We know they are necessary, but these infernal machines can also sure make things difficult.
The CPAP that helps her breath has three tubes. Four wires monitor her vitals — heart rate, oxygen saturation, and breathing. A fifth wire connects to her incubator to help it regulate her temperature.
I’ve started helping to take Kinley in and out of her incubator. The tubes and wires catch on everything.
The air coming through her CPAP is mixed with water vapor so it isn’t dry. Water will sometimes condense in the tubes, especially when she’s out of her incubator where the air is cooler. If not all positioned just so, the water might not drain out properly, creating pressure and setting off an alarm. It can even get pushed into her nose.
One more week and she might not need the CPAP anymore. We’re definitely looking forward to that.
Her vitals monitor is hypnotic. We’ll get captivated by the numbers, anxious for the unexpected change. It’ll beep and our heads will spin around, only to find it’s an alert for another baby. It is, for us at least, a frustrating crutch that we’ll have to somehow learn to make do without when she comes home.
Just about the only machine I do like is her scale. Kinley weighed 1323 grams last night; 273 grams (26%) more than at birth. Another 500 gets her a step closer to home.