Friday, February 27, 2009

Happier days

I feel like I might have depressed some people with my last blog post, so to make up for it, here are some new happy pictures of Scarlett from today! She's had a great day. They took her off the CPAP at 9:30 a.m., and then off the oxygen at around 1 p.m., and she's done great all day. And she's been such a happy baby today, just smiling away.




Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Hospital day 30

Well, Scarlett's been in the hospital this time now for a full month, and we'll probably be in here a few more weeks. So I decided I might as well start documenting our stay better.

First, a look at all her various breathing apparatuses.

Here, she's on the regular oxygen cannula. This is the only thing she was on during our first two visits.


Getting ready to put the CPAP back on ... she looks naked to me with none of it on! And also sad. The tube going into her nose is her feeding tube.

Here's the infamous CPAP. Or, as we sometimes call it, her snorkeling gear.

Most of the time, she hates it, but sometimes she likes it! See, she's smiling! (OK, she's actually just dreaming here. She never likes it.)

Now, this week, she's back on the respirator to give her body a rest and hopefully get over her cough. The breathing tube goes down her throat.

She's heavily sedated and that's why having a tube down her throat doesn't seem to bother her too much here.

Here's a look at the entire respirator machine.

One of the nurses brought Scarlett a new mobile, which she seems to like.

Stuffed animal friends. The nurses in the ER gave her the elephant, and the zebra is a Valentine's present from Jason.

Here's Scarlett working with her physical therapist. She seems to enjoy getting stretched out.

More physical therapy. In this picture, you can see the PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) in her leg. It's basically like a long-term, extra-long IV line where they can draw blood and give her medications. She has a separate IV on her arm.

Here's one shot of the PICU room where we've been staying.

Little baby in a big bed.

And here's the hated love seat. It's the only thing you can sleep on, and it doesn't fold out!