Dreamers face their fears and come out on the other side

I have to tell you, as the mother of a preemie, there is nothing more scary for me than hearing the words 'necrotizing entercolitis.'

Since Keenan was in the NICU, that has always been my biggest fear.  See, it's one of those conditions that can really finish a baby off.  That's why Wikipedia had the images of the autopsy with their article.  Stupid Wikipedia.  The problem is that a baby can go septic, a bowel can rupture, and death can ensue. 

To find out that Kenna had what I had always feared...well, it was really demoralizing.  We had such high spirits for so long.  She was finally moving right along with her feeds, tolerating the 30 calorie ones like a champ.  There was a Decacron plan in place to wen her off the ventilator.  And I was practically planning her baby warming.

We imagined her home in time for the March of Dimes walk that we were doing.  How great would that be to have her walking with us?  Only that's not happening now.  Her doctor told me that I should plan on her being in the NICU for another couple of months.  That's May.  That's the middle to the end of May.

Still, that's better than the alternative. 

I would rather have her safe and in the NICU than have her come home too soon get sick and...not make it.  So, we can tolerate anything. 

We faced our biggest fear.  Kenna getting NEC...that was it.  And now, we're ready to move past that.  She is out of the danger zone.  72 hours.  That's what the doctor said.  If there was going to be a complication, we would have seen it by now.

In fact, we have every indication that she is headed on the upswing.  Her sats are better.  Her blood gas is improving.  Her eyes...they opened.  Her arms are moving.  She is tolerating her care and her tests beautifully.  That's our little fighter. 

This was a speed bump on her trip through the NICU.  She's going to be just fine.