Another Wed update

Up visiting babies this morning and Madeleine opened her eyes for the camera! She just had goopy drops put in, which is why she looks so shiny. She's holding Abby's finger.

Here's a shot of all the equipment hooked up to Madeleine. (Dillon has a matching set). It's a bit alarming at first, as they beep, chirp and screech all the time, but we are finally getting used to it all. Her incubator is just visible to the left.

The brown bag at the top is basic food, (sugar and saline water) feeding in to her umbilical cord. The 3 wider shorter white boxes with green screens are drug and nutrient feeders that have syringes on top and auto-feed the syringe contents into her cord. One is breast milk, one is Morphine, and the other is a drug to help her pee. The device at the bottom that is white with blue on either side of it is feeding two more drugs into her. The computer monitor at the top left is measuring heart rate, blood pressure and a few other vitals. The tall white box with the yellow screen below and to the right of her name sign is measuring her blood-oxygen saturation levels. This is the key one we are watching for now, as it indicates the efficiency of her lungs on the respirator (not in the picture).

They are trying over the next while to ween her off the respirator while maintaining a good oxygen saturation level. This whole rig is also in place for Dillon. Like I said.. daunting at first, but now we are getting comfortable with it all. Her billyrubin (sp?) levels are dropping slowly (aka jaundice) so she may be able to come off the UV lights this weekend. If that happens, we will be able to hold her for the first time. Can't wait.

I'm flying back to Vancouver for a night on Thu, returning to Edmonton on Friday. Jody is flying in to cover for me helping out Abby for 2 days. Have to pick up basic supplies (like clothes). It's already quite cold here, and Abby checked into Lions Gate Aug 31st in shorts and flip flops. Today's high in Edmonton was 8C. Yikes!