Staying Warm

It is very cold here today in Greensboro but Tessa stays warm and toasty when snuggled up close with daddy. The nurses have recently removed Tessa's skin temperature probe and she now has to maintain her body temperature based on the air temperature in the isolette. So far she has been able to maintain her body temperature fairly consistently. At one point today her body temperature was slightly low but not so low that it was a problem. They will slowly wean her down to room air temperature because she now weighs more than 1200 grams. One requirement of going home is that babies must be able to maintain their own body temperature.
The nurse practitioner decided to try reducing the flow on Tessa's nasal cannula today to .5 liters/minute. An increase in bradycardia prompted them to turn the flow back up to 1 liter/minute. At this point, she may just need a little more time.
Tessa also got to try breast feeding for the first time today. She did not really know what to do but this is common when first starting out. She is taking many small steps towards the larger goal and has inspired and impressed us all with her resilience and strength. God has taught us so many things through the life of our precious little girl.

Psalm 25:4
Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.