CPAP & 1 month old

Cate is 1 month old today and 32 weeks gestation!!! :)

Cate's infection seems to be going away??? The dr felt comfortable enough to get her off the vent Friday night. Her CO2 has been holding steady in the 40's. Today Cate was really upset because the CPAP tubes that go into her nose were coming out and poking her in the face. They decided to take the nose prongs out and put in a nasal cannula. This is much more comfy but requires Cate to breathe all on her own!!! She lasted about 90mins. She just isn't ready to breathe on her own yet. About every 5 minutes Cate would quit breathing (Apnea is very common in preemies, but NOT TO ME!!!) and her pulse would drop from 170 down to 50. The nurse would come in and shake her to snap her out of it. While this was going on the seconds seemed like minutes. Premature babies have immature respiratory centers in the brain. Preemies normally have bursts of big breaths followed by periods of shallow breathing or pauses. This part of the brain is usually fully developed around Week 36. Hopefully Cate only has 4 more weeks left of this. They are giving her caffeine to help prevent these episodes. For now Cate is still on CPAP which does not cause lung damage like the vent and her CPAP settings will be coming down tonight as she had another good CO2!!!! Thank you for your prayers and hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!