Today is a brighter day (although it's still raining.) Jen's out of the hospital and Gabrielle may join her in a couple of days. Her last weight was 3 lb 7.2 oz, a miserly increase of only 0.2 oz. When weighed again tonight (or in the wee hours of the morning), I suspect she may exceed 3 lb 8oz. When she reaches 3 lb 8 oz, she will have doubled her birth weight. We don't like her episodic drops in heart rate, however. The doctor attributes them to reflux. The vagus nerve is very close to the esophagus, and stomach reflux can stimulate it. Vagal innervation slows the heart rate. This is apparent when the baby occasionally chokes/coughs when eating, as all babies do. Since NICU babies have cardiac and respiratory monitors, we can see Gabrielle's heart rate drop from 145 to 80 when she has difficulty taking food. Episodes during feeding are not so much of a concern, however. About an hour after eating Gabrielle sometimes has similar episodes, though, caused by acid reflux. The doctor assures us that this problem is common and should go away with time. He also says that antacids, while effective in adults, are typically unhelpful in this situation. We'll have a monitor when the baby comes home, even though we're aware that such home monitors are most effective at treating nervous mothers (and fathers). The good news is that the baby is eating like a champ! With that nasty formula removed, Gabrielle devours 45-50 cc's in 10 minutes at about 4-hr intervals. The nurses generally don't wake her at prescribed times as before, but let her wake on her own when she's hungry (within certain time limits, of course.) I held the baby a couple of times today and escorted Jen around...initially tethered to a wheelchair with IV antibiotics, but later free of inpatient annoyances. Although I had considered going to NJ this morning, I wasn't very comfortable leaving with Jen in the hospital. The obnoxious ice and slush this morning made my decision easier. I was happy to spend the day in Glenside, with frequent trips to the NICU.