They say that the NICU is a rollercoaster. We spent the first 10 days on the gentle part of the rollercoaster but now Virginia is encountering her first real ride. Virginia has developed what they call a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus), which is basically a duct in the heart that has not closed. It is quite common in preemies and can even happen in full term babies. The duct is essential to fetal blood circulation, as it bypasses the lungs, however it usually closes shortly after birth in full term babies. The doctors are treating Virginia with a medication that is usually quite successful in closing the PDA. In the meantime, they have had to discontinue her breast milk feeds, turn her ventilator up, and overall provide a little more support so that her body can focus solely on closing the PDA.
Virginia has remained fiesty and is definitely a fighter. She started to open a little corner of her left eye this morning, so we'll take her winks as a sign that she is in control of the rollercoaster.
Specific prayers that we could use:
That the medication is successful in closing her PDA
That Virginia is able to bounce back to her previous ventilator levels and number of feeds quickly.
Thanks for the update. We've been praying and will continue to. I love to hear about that little wink!
ReplyDelete