2 months old

     What a difference a month makes! Charlotte turned 2 months old today. It is like she is a whole different person now. She is crying more and definitely letting us know when she needs something. Charlotte weighs 3 lbs 11 ounces. 5 more ounces and she is out of the incubator! Nana visited for Easter, and we spent the entire day together. The nurses made Charlotte a beautiful sign with her footprints to commemorate her first Easter.
     Charlotte's medical interventions are constantly changing. Over the weekend, the doctors found out that Charlotte has a small hole between two chambers of her heart. Babies will commonly get this when they are born, and the hole will close up on its own. However, Charlotte's hole has caused a problem with her lungs because the blood in her heart isn't flowing correctly. The doctors think that the hole will hopefully close on its own. Until then, they need to use diuretics to help Charlotte's breathing, because the abnormal blood flow is causing a little swelling in her lungs. Due to the swelling, Charlotte has been placed on more oxygen to help her breathe better. Two steps forward and 3 steps back it seems some days. Charlotte has to be on less oxygen to start eating food by mouth. They have changed her feedings to a slow 90 minute feed through her tube instead of a hanging syringe, because she breathes better when she eats slower. This has definitely helped her breathe better while she eats. Occupational therapy has been working with Charlotte every day on things like using her pacifier so that she can learn to suck, swallow, and breathe correctly; sitting up and breathing; and range of motion in her arms and legs.