Lots of Blessings- Bella 46 hour update

So, it's 7:00 on Saturday morning and I woke up smiling today. :)

I got to hold Bella for the first time last night!! I actually got to change her diaper and take her temperature, too!!! It was wonderful. I loved it and so did she.

I had been asking the nurses all day yesterday when I might be able to hold her, and no one really had a good answer...you know, everything depends on how well Bella is doing...blah, blah, blah. So, when I got a call a little before 8pm saying that Bella was "due" at 8 if I wanted to see her, I was so confused. So, I called the NICU, and talked to one of the nurses, Karen, who explained to me that basically they have "touch times" every 4 hours when they take the baby's vital signs, change diapers, etc. Otherwise, they like the babies to rest with minimal disturbances (including talking loudly, touching, flashing cameras, even a swift breeze produced by someone walking quickly by). She then told me that as long as Bella was tolerating everything alright (breathing rates, etc), I could try holding her. And, if for some reason, she didn't, I could come back at midnight and try again.

But she did great for the vital signs, etc, so it was my turn to try to hold her. Karen (the nurse) told me that she might be a little fussy at first and to not get offended or upset. But, she put Bella skin to skin on my chest (called Kangaroo Care), and she didn't PEEP! She cozied right in and rested perfectly. Not only that, but her respiratory rate (which has been elevated) settled right down to the normal range the entire time I got to hold her. Karen said she'd like me to hold her for "at least 30 minutes" to make all the moving around, unplugging and replugging monitors, increasing her breathing rate, etc all worth the effort. I wanted to say, "at least 30 minutes? Are you kidding me?! You'll have to kick me out!" :) Well, she was wonderful. I got to hold her for over an hour until I was drifting off to sleep and then remembered that I hadn't yet eaten dinner! I got to the NICU at 8 and left around 10:15!
That completely made my entire day! I'm convinced that if it weren't for this amazing NICU nurse, Karen, none of that would have happened!

Overall, Bella is doing remarkably well. She is strong and is breathing very well. Everyone keeps commenting on how big she is! She was born at 4lbs 1.7oz, which is bigger than they expected for a 31 weeker! They are comparing her to a 34 weeker, weight wise. It's a total blessing that she came out with a little extra on her! She's totally awesome. :)

Just this morning, they were able to remove the CPAP and she now just has a nasal cannula to put a little extra air in her nose. But, she is on her way to breathing completely on her own! I'll keep you posted! Please keep all the wonderful prayers coming!