Meanwhile, back at the hospital.......After we left and went home, we tried to go to the hospital a couple times/day. It was an hour round trip from our house to the hospital so it wasn't an easy task between the feedings of Norah and pumping for Ava but it was really important that we get up there as much as possible. Chris and I would try go once a day at different times so she was able to be fed by each of us daily. Again, there is no way we would have been able to do this without the help of my mom. She rocks!
These sweet little pictures of Ava make me so sad to look at. She was so pathetic looking and I hate seeing that feeding tube in her nose.
In order for Ava to come home she had to be able to finish all her bottles for 48 hours without having to put any down her feeding tube. She would drink a whole bottle one feeding and hardly drink anything the next, it was so discouraging. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. Early intervention is a program that helps families that have children with different needs. We had an Occupational Therapist come to the hospital several times to help us and make sure we were doing everything we could for Ava to come home. They set up rules and things that had to be followed when feeding her. She had to be elevated and held upright for 30 minutes after, she also needed oxygen when eating to preserve her energy and going into a quiet room so she had minimal noise. Basically, we tried it all.
My mom was able to come with me one day so she could see Ava and help feed her. That was really the only time she was able to come see her after we left because she was always watching Chase and Norah so we could go.
She looks pretty content in grandma's arms!
Nana lives pretty close to the hospital so she was able to meet us there to help feed Ava too. She was one lucky girl to be loved by so many people.
There is no denying that Ava looks just like Chris and from the very beginning she has had a thing for her dad. For some reason she always drank better when Chris was feeding her, I don't know what it was. I always tried to get more down her than he could at his feeding, but that was a rare occasion.
It was also rare that we were able to go to the hospital together, but we went on a date one night to get some dinner but before we got dinner we went and fed Ava. It was the best date night ever and so fun to be able to be there together.
I absolutely loved watching Chris feed Ava. He's a natural at the dad thing. He's always been so hands on and I love that so much about him. Lucky kids.
In the NICU and he still take selfies when I'm not looking. Sure do love this face!
Dad fed her and I got to hold her for 30 minutes afterwards, lucky me!
This picture is almost hard to look at because Ava seems so small and pathetic. We wanted her home more than anything and after I sent this picture to the family in a text, we all decided that now more than ever, she needed our prayers to come home. We fasted and prayed for her to come home soon. We knew that when she got home and was reunited with Norah and the rest of her family that she would thrive.
Poor baby. :-(
That little face is just perfect, that feeding tube just needs to be gone.
By the end of Ava's 24 day stay in the nursery, we were really starting to lose hope and wonder what needed to be done to get this little girl home with us. We tried everything and nothing seemed to be working. Until this point, we were using the small pigeon nipple because Ava was so little, which seemed logical to everyone involved. Well, one day we decided that we were going to change to the larger nipple, what did we have to lose, anyway? We switched and she took off. She ate all her bottles gone after that and came home two days later! Basically the larger nipple closed off her cleft just enough to make it easier to eat.
Chris and I called morning and night to see how the feedings were that we weren't able to be there for. One day we called and they said she had finished all her bottles in the night. The next day when we got there, she had this hanging on her bed. We were so close to having her home with us.
This really should be framed and in her room....I'm going to find this and frame it!
Now this is a perfect little face. NO FEEDING TUBE!!!
On January 12th we were able to take Ave Jane Wardle home for the first time after being alive for 24 days. Best day ever! Chris was out of town that day but it was so nice to have all my kids under one roof for the first time.
Now...the fun begins! Newborn Twins!!
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