March 12th - March 20th

March 12th
Cady weighed 1 lb 12oz today. Her feedings were increased to 15 mL/feeding, which amounts to 1/2 an ounce. She is demanding more food so she can grow faster! 

March 13th
Weight: 1 lb 13 oz. The Doctor removed her Caffeine dose today. If she doesn't respond well, and begins having "spells" of not breathing, they will resume.

March 14th
Cady weighed 1 lb 14 oz! At this rate, she should meet her goal of 2 lbs by March 17th!

March 15th
Today, Cadybug is 6 WEEKS OLD! The time has flown by, greatly in part to the fact that she has been mostly issue free up to this point. We are very thankful for this, as we have seen firsthand some of the struggles the other NICU families have to deal with. She weighed 1 lb 15 oz today! Only 2 more ounces to be 2 pounds!!!!! 48 hours without caffeine stimulation, and she is breathing on her own just like she should. She has small spells, but mostly corrects herself before the nurses have to intervene.
       Cadynce was moved across the hall today. This is just another sign of progress, as the area she is now in is for less problematic, lower maintenance babies. There is only one more move to make, and that will be the the "Feeder/Grower" area, which is reserved for the babies that are VERY close to going home! (Typically, 3 lbs and above)

March 16th
Mommy, Daddy, and Nana Wilma visited today. Mommy and Daddy gave Cadynce her 2nd bath! She didn't poop in the water or the nurse's hand this time! We gave her some encouragement to gain the last ounce before the next day and meet the goal.

March 17th
SHE DID IT! CADYBUG MET OUR GOAL PLUS SOME! She weighed 2 lbs 1 oz today! We were so happy! The 2 lb mark was a huge milestone for her, according to the nurses and doctors! This definitely brought a huge sigh of relief to us. We can now see the end goal in sight!

March 18th
Cadynce stayed the same weight, her length was up to 14.4 inches long, and her feedings were at 18 mL/feeding. Mommy and Cadynce had one on one time today, but Cadynce began holding her breath so she had to be put back in her crib. Luckily, it was just a small spell, and she soon corrected herself.

March 19th
Cadynce was just showing off today! Her weight was up to 2 lbs 3 oz! This is a HUGE milestone in the Doctor's eye, as this means she is over 1,000 grams! (They only measure in grams. There are 30 grams per 1 ounce, based on their scale.) Her feedings were increased to 19 mL/each.

March 20th
Cadynce got a little ahead of herself yesterday, so she made up for it today. She was 2 lbs 2 oz. This is not surprising, or anything to be concerned with. She is definitely filling out, and beginning to get the typical "baby fat".

Monday March 4th - Monday March 11th

March 4th
Today several things happened in the world of Cadynce. She had her 2nd brain ultrasound, and the results came back normal. They were looking for any bleeding on the brain, and found none. Her saline levels were dropped to 1 1/2 liters on her high flow nasal cannula. (This means less pressure is applied by the machine, so she is required to work a little harder to breathe on her own.) Also, the doctor switched her to a high calorie/ high protein formula at every feeding, just to help her gain weight faster.

March 5th
No changes were made today, and Cadynce had a very calm day. She was still at 1 lb 9 oz.

March 6th
Today, Mommy and Cadybug had some one-on-one cuddle time. Cadynce's high-flow ventilator was removed, and she was only on basic oxygen. This was a big milestone, as a baby her size isn't expected to be able to breathe so well on their own! She's still our little SUPERSTAR!

March 7th
Cadynce was up to 1 lb 10 oz today! We are so glad that she is beginning to grow, grow, grow! 

March 8th
Cadynce had her nasal cannula removed today! This means she is completely breathing on her own! (She still receives a dose of caffeine daily, to help stimulate her.) The Doctor increased her calorie intake, from 24 calories/feeding to 27 calories/feeding. This is done by mixing a 24 calorie formula and a 30 calorie formula in equal parts.

March 9th
Today, Mommy, Daddy, Nana Wilma, and Great Aunt Carolyn came to visit. Mommy held Cadynce and Nana and Great Aunt got to see her outside of her bed for the first time. 

March 10th
Today Cadynce was 1 lb 10 oz! We were so happy! We set the goal for Cadynce to be 2 lbs within a week.....Read future posts to see if she met it! :) 

March 11th
Today, Cadynce had an eye test performed. They look to see if her eyes are developed as they should be at her age (32 weeks). Everything was fine! They also did blood work, to check her Red Blood Cell count. That also came back fine.

February 26th - March 3rd

Tuesday Feb. 26th
Cadynce lost an ounce overnight, so she is back at 1 lb 7 oz. This is typical, so we were not too concerned. Everything else was good today.

Wednesday Feb. 27th
Cadynce stayed the same weight, and no other changes were made today.

Thursday Feb. 28th
It is hard to believe that 4 WEEKS AGO I was admitted to the hospital! The past weeks have flown by, and Cadynce has been a star in the NICU. We are so happy that everything is going so well with her. No changes in her feedings or weight today.

Friday March 1st
OUR CADYBUG IS 1 MONTH OLD TODAY! It is still unbelievable how fast time has gone by. Mommy kangarooed with her today, and the nurse put up a cupcake decoration with new footprints to celebrate 1 month! The doctor changed her feedings to include 2 high calorie formula feedings a day. This should help her to gain weight a little faster. A brain ultrasound will be done within the next few days to check for any bleeding on the brain. They previously did this at 7 days old, and found minimal (Grade 1 on scale of 1 to 4) hemoraging. 

Saturday March 2nd
Cadynce had a good day with no issues. She was just resting up for all of the visitors coming on Sunday! The doctor did increase her formula feedings to every-other feeding. They are really trying to fatten her up!

Sunday March 3rd
Jason and his mom went to visit Cadynce mid-morning. She was up to 1 lb 9 oz! WOO HOO, we finally made it over the birth weight hump!!! There's no looking (or falling, LOL) back now! Shortly after Jason and his mom left, Nannie Cat and Poppa D went to visit. While they were there, great-grandmother, Granny Pat, showed up to see the pretty princess! The doctor increased her feedings to 14 cc's every 3 hours, and she still received the formula every other feeding.

Feb. 19th-25th

Tuesday Feb. 19th
Today, they increased Cadynce's feedings to 11 cc's every 3 hours. They also changed her from the CPAP to a hi-flow nasal cannula. This is going to make her have to do a little more work to breathe on her own. The doctor is confident that she is strong enough to do well on it. Mommy also had some "kangaroo time".

Wednesday Feb. 20th
Cady had a good day today, and so far is doing well on the nasal cannula. She only had 2 spells overnight that required the nurse to stimulate her. 

Thursday Feb. 21st
Today was a big day for Cadynce and us! We got to give her her first bath! The nurse assisted us with setting up her little tub and getting her settled in it. She loved the water! We could visibly tell how relaxed she was while we were washing her hair and body. And, always surprising us, she saved the best for last! As Jason and the nurse were getting ready to get her out, she decided to poop in the tub! The nurse quickly picked her up and held her while Jason dried her off. Well....apparently she wasn't done...she filled the nurse's hand up! We laughed so much at her. It was definitely a bath to remember! The kicker to the whole story? The nurse wasn't Cady's scheduled nurse. Her original nurse had been moved to another baby during the shift, so Cady was assigned a new nurse. And the nurse we had was young, and she said it was her first time being pooped on! Cadynce just wanted to make sure that nurse remembered her forever!

Friday Feb. 22nd
Today Cadynce weighed 1 lb 5 oz, so she finally gained an ounce! Her blood work showed that her Red Blood Cell count was low, so they had to give her a half of a blood transfusion. Only 1 feeding was held back due to the transfusion, and she was still at 11 ccs every 3 hours.

Saturday Feb. 23rd
Cadybug gained another ounce overnight! She now weighs 1 lb 6 oz. We are so glad to see her gaining....it only means she's getting closer to coming home!

Sunday Feb. 24th
The doctor increased Cadybug's feedings again to 13 cc's every 3 hours. She is completely digesting all of her feedings, so she can handle more! Mommy held her skin-to-skin again today. Cadynce really likes that! She just slept right through it.

Monday Feb. 25th
Cadynce is up to 1 lb 8 oz!! She is back at her birth weight. Mommy and her had some one-on-one holding time, which is always happy time for both! Jason and I are so glad to see her gaining as well as she is....each day is one day closer to her coming home!

February 16th-18th

Saturday Feb. 16th
Jason and his mom went to visit Cadynce today. When they arrived, they were greeted with good news. Cadynce's feedings had been increased AGAIN to 7 mL every 3 hours. Her IV fluids had been decreased, and she was only receiving proteins through the IV. (She had previously been receiving proteins AND fluids via IV) And, she had the lead (IV access) removed from her right arm. (This only left the PICC line in her left arm). She had also gained 1 ounce, so she was now 1 lb 5 oz. 

Sunday Feb. 17th
Cadybug had another big event day! She had the PICC line removed from her left arm, her IV fluids (proteins) were cancelled, and her feedings were bumped up to 9 mL every 3 hours. Our little girl is doing AMAZING! We are so thankful that she has done so well, and continuously improved daily. The doctors and nurses are still bragging on her progress, and that only fuels our hopes of her coming home SOON!!!!

Monday Feb. 18th
Cadynce weighed 1 lb 6 oz today, so that's 2 ounces in 3 days! We're hoping this means she will really start gaining within the next few days and/or weeks. I was told that I will be allowed to give her first bath this week! Cady is a little pink bundle of hope! Her color is perfect, she is opening her eyes more and more each day, and her cries are getting louder! She fussed for a few minutes this morning, but once the nurse changed her position, she calmed right down and snoozed away. 

February 9th - February 15th

Feb. 9th
I got to hold Cadynce for 45 minutes today! The NICU calls it "Kangaroo Care", which is skin to skin contact for bonding with mother and/or father. It has also been proven to help the development and overall health of baby. Cadynce was tucked down the neck of my shirt to help keep her body temperature regulated. She slept while I held her, and it was very therapeutic for me as well. I could feel her gentle breathing, and her tiny hand laying over my heart. Definitely a moment I will treasure forever! The nurse did find some traces of what appeared to be old (2-3 days old?) blood in her stomach contents. The doctor wasn't too concerned with it, so her feedings were not withheld. The nurse reassured us that it was possible that the blood came from the removal of her IV in her belly button, or from when the breathing tubes were removed from her throat. We were relieved that it didn't seem to be anything major.

Feb. 10th
When we arrived at the hospital today, we were given our first "bad" report from overnight. The nurses had seen more of the old blood in her stomach, so the doctor had withheld her feedings. They ordered blood work and cultures to be drawn so that they could run tests to determine if the cause was an infection. The doctor also went ahead and began antibiotics to get a head start in case it was infection. The blood work test they ran was called a CRP, which checks for inflammation. Those results came back showing no signs of inflammation, so that was another indicator that there was no infection, and that the blood came from some of the procedures they had done in the past few days. The blood cultures were sent to the lab, and results would take 2-3 days to come back.

Feb. 11th
Today, Cadynce had to have a blood transfusion. With all of the blood they had drawn yesterday, her red blood cell count was low. They reassured me that it was completely normal for preemies her size to have to have several transfusions because of all the blood work required. Her feedings were still being held, and the antibiotics were still being given.

Feb. 12th
All of the blood work and tests had come back, and the results showed NO INFECTION! YAY!!! Antibiotics were cancelled, and her feedings were resumed. They started her at 1 mL every 3 hours, but by the end of the day, she was back up to 3 mL every 3 hours, which is where she was when they withheld her feedings on the 10th.

Feb. 13th
The doctor scheduled another ultrasound to check Cady's tummy, kidneys, and other organs. This is very typical and routine for a baby her size. Her feedings were still 3 mL every 3 hours, and she was doing great.

Feb. 14th
Cadybug's 1st Valentine's Day! The best gift I received on Valentine's Day was "Kangaroo Care" (skin-to-skin holding) when Cady placed her hand over my heart! That was the most loving and unforgettable moment ever! The nurse had increased her feedings to 4 mL every 3 hours, and Cadynce was digesting every bit of it! I was so happy to hear this, because the more milk she gets, the less IV fluids are given, and the faster she'll gain weight! She had already rebounded to 1 lb 5 oz. (She had held steady at 1 lb 4 oz for 4-5 days)

Feb. 15th
Today was a hard day for me, as I had too many things to take care of at home, and errands to run. I was unable to go visit Cadynce, but I called and spoke to her nurses. They informed me that they were increasing her feedings again to 6 mL every 3 hours! I was so proud of our little girl! She is obviously ready to start gaining weight! They mentioned that the doctor wanted to keep a close eye on her blood pressure, as it had been running kind of high. The nurses reassured me that it was typical, and that medicine would be a last resort. She said that there were multiple tests and treatments that they would attempt before putting her on any medication.

Days 7 & 8- Feb. 7th and 8th

Both of these days were typical, no issue days. Cadynce was sleeping, eating, and behaving as expected. I was allowed to hold her for a few minutes. She was all bundled up in blankets, and it really didn't feel like I was holding anything! She is so small. On Friday the 8th, they ran a brain ultrasound to check for any bleeding. The doctor said they do this at 1 week old and then again at 1 month old. Her results came back fine, and the doctor said there was very minimal bleeding, just what they would expect to find.

Days 5 & 6- Tuesday Feb. 5th and Wednesday Feb. 6th

Tuesday Feb. 5th
This was a big day for our little girl! So many things were going good, the doctor and nurses were planning some big changes. First, the phototherapy lamp was no longer on! Her bilirubin levels were low, so they took the lamp and her "goggles" off! The doctor was so impressed with her low oxygen levels that she said they were going to try and remove her from the oscillator ventilator and change her to a CPAP machine on Wednesday! This would mean that Cadynce would be doing most of the breathing on her own! They gave her a caffeine shot in preparation for the CPAP. The nurse said that it would give her a "boost" to remember to breathe, just like a cup of coffee or a soda will give an adult a burst of energy. Cadynce's feedings were 1cc every 6 hours.



Wednesday Feb. 6th
When we arrived at the hospital to visit Cadynce, they were just getting ready to take her off of the ventilator and transfer her to the CPAP machine! We watched them do it, and we got to see her whole face for the first time! The only thing on her face was the feeding tube going in her mouth. They also increased her feedings to 1cc every 3 hours. Cadynce was the star of the NICU, according to the nurses and doctor. She had been shown on Tuesday night to student nurses as a rare case of a baby her size doing as well as she was! We were so proud of our little angel! She's already making a difference in the world!

Days 3 & 4- Sunday Feb. 3rd and Monday Feb. 4th

Day 3-Sunday Feb. 3rd
Cadynce was surprising all of the nurses and doctor by making through her first 48 hours without any major complications. Overnight between Saturday and Sunday, she was changed to an oscillator ventilator. The nurses said not to worry, it was completely normal. She had dropped 2 ounces, putting her at 1 lb. 6 oz. The nurses said that was completely normal, and that they would be more worried if she had gained because that would most likely mean there was fluid on her lungs. I was able to change her diaper, and Jason watched closely to learn :) 

Dr. Lombardi, who had been my attending OBGYN at Centennial, came in to talk to Jason and me. He shed some light on what was going on in my womb to cause Cadynce's distress. He told us that Cadynce was wrapped up in the umbilical cord several times. He said that she was most likely moving and flipping to untangle herself, but may have only made it worse. That explained why her heart rate was jumping and dipping so often. We both thanked him for his wisdom and concern for not just mine, but Cadynce's well-being. He also praised Dr. Caldwell from SRMC for making the decision to transfer me to Centennial.


We also had the chance to feel her grip. She held onto both of our fingers!

Monday Feb 4th
This was my discharge day. I was sad about leaving the hospital, but I knew Cadynce was in the best of care. Cadynce was given her first feeding of breast milk through her feeding tube. Her oxygen level was at 23%, which was fantastic considering that room air that we breathe is 21%! Our little girl was doing wonderful. Her blood sugar was low, so they gave her some insulin. The nurse said it was normal for babies her size to have sugar issues just because their systems were so immature. I did another diaper change, and we left the hospital around 3:30 p.m.

Days 1 & 2- Friday Feb. 1st and Saturday Feb. 2nd

Friday Feb. 1st
After Cadynce was delivered, they rushed her to the NICU unit. I was sent back to a recovery room, and family began to arrive. Jason and my mom were allowed to go back and see her around 7:00 a.m. Here is the first picture.

Her heart rate and all of her stats looked great, and she was hooked up to the necessary machines. They included: a ventilator, IV tube in her belly button, temperature probe, heart monitors, and a feeding tube going down her throat to her stomach. The light she is under is a phototherapy lamp, which helps treat/prevent jaundice. That is also why she is wearing the black 'goggles' over her eyes. I was able to go up to the NICU and see her around 5:00 p.m. I was in pure shock and amazement at how small she was! But she was already amazing the nurses and doctor! They were shocked at how well she had done in her first few hours out of the womb.


Saturday Feb. 2nd
Cadynce was 24 hours old and doing great! She had gotten a little cold overnight, so they had laid a plastic type sheet over her. The doctor and nurses were bragging that she had not made a big fuss, and that she was just content in her makeshift womb. We weren't able to do much more than just look in at her and admire her beauty and strength. Jason made a point to say that she was stubborn like her mama! I'm not arguing, but at least we know she is tough! The doctor told us that the first 24-48 hours were the most telling, but she had done wonderful so far.

This blog is to chronicle the journey that our sweet baby, Cadynce Mallory, has taken into this world. First, let's give the "pre-story".

Jason and I met at work in May of 2011, and began a friendship. We hung out for the first time on New Year's Eve 2011. From that night, we became closer friends, and began a relationship. We had a lot in common and always had fun together. Our relationship continued growing and we became even closer. We weren't rushing anything, just taking our time discovering each other's likes and dislikes. However, in early September 2012, we got quite the surprise! We were expecting! We both were excited, nervous, all of the normal emotions at the news. We knew that we were committed to each other, and would obviously be 100% committed to our baby. 

We began our normal doctor's appointments in October, and everything was in order. Baby was healthy, as was mom. Everything went well through December, and on our second ultrasound we found out that it was a baby GIRL! We were thrilled! The doctor also noticed that I had signs of a low-lying placenta, but reassured us that most of the times, it would move upward as the baby grew. He said he would keep a watch on it throughout my pregnancy and not to worry about it.

In January of 2013, I began to have "normal" pregnancy symptoms. Gaining weight, belly growing, and aches and pains. We had another ultrasound mid-January, and my placenta had not progressed as they had hoped. Our doctor said that the only thing that this information would effect would be that I would most likely have to have a c-section when it was time to give birth. There was a chance that he would put me on bed-rest later in my pregnancy just to be safe. Following that ultrasound, I began to have more aches and pains. I felt a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen/pelvic area, and didn't really know what to think about it. My next scheduled appointment was set for February 7th.

On Thursday January 31, 2013 I was really hurting. I had called the doctor's office several times within the past 4-5 days, and they said if I was really concerned or in that much pain, I should go to the emergency room to get checked out. So, on my lunch break, I decided I would go up to the L&D floor of the hospital and ask them to monitor me. They hooked me up to the monitors, and said they would leave me on them for a couple of hours of observation. Within those couple of hours, they began having difficulty keeping Cadynce on the monitors. And when she was on the monitors, they detected her heart rate jumping drastically. It would go from 160 (normal for baby) to 70, then back up, and back down. I was never showing signs of active labor, contractions, or loss of fluids. They performed an ultrasound and determined that my amniotic fluids were low, but that wasn't an explanation for Cadynce's heart rate to be dropping and spiking. 

Jason came to the hospital as soon as he got off work, as they had told me that they would most likely keep me overnight for observation. Dr. Caldwell was the OB on-call, and he had come in several times to review the charts, but could not explain her heart rate decelerations, or "decels" as he called them. He finally made the decision at 5:00 p.m. to transport me to Centennial Women's and Children Hospital. He stressed to Jason and I that it was the best place for me AND Cadynce, should anything worsen and they had to deliver her. I arrived at Centennial around 7:30 p.m., and they hooked me back up to the monitors. Cadynce's heart rate seemed to have calmed down, and the first few hours looked promising.

Around 2:00 a.m., the nurses began having trouble keeping Cadynce on the monitors. They were constantly flipping me from side to side, trying to get her in one spot. She was flipping and moving so much! I had never felt her movements so hard! They brought in the ultrasound tech around 4:45 a.m. to try and see what was going on inside my belly, but she was unable to detect and keep Cadynce on the monitor. She immediately notified the nurses, who in turn notified Dr. Lombardi. He was the OB on-call that Dr. Caldwell had spoken with regarding my transfer. The nurses came into my room at 5:00 a.m. with the paperwork to administer anesthesia and perform an emergency c-section.

Jason had been asleep at my bedside, but was quickly awakened with my screams and cries as the nurses were telling me what was about to happen. He immediately began calling family members to let them know what was going on. In the meantime, the nurses had taken me to the OR, and Jason was anxiously waiting outside as they prepped me with anesthesia. He was allowed in the room and introduced to the operating doctor and then the work began. 

Cadynce Mallory Borders was born at 5:58 a.m. on Friday February 1, 2013. She weighed 1 lb. 8 oz., and was 13 inches long.

This is just the beginning of her scenic route into the world.....