MM Series (#3)
Marriage has been easy for star hockey goalie Evan Henderson and his best friend's sister, Ellie. They both knew what they wanted from the start of their relationship.
The only problem is that they can't get everything they want.
Afte...
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A full week passes by before they started to notice an increase in Ainsley's weight.
The Jaundice is gone, which means her skin is no longer yellowish. Which also means that her liver is working well and is fully developed.
They've found that Baby Girl has Retinopathy of Prematurity. ROP is an eye disease and she luckily has a mild case of it. As of right now, her pupils are white, and the only treatment she needs is observation.
Her Apnea of Prematurity stopped three days after the first week mark--thank whoever upstairs.
Baby Girl weighs three point seven pounds by the end of week one in the NICU. And three point nine pounds by the end of week two.
She reached four pounds on day eighteen.
Dr.Fischer takes her auxiliary temperature on day nineteen, like she does every day, and smiles when she looks down at the thermometer. She scribbles something down on one of Ainsley's charts, and looks at us with a grin.
"Baby Girl can stay out of the incubator."
A collective sigh of relief fills the room.
If baby were still in the womb, Ellie would be thirty-five weeks pregnant. But instead, Ainsley is three weeks old tomorrow.
"Baby Girl is getting closer to going home everyday." Dr.Fischer says, leaning against the counter. "Once you're done pumping, we're going to try what we call non-nutritive sucking. Basically, we're going to teach baby how to breastfeed, but there won't be any milk. We want her to learn how to latch and suck."
"Just hit the button whenever you are ready." Dr.Fischer smiles and heads out of the room.
Ellie turns to me with a wide grin. "Evan!"
I smile. "I know."
"She doesn't need to be in an incubator anymore." She grips my forearm as she slightly squeals. I lean forward and wrap my arms around her torso, tugging her into my chest as tight as the pumps attached to her breasts will allow me to. We slightly rock from side to side as Ellie grips my shoulders, her arms hooked under mine. "I was looking at pictures from week one, and she really does look different. She was so tiny."
I rest my chin on Ellie's shoulder. "She was tiny."
"She still is, but, there's a difference. I can see it."
I press a kiss to Ellie's bare shoulder. "I can see it too. And she's got more hair now than she did."
"So much more hair. It's crazy."
"And it's dark. And soft." I glance over at Ainsley who is asleep.
Today is such a big milestone for us.
I never thought my baby's first milestone would be the day she no longer had to sleep in a climate-controlled box. I thought it would be the day she smiled for the first time, or cooed, or laughed, or rolled over.
