Baby Back

UPDATE

Baby Back was born!

Baby Arie was born 7 weeks ago. She has had some struggles, but overall she is doing great! She was 1 pound 15 ponces, and 13 inches long. She was immediately wisked away after birth, to the Neonatal intensive care unit where she has lived since. Moments after birth she had an I.V. placed in her unbilical cord, a ventilator placed to provide oxygen, and many other cords and tubes placed to maintain life.

Since then, she has been stepped down from a vent and Nitric Oxide, to a cpap, and finally to a nasal canula for Oxygen supplementation. This is great news because she can come home using a nasal canula!

She has had belly issues her whole little life. They have done scans since she was a few weeks old to see if they could find any easily fixed issues. Unfortunately that was not the case. The amazing nicu nurses at PSL hospital have done daily procedures to address the immediate need of stooling. There has been a lot of talk about a disease which involves a portion of the intestine that grows without nerve endings...thus creating a bit of a "dam" in her colon. They did a test Friday to determine if she would need surgery for Hirschprungs disease, and we just got news that the test is negative. Best news today!!

The last hurdle she needs to master before she can come home is having enough energy to eat all of her bottles by mouth. It is a big task for preemie babies to learn to suck, swallow, and then breath. Baby Arie has done so well learning and sustaining this skill, but it takes a lot of energy. She is very close to completing this last task, and we are all cheering her on!

Callyn has been in Denver since January 9th, and Cody has been driving back and forth weekly to get caught up with Arie's medical details and see his wife while also maintaining his career. The whole family is so, so ready for all of them to be home and be able to settle into this new chapter of their life.

Update: Baby Back is cooperating, thats worthy of a celebration each day! She has passed the 26 week gestation age which is a monumental goal achieved, so much additional growth and strength has occured since Callyn's water broke. We are hopeful with this gift of additional time, baby will be born with well developed lungs and fight in her spirit, just like her parents have!

Due to Callyn being in the hospital in Denver, Cody's employers have graciously given him Fridays off so he can be in Denver for weekly ultrasounds and updates. This time to draw from eachothers strength, and to be present together for the tough news, is very important for both of their mental health during this journey. Unfortunately, this means his income is not what it was....but their bills have and will increase significantly. Any gifts of money are appreciated.

Update: So far baby Back is staying put. We are incredibly thankful for that! Callyn has shown signs of preeclampsia so they are watching her as well as monitoring baby closely. Baby has had a strong and consistent heartbeat, with the exception of one monitoring session. Baby is definately in control and running the show. It is daunting for Cody and Callyn to think of her being in the hospital for another 8 1/2 weeks. Once baby is born she will go to the NICU and most likely spend several months there before coming home.

My daughter was life-flighted to Denver due to her water breaking at 23 weeks gestation. She will spend the duration of her pregnancy in the hospital.

While the Orr's Hope Foundation has been an amazing help with travel expenses, the reality is setting in that this is a life-changing event and any monetary support will be incredibly helpful and appreciated.