More braaaaiiinnns!

And we're back to the science.

Today was Jane's fourth ultrasound. I'm going to stop counting soon, because the neurosurgeons are now involved and asking for ultrasounds twice weekly.

Why the neurosurgeons? Welp, it's like this. The bleed is now gone -- fantastic. But the swelling has increased and she now has PHH. That's post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus to those in the know. Which sounds scary, right? But apparently it's not yet a big deal. Everyone's simply keeping a close eye on the action to see how things go. There's still every chance that the swelling will go down on its own. Or maybe not (but the brain and skull can deal with that up to a point, let's not forget, and then there are surgical options after that point). There's no way of knowing.

Speaking of which, we also had our meeting with Dr. R, the neonatologist who specializes in pulmonary issues (among other things). Jane's oxygen requirements are still higher than they're happy with, but she's starting to respond to the steroid treatment in other ways. Specifically, her heartrate is down, which is a positive sign. And the doctor said that there's still every chance that the inflammation in her lungs will start to go down. Apparently the "white fluffy" stuff she's seeing in the chest x-rays is the sort of thing that tends to respond positively to steroids. She was very positive about Jane's prospects, agreeing with us that she's a fighter. So, as with everything with this kid, we'll see.

She's up to 5 ccs at her feeds and doing well with them, which everyone's delighted with. The one thing that is going to help her lung development is growth. The bigger she gets, the bigger her lungs get, and the new lung cells are what will compensate for the damage she's sustained. So there you go. Fat baby = healthy baby.