Cohen is so busy.

I'm so overjoyed to see my daughter today!  It's still a generally uncomfortable feeling to have to make a 25 minute drive to a hospital to see your own daughter, but this is how it goes.  The last time I was up here was Sunday and Coco was still using the ventilator.  So, this morning is the first time I've seen her with the nasal canula.  I must say, I prefer seeing her use this than any other form of oxygen assistance - because I can see her beautiful face more clearly.  It's also great because the nasal canula is the mechanism that uses the least amount of support for breathing that she can get, which means she is doing really well breathing on her own.


Last night, Coco had her second PICC line inserted (peripherally inserted central catheter). This is superior to using an I.V. because the I.V. line has to be replaced constantly, whereas the PICC line can stay much longer.  Since she was taken off her feedings as a preventative measure, she is receiving nutrients intravenously and the PICC line is super to this end.

PICC line visible here

The doctor greeted me this morning and let me know that Cohen is doing "really well."  She had a brief apnea episode last night but the doctor feels like it was more a response to the sedation she was given for the PICC line procedure than her simply forgetting to breath.  They gave her another drug to reverse the relaxing sensation of the sedation to get her breathing again and it seems to have worked.  


When I was sitting here with her this morning her oxygen levels did fall the most I've ever seen (from 83 to 33 in a matter of seconds when it typically fluctuates no more than 10 numbers), and the respiratory tech had to come in and assess her.  As it turns out, her canula had a plug in it and she needed to have her mouth suctioned and her nostrils flushed.  That seems to have helped significantly, although it wasn't pleasant for Dad to watch.  Coco bean did not appreciate all of the activity.

Nurses replacing Cohen's canula

The other good news from the Doctor this morning was that Cohen's spinal fluid culture and blood cultures are still negative.  So, she does NOT have meningitis and she seems to be responding very well to how they've treated her thus far.  At this point, infections happen - or so we're told.  We'd obviously prefer for those infections to have a minimal effect on her at worst and avoid the more severe infections that can happen (NEC, meningitis, etc.).  So far, we've been blessed beyond measure with her progress and are so grateful for God's grace with our precious Cohen.   

I'm really excited to be back up here with Chelce, so we can spend more time with Coco bean together.  Please continue to pray for Cohen's development, the doctors, nurses and caregivers and our family.  A HUGE "Thank you" to the great network of people who have kept us in your prayers over the last few months.  We could not do this without so much support.

Love you all.

Brian 

PS - As I'm finishing this blog entry, the Doctor came in and let me know they're going to put Cohen back on the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure).  She is working a little too hard to breathe right now so they're going to give her a little break.  And so goes life in the NICU.  You can't finish a blog entry before something changes : )