this morning!!! The pictures are up on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/gonce) and I will attach a few to this message as well. She is doing well today. I got a lot of good information from the Physicians Assistant about her brain bleeds, eating, and everything else. Bree actually has two brain bleeds, one in each ventricle of her brain. There are four stages to brain bleeds (with four being the worse) and Bree's are at a stage two. I have not researched too much into this yet, but I will either today or tomorrow. She told us that the danger of brain bleeds is really only present in the first ten days of life so we are halfway out of the danger zone!Bree was weaned off of her dopamine today, which is a heart medication to help her heart pump stronger. She is doing well off of it. The reason for them wanting to wean her off of it as soon as possible is because once she is off all heart medications she can start eating! They will feed her about a teaspoon at a time of my breastmilk through a tube that will be put up her nose and into her tummy. This will happen twice a day. Even with preemies, breastmilk is still best so I am pumping and taking it up to the hospital for them to freeze for her. On a more personal note, I think Bree is so beautiful! It is truly a miracle and it is amazing to see a baby so small alive and moving. Thank goodness for modern medicine! We had the chaplain at the NICU stop and pray with us today over her, and I feel so blessed to be her Mama. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes...LoveAdam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

September 14, 2008

if (typeof YAHOO == "undefined") {
var YAHOO = {};
}
YAHOO.Shortcuts = YAHOO.Shortcuts {};
YAHOO.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.sensitivityType = ["sensitive_news_terms", "illegal", "adult"];
YAHOO.Shortcuts.doUlt = false;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.location = "us";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_id = 0;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_type = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_title = "September 14, 2008";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_publish_date = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_author = "tnkrbll53@yahoo.com";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_url = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_tags = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_language = "english";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.annotationSet = {
"lw_1221931808_0": {
"text": "Good morning",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 120,
"endchar": 131,
"start": 120,
"end": 131,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.403622,
"type": ["shortcuts:/us/tag/other/wiki"],
"category": ["WIKI"],
"wikiId": "Good_Morning_America",
"relatedWikiIds": ["As_the_World_Turns", "Diane_Sawyer", "Live_with_Regis_and_Kelly", "Lucasfilm", "MSNBC", "The_Early_Show", "The_Oprah_Winfrey_Show", "Trading_Spouses", "Ugly_Betty", "Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Superhero%3f"],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "Good morning all! I figured it\u0027d be best if I started putting",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931808_1": {
"text": "night nurse",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 680,
"endchar": 690,
"start": 680,
"end": 690,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.399723,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "she is a little less sedated because of that. Her night nurse commented that she was peeing up a storm for her",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931808_2": {
"text": "blood pressure",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1023,
"endchar": 1036,
"start": 1023,
"end": 1036,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.244109,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Blood_pressure",
"relatedWikiIds": ["American_College_of_Cardiology", "American_Heart_Association", "Diabetes_mellitus", "Food_bank", "Heart_rate", "Hypertension", "Milwaukee,_Wisconsin", "Pulse", "WebMD", "Yale_School_of_Medicine"],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "in ten mintues it seemed like.... (that\u0027s my girl!) Her blood pressure was stable all night and that is a blessing because",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931808_3": {
"text": "brain bleeds",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1422,
"endchar": 1433,
"start": 1422,
"end": 1433,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.715977,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "They do a head ultrasound every week to check for brain bleeds so we\u0027ll have another update on that in a week",
"metaData": {
"visible": "true"
}
}
};
Good morning all!

I figured it'd be best if I started putting the date as the subject for all my updates...makes a little more sense then trying to come up with a new name everyday.

Baby first! Bree is doing well this morning. Her oxygen is at 35%, they have lowered her respirator so that she is doing a little bit more of the work, in conjunction with that they have lowered her morphine and dopamine (I think that's what she said). So she is a little less sedated because of that. Her night nurse commented that she was peeing up a storm for her all night (which is really good!) so that was a little bit comical.She commented she'd put a new diaper down and she'd have it wet in ten mintues it seemed like.... (that's my girl!) Her blood pressure was stable all night and that is a blessing because that is something that she seems to struggle with. Yesterday I was told by her doctor that she does have a small brain bleed but that it is nothing to worry about right now. It is common for babies her age and with how small it is it can very easily go away on it's own. They do a head ultrasound every week to check for brain bleeds so we'll have another update on that in a week. Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes...prayer is our strongest ally and our God is a good God! We are placing our trust in him, He knows what is right for our family.

I actually got an amazing night of sleep so I feel much better today. Adam and I have talked and I think I am going to try to come home around 6 or 7 so that I can sleep in my own bed tonight! I have had some amazing nurses and care aides while here in the hospital, but there is just no place like home. We plan on keeping in touch with a few of them and one day, when Bree is much better (much much much better) we will bring her in for them to see.

Please keep praying for our little girl, she is a fighter and has such an amazing spirit. I was told by her nurse today that she is one of the most beautiful little babies she has seen in there. Made my heart warm and proud to hear that. We hope this finds you all happy, healthy and in love with life!

Love
Adam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

Update on Bree and me!

if (typeof YAHOO == "undefined") {
var YAHOO = {};
}
YAHOO.Shortcuts = YAHOO.Shortcuts {};
YAHOO.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.sensitivityType = ["sensitive_news_terms", "adult"];
YAHOO.Shortcuts.doUlt = false;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.location = "us";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_id = 0;
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_type = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_title = "Update on Bree and me!";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_publish_date = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_author = "tnkrbll53@yahoo.com";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_url = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_tags = "";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_language = "english";
YAHOO.Shortcuts.annotationSet = {
"lw_1221931765_0": {
"text": "Good morning",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 119,
"endchar": 130,
"start": 119,
"end": 130,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.392915,
"type": ["shortcuts:/us/tag/other/wiki"],
"category": ["WIKI"],
"wikiId": "Good_Morning_America",
"relatedWikiIds": ["As_the_World_Turns", "Diane_Sawyer", "Live_with_Regis_and_Kelly", "Lucasfilm", "MSNBC", "The_Early_Show", "The_Oprah_Winfrey_Show", "Trading_Spouses", "Ugly_Betty", "Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Superhero%3f"],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "Good morning all! Baby news first, last night Bree was having some",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931765_1": {
"text": "blood transfusion",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 512,
"endchar": 528,
"start": 512,
"end": 528,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.279054,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "Blood_transfusion",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "put her on a stronger ventilator, and gave her a blood transfusion to balance out her gas levels. Because of the stronger",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931765_2": {
"text": "blood pressure medication",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 760,
"endchar": 784,
"start": 760,
"end": 784,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.323417,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "photo therapy lights (with her cool sunglasses) and still needs blood pressure medication to keep her blood pressure where they want it. When",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931765_3": {
"text": "NICU nurses",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1951,
"endchar": 1961,
"start": 1951,
"end": 1961,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.609281,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "fighter...and she has already won over the hearts of the NICU nurses. I had the night nurse, Patricia, ask me if she",
"metaData": {
"visible": "false"
}
},
"lw_1221931765_4": {
"text": "night nurse",
"extended": 0,
"startchar": 1974,
"endchar": 1984,
"start": 1974,
"end": 1984,
"extendedFrom": "",
"predictedCategory": "",
"predictionProbability": "0",
"weight": 0.434101,
"type": ["shortcuts:/concept"],
"category": ["CONCEPT"],
"wikiId": "",
"relatedWikiIds": [],
"relatedEntities": [],
"showOnClick": [],
"context": "over the hearts of the NICU nurses. I had the night nurse, Patricia, ask me if she could be her primary night",
"metaData": {
"visible": "true"
}
}
};
Good morning all!

Baby news first, last night Bree was having some trouble maintaining her oxygen levels so they checked her gas levels that are in her blood (they measure her co2 and oxygen levels among other things) and saw that there were not where they wanted them to be. In order to remedy these problems they put her on a stronger ventilator, and gave her a blood transfusion to balance out her gas levels. Because of the stronger ventlilator she is sedated and given pain medication to make sure that she is comfortable. She is still on the photo therapy lights (with her cool sunglasses) and still needs blood pressure medication to keep her blood pressure where they want it. When I called this morning, all was still the same, however, they are only having to pump 30% oxygen into her for her to maintain her oxygen levels. Just as a comparison room air is about 20% oxygen, so she's not requiring too much more than a normal person!

Now onto me, yesterday was not a good day for me. I caught a bug of some sort and was not really able to keep food down, or in. (sorry if that's too much information)! However, I had an awesome nurse last night who restarted my IV, made me drink a ton of fluids, gave me Immodium, and after an okay night of rest (people coming in every two hours) I feel more like myself! I am tired and will need to nap today but I look forward to seeing Riley for the first time since Wednesday...they will be here in about a half an hour!

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes...please keep praying for Bree, we have a bit of a bumpy road ahead of us, but I am sure we will make it through! She has already proved that she is a fighter...and she has already won over the hearts of the NICU nurses. I had the night nurse, Patricia, ask me if she could be her primary night nurse. I obviously was thrilled and look forward to having someone watch over her who knows her and her habits, likes and dislikes...I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and in love with life!

Love,
Adam, Tasha, Riley and Bree

Bree Marie Gonce

Bree Marie was born on September 10 at 10:00 pm via emergency c section. Her placenta abrupted and therefore she needed to be born at 25 weeks and 5 days. She weighs 1 lb 5 oz and is 13 inches long. She is on a regular ventilator and is on medication to keep her blood pressure up, but she is doing amazing considering her circumstances. She is at a different hospital than I am at so I have not been able to see her yet...She will remain in the NICU for the next three months at the least, for now we are taking it one day at a time. I am so proud of how well she is doing!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers! Today she started photo light therapy because of jaundice, but that is something that is very common and is not really something to "panic" about. Her respirator was lowered today from 44 bpm to 36 breaths per minute and she is still holding strong at 60 or so breaths per minute. So she is still fighting and being 'daddy's little soldier'...she still needs the surfactant treatments to keep her lungs open and is still on the blood pressure medication, but I have been told by numerous people that she is doing amazing for her age and her circumstances! I honestly give much credit to the prayers that everyone is saying for her...I think prayer is such a strong tool and I thank each and everyone of you for praying!! I will keep you updated!

Love,
Adam, Tasha Riley and Bree