Finally some good news

Gabrielle finally had a good test result today. She was able to get her hearing screen today. They sedated her for the one hour test and she came out smiling. Her hearing is 100% normal in both ears. Marcus and I were not really worried about it because she responds well to sounds, but it is nice to have the test to confirm it. She is still a bit sleepy from the medication, but hopefully it will wear off soon.

As for her eating, she still refuses to eat while she is awake. I am waiting for the doctor to email me back. They are likely going to start her on a medication that decreases the amount of time food is in her stomach. It is getting more difficult to feed her while she is sleeping. Brie is difficult to get to sleep and now she just stops sucking on the bottle. She did not gain anything this week she is still 13 lbs 2.5 oz. We added the fortifier back to her milk. We were trying a lactose free formula, but she really disliked the taste. We do see the local GI doctor on Friday. I really hope we get this straightened out soon. I hate that the reason she refuses to eat is because she is in pain. I feel so helpless.

Gabrielle has had a busy few weeks. Last weekend Aunt Shelley and Grammie Smithgall came to visit. We all went to a pumkin patch and Brie had a good time on a hayride. She got her first pumpkin picked out by daddy. This weekend Aunt Cindy, Linda and Grandma Bert came to visit. I think everyone had a good time. Brie entertained everyone for many hours.

As for her eating, Brie is doing no better. We went to the feeding clinic last week. They increased her dosage of Prilosec and we got a new prescription of it from a special pharmacy. It cost $170 so hopefully it helps. We also increased her Mylanta to help with any excess gas and breakthrough acid. Thirdly, we changed her formula and I stopped adding formula to the breastmilk. It is less calories now, but the hope is that she will more to make up for the decreased calories. So far we have not seen a change. The doctor wants me to call or email this week to let her know if there is any change. If we see no improvement we are going to try a medicine that increases the emptying time of the stomach and is also an appetite stimulant. At her last weigh in she was 13 lbs 2oz so she is still gaining on the little he is eating, but it has slowed down.

Finally, Gabrielle will be getting synergist shots starting this friday. They are helpful at preventing RSV, which is a virus that can cause serious illness and even death for premature babies. Now that winter is almost here we will be keeping Brie inside alot more in attempts to prevent any illness. She has come so far, we do not want illness to set her back.

Gabrielle saw the GI doctor last week. We changed her reflux medication to prilosec and added mylanta to hopefully help with the pain with bottles. She seems to be doing a little better on it. We also changed to formula we fortify the breast milk with so hopefully the combination will be successful. She also had an upper GI this week which was normal. It was very difficult to get her to drink the barium, but she got enough in to do the test. If she refused to drink it she would have gotten a tube back into her nose. I was pretty against that so I am happy she drank it. This week we go to the feeding clinic in NJ. Hopefully they will be able to help us with her bottle refusing.
After a week of not gaining, Brie is now 12lbs 13.5 oz. Hopefully she will continue to gain.

Today was Gabrielle's 6 month check up at the pediatrician. Dr. Stefurak seems pleased with her growth. She is now actually on the growth chart for her weight and head circumference. Her length is still lagging a little behind, but she has increased in that as well. She is now 23 inches long (-3%), 12 lbs 8 oz (3%) and head is 16 in (10%). These percentiles are for her age of 6 months not for her adjusted age of 4 months. We are so proud of our little girl! She got 4 shots today :( but did pretty well with them. She seems in good spirits so far today.
A big change is happening in our house. I have decided to stay home with Gabrielle. I will finish my time at Shriners Hospital the end of this month. It was a difficult decision, but Marcus and I both feel it is for the best. I will be working a few shifts at the ER to make some money, but will be home most days. With all of what we went through to get pregnant and then Gabrielle coming early I want to spend as much time with her as I can. Our schedules were so crazy and Marcus and I were always exhausted, it was not good for any of us.

A few days ago Brie surpassed the cat in weight. Widget weights 11lbs 14 oz. On Thursday she officially hit 12 lbs! it is amazing to see her grow and develop from that tiny baby no bigger then the beanie baby to this little person. It seems like everyday she does something new. She is getting more vocal and loves to play. We think she is teething because she is constantly drooling and her hands are always in her mouth. Brie sees the pediatrician on Friday and I anticipate she will give us the okay to start cereal. She has been sitting in her highchair during meals and has been watching us eat. I think she is ready.

So things here have been pretty busy. With Marcus working long hours and both of our long commutes it seems like time just slips away. Brie has been keeping us all on our toes. She is still refusing her bottles and only eats well when she is sleepy. It is very frustrating to feed her. We even took her to the GI doctor for a medication change. She has been on Prevacid for almost 2 weeks with no change. The doctor doesn't think it is a problem because she is still gaining weight, but I don't think they realize how difficult it is to get 3 oz in her at a time. She is up to 11 lbs 7.5 oz. so at least she is steadily gaining. We are now adding extra calories to her breast milk to make up for the small amount she is taking. Developmentally she is doing well. A few weeks ago, Brie started rolling from her back to her belly. She now loves to roll over. Also she is starting to take an interest in toys. Of course her hands are her favorite toy. Hopefully the feeding issues will resolve soon and we will all be a little less stressed.

Gabrielle weighs 10 lb 8 oz tonight; she weighed 10 lb 6 oz on Aug 10, when she turned 5 mo old. On Aug 9 her head circumference measured 15 1/2 in. (It was 14 7/8 in on July 9.) On Aug 9 she was 21 3/4 in in length. (19 3/4in on July 9.) Lately she's been talking much more. She makes lots of new noises, and we regularly hold conversations. Recently we've been concerned that she doesn't eat as much as a baby of her weight is supposed to eat. We think the acid reflux is the main problem. Thankfully, she's been eating better yesterday and today after a significant increase in her Zantac dosage and the addition of rice cereal to her milk. Feeding her is still a challenge, however. She usually eats only when she's sleepy enough to quit fussing about it. Last week there was one occasion on which she lost an ounce between bathes--undoubtedly from dehydration. Before our modifications, she regularly took 18-20 oz daily, with a low of 15 oz. We're pleased that she ate over 22 oz both yesterday and today. On another note, her naval hernia is much smaller now, no longer containing bowel.