Baby steps forward

Today was an encouraging day in regards to our sweet little girls. We got news today of the weekly ultrasounds of the children's brains. While Ashlyn's seemed to be a little worse than it had been, they were able to do a spinal tap and drain 3 ml of spinal fluid from her which would help with the swelling in the brain. The real risk for Ashlyn is hydrocephalus which is known as "water on the brain". People with hydrocephalus have abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. The MD didn't know if it would work for several reasons. First it is risky for the baby because of infection. Each time you prick a baby of this size it takes a while for the hole to heal risking infections. Second to me I don't think the MD thought he would get any fluid out from a spinal tap, but he did. He told me he was amazed with how much he got. And thirdly you never know if a baby that is Ashlyn's size can handle the stress that a spinal tap causes. It can cause her O2 to desaturate, and her heart rate to plummet. She tolerated it extremely well the MD said. So while her ventricles were beginning to fill with spinal fluid he was able to take quite a bit out for a little girl her size. Hopefully that took pressure off the brain. Ashlyn is tolerating her breast milk extremely well. She even had a bowel movement today for the first time. Rachel and Haley seem to be doing really well. They had to sedate Ms. Rachel because she is extremely active which drops her O2 saturations. Her oxygen saturation's are so much better when she is calm, and she doesn't have to rely on the vent as much, which is a good thing. Rachel is tolerating the breast milk pretty well too, which is a great thing. The Last thing I want the girls to have is NEC and/or short gut syndrome. Last but not least little Haley seems to be doing great. They haven't started her on breast milk yet, but they did start her on the saline water feeds, she seems to be tolerating that great. They will try her hopefully tomorrow on the breast milk and see how she does. So over all I feel strongly that these beautiful little girls are doing ok. Each day seems to bring different challenges, but they are fighting hard. I hope they continue to develop and one day I will be able to bring them home. Mommy needs these little princesses. This evening we traveled here to Austin in preparation for our graveside service of Kaitlyn, Dallin and Braden. It will be a very difficult weekend to bury our children.