24 hours and no alarm!

Mom and daughter are together this morning, and doing just fine.

In this picture, you might notice the blue-ish light underneath Nina's blanket. That's a UV light from her isolette that's helping to break down the excess bilirubin in her body. Her liver isn't yet mature enough to break it down, but she's getting there! The doctors just finished morning rounds and they think she'll be off the UV light sometime in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile... here's some more good news. Nina has sensors taped to her body that monitor her heart-rate, blood oxygen, and respiration. If any or all of these dip (or escalate) beyond healthy levels, an alarm sounds. Nina has gone 24 hours without a single alarm - that's really good news!

In this picture you can see a little tube going into her nose. That's a feeding tube - it goes all the way to her stomach. The doctors tell us that Nina is digesting ALL of Mommy's colostrum, and every day she's able to take in more and more.

She takes these meals every three hours through the tube because she does not yet have the coordination to suck, swallow AND breathe. Lately, we've noticed her developing a stronger suck on this little pacifier. She's a fast learner!