Prayers for Kinley

Since I posted this morning, we have continued to have a day full of ups and downs.  Kinley responded well to her blood transfusion and her red blood cell count is up, but she has continued to have numerous As and Bs throughout the day that have frequently required stimulation.  Unfortunately, these do not follow her normal pattern and have caught the attention of our doctors.  It is very tricky with NICU babies to pinpoint the cause of these problems because there are so many variables.  The first, is her anemia; they did treat it today and it was in many terms successful, but giving a blood transfusion also increases blood volume which can put additional stress on the heart.  They also did a chest x-ray that showed 'hazy lungs", which means she has some fluid on her lungs that is also most likely because of additional blood volume.  The second variable is her PDA.  Her heart is already having to work harder than normal, and bringing on more blood volume could have triggered her episodes today.  We do not know for sure if this is the case; it could be that the PDA itself is finally taking its toll and she is now getting tired and starting to show more symptoms.  The third most common possibility is infection.  They did a CBC earlier today, and given the results, do not feel that infection is very likely right now and are holding off on a sepsis work up for now.

So where does that leave us?  At this point, our attending feels that most likely all of her issues today are more than likely from her PDA.  They are going to watch her very closely tonight and then tomorrow during rounds will start strongly discussing whether surgery to close her duct is necessary at this point.  I have very mixed emotions about this.  Part of me wants to hope that this is her problem and just get the surgery over with believing that it will do its job and take care of the majority of her issues. The other part of me knows that any surgery, especially heart surgery carries its own set of risks and really wants her to get better on her own.  Sandy and I talked a lot today and luckily, she has seen many babies get this surgery and do just fine.  Most of the time, they thrive afterward.  One bit of encouraging information was that they actually did PDA surgery today on a baby down the hall, who was only one week old and was born at 24 weeks, and so far, he is doing great.  Of course, when I talked to our attending today, he had to tell me that with all surgeries, especially heart surgeries, they have to weigh the benefits and the risks.  I keep having to remind myself that he definitely tends to stay on the conservative side and has to tell me these things.  Again, for the most part, both babies have had a relatively smooth stay so far, and it is very hard when we experience these bumps.  

Please, please pray for Kinley as well as our doctors to make the best decisions when it comes to her care.  Please also pray for Cooper to continue to do so well!  Brian and I (as well as the rest of our family) would also appreciate prayers for strength and peace.  We will keep you updated!