False Alarm
Will and I went to the hospital first thing this morning to be there for Charlotte's extubation. But that didn't happen (more on that later). We did however get to sit in on morning rounds for all three of the babies, so here goes...
Charlotte had her echo yesterday, and results confirmed a Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA), an open connection between the pulmonary artery and aorta that typically closes after birth in a full term infant, and a large one at that. It's common in preemies, but it can cause issues, so we decided to try to treat it with medicine prior to extubating. She will be given three doses over 36 hours, and hopefully that will do the trick of closing it without any side effects. She will stay intubated and on the ventilator during this time for stability and will likely be extubated this weekend. She's still on room air and all of her other numbers look good, so she seems to be in a stable place going into this treatment. But it also feels like one more bump in the road to getting her started on milk. One day at a time.
Thomas got a clear report on his brain ultrasound and is up to 2 cc of milk every 3 hours. He had his echo today, so we don't have the results yet. However, the doctors anticipate a PDA with him as well given the murmur that they can hear, so he will likely begin the same medicine treatment in the next day or so. He's been on his stomach or side the past couple of days and seems very comfortable.
Audrey is up to 3 cc of milk every 3 hours, and all of her numbers continue to be strong. Her brain ultrasound showed a smudge of brightness similar to her first ultrasounds, but none of the doctors seem to be worried about it at all. It's not a bleed, but there's a tiny chance it could be an indication of Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). Obviously, we pray that that is not the case; the doctors don't think that it is. All three babies will continue to receive regular brain ultrasounds, so they'll be tracking this for her each time. She too has been sleeping on her stomach lately, which is super cute. She's had her legs pulled up underneath her, which is the same way Hannah loves to sleep. Sisters.
Audrey sleeping soundly and looking a lot like Hannah