Arabella did it again, she jumped over another hurdle. She's officially back on the CPAP mask. CPAP stands for 'continuous positive airway pressure'. Arabella does all of her own breathing, but the machine helps keep her lungs open in between breaths.
We almost can't believe it. It's a big step forward here in our little NICU world. And only four days after PDA ligation!
She just keeps pushing forward.
Bella passed a 10 minute 'spontaneous breathing test' today, and it basically determined that she's ready for extubation (tube removal).
The last time we saw her with this mask (and lovely hat) was on March 18th. That night her condition got worse, and she couldn't sustain her own breathing. Belle was struggling too much (due to her PDA) so she had to be put on a ventilator (also known as a respirator).
Hopefully this is the last picture we'll ever see of the "vent".
The vent is not your friend. The vent does damage. It literally "ventilates" the user. It's forceful. It's artificial. Only the sickest preemies are on a vent.
It scarred Arabella's lungs and caused inflammation. It created a separate issue called 'chronic lung disease' that Bella might have possibly avoided, but the ventilator was the only solution to her worsening PDA.
Classic catch-22. As much as I hated the vent, it did keep her alive. In that case, thank you vent. You did what was asked of you, and you did it well, but now you must go.
We almost can't believe it. It's a big step forward here in our little NICU world. And only four days after PDA ligation!
She just keeps pushing forward.
Bella passed a 10 minute 'spontaneous breathing test' today, and it basically determined that she's ready for extubation (tube removal).
The last time we saw her with this mask (and lovely hat) was on March 18th. That night her condition got worse, and she couldn't sustain her own breathing. Belle was struggling too much (due to her PDA) so she had to be put on a ventilator (also known as a respirator).
Hopefully this is the last picture we'll ever see of the "vent".
The vent is not your friend. The vent does damage. It literally "ventilates" the user. It's forceful. It's artificial. Only the sickest preemies are on a vent.
It scarred Arabella's lungs and caused inflammation. It created a separate issue called 'chronic lung disease' that Bella might have possibly avoided, but the ventilator was the only solution to her worsening PDA.
Classic catch-22. As much as I hated the vent, it did keep her alive. In that case, thank you vent. You did what was asked of you, and you did it well, but now you must go.
We're glad that Arabella was strong enough to finally move past this. Hopefully she'll do well with her breathing and oxygen levels, especially now that her PDA is closed.
Fingers crossed!
We're so proud of this little champion!
We're so proud of this little champion!
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