Baby Makaila Update

Makaila is the more robust of the twins. She was born weighing 813 grams (about 1 pound 14 ounces) and measuring 33.5 centimeters in length. Faith weighed in at 695 grams (about 1 pound 9 ounces) and measured 29.5 centimeters long. Makaila was put on a respirator when she was stabilized but never needed oxygen. She was just fine on room air. On Tuesday they switched her to CPAP (for what CPAP is, see the "Baby Faith Update") and she has done really well so far, breathing on her own.

Today they took our her two umbilical lines. One line was for injecting nutritional fluids and blood transfusions and the other was for drawing blood and measuring her blood pressure. While these lines work well, they are a higher source of infection, so they have inserted a PICC line that enters a major vein in her foot and travels up to just above her diaphragm. This line will deliver her nutritional fluids (like an intravenous).

Makaila was a little jaundice this evening so they have also placed her under the big blue light that helps lower her jaundice levels. They don't expect her to be under it very long. Makaila started receiving breast milk on Tuesday as well, but through a tube that goes through her mouth because of the CPAP. She is not quite up to the same frequency of eating that Faith is, but they expect her to catch up soon. We saw her first poop two nights ago. It looked like a tiny little bit of green tar. If poop can be cute, then that's what I'd call it!