Ansley is 3 weeks old!

Ansley will be 3 weeks old tomorrow!! She is doing very well, she got her ventilator out last Tuesday at noon, and HAS KEPT IT OUT for 6 days! Ansley has an oxygen canula in her nose and is on 4 liters at 31%. She is breathing well on her own, with the help of her O2. They took the ventilator out of her room on Saturday, so that's a good sign that they don't plan on having to put it back in! They have dramatically increased her feeds since I have blogged last week, she is up to 11cc's every 3 hours and is doing awesome. She isn't having many significant residuals (milk left over in her tummy). Ansley now weighs 990grams (2 lbs, 3oz.) She started sucking on a pacifier about 3 days ago and LOVES IT! She also loves to suck on her thumb! On Saturday, June 26th, Jason and I got to hold her!! It was the most amazing feeling in the world! While she was being held, her vital signs were good, she only showed decreased O2 (desaturation) once. The nurse last night said that they would start "kangaroo care" this week! While I'm there I will hold her skin to skin in between her feeds. I am looking foward to bonding with her :) We hope you enjoy the pictures! Thank you again for the continued thoughts and prayers!

Jason's First Father's Day/ Ansley is 2 weeks old!!

Jason and I had a good weekend at UAMS. Ansley is doing well. She had to be put back on the ventilator last week, she was having to breath a little too hard and was wearing herself out. Again, they say that's typical for preemies that small. In the past week they have gradually decreased her vent settings, they were 60 breaths per minute and she's down to 40. Also, she is breathing more normal and not so much over the ventilator. They are going to try and ween her again this week! She is doing well with her feeds, they have increased them from 2 cc's every 6 hours to 6 cc's every 6 hours. Also, she is doing well gaining weight. I called this morning to check on her and she weighs 2 lbs.! She had to have another blood transfusion on Saturday (#4). Because she is so small, they have to draw her blood a lot and she is unable to produce enough blood to replace it. So, they replace it for her.

Jason had a wonderful first Father's Day! Ansley already has him wrapped around his little finger :) He is SO proud to call her his daughter! I surprised him with a picture of her in a frame for his office that had "Daddy's Girl" written on it! That's the truth, she's definitely a Daddy's girl already (AND a Mommy's girl too of course). We pray daily that she continues to grow and improve!!

Ansley got her ventilator out!!!

Praise God!! Ansley has had her ventilator out for over 24 hours now!! She got it removed yesterday, June 14, at 4pm. The doctors try to ween preemies between 7 and 10 days, they say the longer they have it in, the harder it is to ween them. She has a nasal canula connected to a CPAP machine and is still on 21% room air. She is breathing a little faster, because she is having to work harder breathing on her own. Her blood gases have been fine since they took her off the vent. There is a possibility that they may have to put it back in, if her blood gases come back abnormal. (so far so good!!) They are still having to use the bilirubin lights (just one) to regulate her bilirubin levels. Her feedings are going well, she is still receiving 2cc's every 6 hours via orogastric feeding tube. I probably won't sleep tonight because I am SO excited about seeing her again!! Yesterday she was moved to a new bed that has a camera in it. Jason and I can log on anytime to see her, she is SO beautiful!!!! Today some dear friends came over and we finished her nursery! It's just missing one key element..... Ansley!!! The nurses said that if her vitals and blood gases were fine that I MAY get to hold her tomorrow :) What a special day that will be!! I will post new pictures of her tomorrow, Thank you for your thoughts/ prayers!!

Ansley's almost a week old!

Ansley will be a week old tomorrow! She is doing great, she is still on the ventilator and they are slowly weening her off of it. Her vital signs are still perfect, and they started feeding her 2 days ago!! She is tolerating the feeds well (via orogastric tube- tube from mouth to her belly), and has even pooped twice :) (It means everything's working great!) Today she got weighed and measured. She is 13 1/2 inches long and weighed 1 lb., 13 oz.!! She has gained 50 grams in 6 days (which is amazing)! The nurses put her on her belly and she loved it. Also, she got her first bath today! I am looking foward to seeing her again soon, I will be back in Little Rock on Wednesday; I have to get my staples removed and bring her stockpile of milk!! I am very thankful that she is doing well, Thank you for your thoughts and prayers :)

June 7, 2010- Ansley Faith enters this world!

Ansley Faith Kelley was welcomed in to this world on June 7, 2010 at 9:07p.m. via emergency cesarean section. She weighed 1 lb, 11 oz. and was born at UAMS in Little Rock. Jason and I wanted to start a blog to keep our friends and family updated on Ansley's progress and growth. Her birth was definitely unexpected, as she was born at 28 weeks gestation. The few weeks prior to her birth were filled with numerous hospital stays, bed rest, and lots of prayers from friends/ family.

Here is what lead up to her birth: I had been to this hospital for 2 weekends in a row due to unexplained bleeding. We had numerous ultra sounds and were told that my placenta was 'low lying' and that bleeding was to be expected. On Memorial Day I woke up, and bled significantly and was taken to this hospital via ambulance that morning. I was kept at St. Edwards in Fort Smith for observation. On Tuesday, I was still in the hospital and my blood pressure started elevating unexpectedly. From Tuesday thru Friday I was on strict bed rest, and my blood pressure still was not under control. Friday morning my doctor at St. Edwards made the decision to airlift me to UAMS due to preeclampsia. I arrived at UAMS and was put on magnesium via IV to prevent seizures and they monitored by blood pressure continually. It got better on Sunday and I was moved to the Ante Partum floor for yet more observation. Jason returned back to Fort Smith because they said it could be days, it could be weeks until Ansley arrived. Six hours later, my blood pressure kept creeping up and they said it was "go time" and that I was being induced, Jason rushed back to UAMS to be by my side. They wanted to deliver her naturally, and gave be pitocin to induce my labor. I was in labor for 7-10 hours before I received my epidural. After receiving my epidural I started bleeding profusely with each contraction. My doctors then made the decision to perform an emergency cesarean section, they got Ansley out in 15 minutes! I am thankful for each & every one who was involved in my care.

Ansley was born at 9:07p.m., weighing 1 lb, 11 oz. and looked beautiful!!! She is doing well. She is on a ventilator due to being unable to breath on her own. Her vital signs look great, her pulse ox, heart rate, and urine output are super. She was having her arterial blood gases (ABG's) drawn every 6 hours, but they increased it to 8 hours because her levels are great. Also, she had a chest x-ray that looked good and a brain scan (to check for bleeding) that revealed not hing significant. She is no longer on antibiotics because her blood cultures are good. They started feeding her today!! We are blessed to have such a beautiful daughter!! We will keep you posted on her progress :)