On Monday, Tiffany and I went to visit Maggie at 10:00 am.  Robin, her nurse, was just getting ready to try formula by bottle for the first time.  The doctors had encourage Maggie to fill the bottle to 25 mL and just see how much Maggie could take in 20 minutes or before she became exhausted. 

When Baby Maggie first started her bottle, her heart rate and oxygen saturation did drop, but only for a few seconds, within a few big gulps, she seemed fully coordinated and had all 25 mL down the hatch in 5-6 minutes.  Tiffany did a great job giving Maggie her first bottle and she let out a big "Coca Cola burp" at the end.

I could bore you with more details about other concerns the doctors had regarding maintaining her temperature, heart rate, etc., but at this point, there is no need to...

Maggie has been taking 20-25 mL of formula by mouth every 3 hours since Monday.  Her feeding tube was removed on Monday evening and her IV will hopefully be removed in the next few days.

Maggie eats every three hours and sleeps in between.  She wakes up when she hungry...looks around...and lets everyone know its time to get working on her...diaper changes, bottles, etc.

Tuesday, January 22nd

The good news is that Maggie is progressing day by day beyond our expectations.  She must have known how many friends and family members were waiting for her birth, because she got here in a hurry and she is determined to get bigger as fast as she can.  Tiffany and I are so proud of her for her accomplishments in the first few days of her life and we can not wait to see what tomorrow brings.

We continue to thank God for the miracle which has been laid in our hands, for Dr. Morano for trusting in God and her instincts in sending Tiffany to Allegheny General Hospital, for Allegheny General and the doctors who work every day to protect the lives of these small gifts of life, and for our friends and family who have shown us so much love and support throughout our lives, but especially now. 

Tiffany and I returned to Allegheny today for Maggie's 1:30 and 4:30 feedings.  Tiffany and I were both able to continue our parent training course by changing diapers and assisting the nurse in giving Maggie a sponge bath.  She loved every minute of her bath, especially having her hair washed.  The doctors have released Maggie to take as much formula as she would like and was able to take 25 to 35 mL at each feeding before either becoming full or just too tired.  I had the pleasure of tending to the first formula spit-up...

The good news is the Maggie appears to have lost the expected 10% of her weight, has stabilized, and for the first day has gained one ounce.  Her original weight was 4 lbs 4 oz, with a low of 3 lbs 12 oz on Tuesday.  Today she weighs in a 3 lbs 13 oz!!!

Maggie was starting to show some more signs of jaundice and blood work indicated that she would need to be "under the light" for the few days.  As the nurse told us, "No one escapes the light," referring to preemies.  As a result, between feedings Maggie spends some time under the light with purple goggles to protect her eyes.  After three days, her levels will be re-evaluated.

Tiffany and I will be commuting back and forth until Maggie's release from Allegheny, we may spend a few nights in Pittsburgh to relax over the weekend.  We have appreciated your emails and look forward to seeing all of you soon.  Keep your emails coming and we will try to keep you updated with info and photos.

On Thursday, Maggie kicked back for another "Day in the Sun."  Tiffany and I were by her side for most of the afternoon.

It is difficult to imagine how tiring eating could be...but for Maggie, being under the "Bili Light" and eating an ounce of formula every 3 hours was beginning to become more exhausting and more stress than she was able to handle at that time.  The doctors decided to re-insert Maggie's feeding tube so that if she was unable to take her formula by bottle, they could make sure she was getting the minimum amount of formula each day.

By Friday, Maggie had escaped the light and hopefully put away her sun goggles for good. 

Tiffany and I returned to Allegheny in the afternoon and had multiple visits with Maggie into the evening hours.  We stayed in Pittsburgh so that we could get an early start on Saturday.  On Saturday, Pappy and Grammy Turner, along with Aunt Crystal and Uncle Luke stopped for a visit. 

On Saturday, Tiffany and I came home to work on the house. We were not prepared for Maggie's early arrival but with the help of friends and family we just might make it!!!

On Sunday, Tiffany and I retuned to Maggie with Mimi and PapPap Miller. 

Maggie enjoyed all of her visitors this weekend and is getting to learn all of their voices....

The good news is that over the weekend, Maggie returned to taking all of her formula by bottle.  The nurses explained that the jaundice, along with the stress of the bili-light, can fatigue the preemies.  Maggie seems to be doing well with the bottle, although she does begin to tire towards the end of her feeding.

Maggie may begin the process of "cold stressing" in which she will be wrapped tightly and placed in an open crib to determine if she can maintain her body temperature without assistance.  This "test" is normally over 24 hours and may begin in the next few days. 

Tiffany did get to dress Maggie in her first set of clothes today.  While she was only able to wear them for a few hours, it was a good experience for Tiffany to get to dress her baby girl...

On Monday, Maggie began the process of cold stressing in which the heat was turned off in her incubator.  She did not have any difficulty in maintaining her temperature and by Wednesday when we went to visit her, she was in an open crib/container. 

She also began taking all of her feedings by bottle with no need for the feeding tube, which was removed on Wednesday. 

By Wednesday, Maggie had her escape planned and she had just one final test to pass...the car seat test.  Maggie had to be able to sit in the car seat for the length of her ride home without any changes in her breathing or vitals.  Tiffany and I had to be able to pass the test of placing her in the car seat securely, it is amazing how tiny she really is in that big seat.  We all passed successfully and the plan for Maggie's journey home was scheduled.

On Thursday, Tiffany and I returned to Allegheny for our "night of nesting."  Nesting was our opportunity to spend a night with Maggie in a private room, along with a time for both of us to ask some final questions before being released.

Tiffany and I had our first long night with Maggie.  For the past two weeks she had been in the incubator where we could not hear all of the noises she made when she was sleeping.  Hearing all of these new noises kept us on the edge of the bed for the first few hours, and when we finally started to get comfortable in the night, Maggie surprised us with a "Poop Up the Back" diaper at 2 am.  You'll never hear us complain, we've been waiting a long time for one of those...