Emilia is 8 weeks old

Emilia is now 8 weeks old. Corrected age, she is 33 weeks and 5 days.

She had her second ROP eye exam. The result is still good. She will get another exam in 2 weeks, which hopefully will be her last one. She tolerated the eye exam really well. Didn't fuss or cry.

She is still on the antibiotics for sepsis. I believe she will be off the medication on Friday. She needs to get a new IV every two or three days because the her veins don't last too long. Hopefully one more new IV site and she will be done with the meds.

Emilia weighs 2 kilos now. It has been a long way from her birth weight of 870g.
She is so chubby now, especially her face (double chin!) and toes.

Because she went through a lot this past week with all the infection tests, medication, IVs, tooth extraction and an eye exam, I am actually hoping the coming week will be an uneventful, boring one.

Tooth Fairy, where are you?

Emilia's tooth grew out to a full size baby tooth in just a few days. She kept pushing it forward with her tongue and when she did, I could see the tooth was moving - either the tooth and the gum were very flexible or very loose.

The NICU doctor called in a dentist (also from the hospital) and the dentist said the tooth needed to be pulled out. When the dentist tried to take a peek into her mouth, Emilia pulled up her lower lip to clench her mouth... her tiny mouth and lips, not letting it go and fighting the dentist's hand... it was one of the cutest things I had seen her do. Any way, she finally opened her mouth and the dentist was feeling the tooth - and there, the tooth was out in 2 seconds. The dentist pulled it out so quickly that I don't think Emilia even felt it. Her gum bled a bit but other than that, her very first dentist appointment went very smoothly and quickly. So many nurses (even the ones I don't know well and have not spoken to before) came by to ask how the appointment went. She is a famous star now. I guess not too many babies have had a tooth in the NICU. Even after her tooth was gone, she kept pushing her tongue out as if searching for the tooth. She must have gotten used to having something in her mouth.

So, Tooth Fairy, are you coming tonight to buy Emilia's very first tooth? I want $20... and I promise I will put it into her RESP and give the money to her when she grows up.

Emilia, smiling

I am not sure if this is a real smile - an emotional expression, but Emilia certainly smiles a lot by herself, even when asleep.

Natal (or neonatal...?) Tooth

A few weeks ago, Emilia's nurse said there was a little bump on Emilia's lower gum. She wasn't sure what it was. We asked the Nurse Practioner to take a look and she said it could be a tooth! I had never even heard of a baby having a tooth at that gestation. She said it didn't look like an inflammation and we would need to watch it closely.

Last night's nurse said it was a tooth... finally erupted a little from her gum, as confirmed by a doctor as well. I don't know what to think. She started to suckle so enthusiatically and I am so looking forward to the time that she will finally be able to eat at the breast but now she has a tooth!?!

I don't even know if this is considered a natal tooth or a neonatal tooth... because she's only 33 weeks gestation. Would she have been born with that tooth if she had been carried to the term? Or is this a neonatal tooth since it came out after she was born? It doesn't matter if it is a natal tooth or neonatal tooth. Apparently 1 in 2000-3000 babies is born with a tooth and natal teeth are more common than neonatal teeth. I just hope it does not interfere with her suckling. If the tooth comes out a bit more, it might hurt her tongue... When we start nursing, it might hurt my nipple too. I was hoping that it would not turn out to be a tooth because it could mean Sick Kids now has to remove it. Now I will start to pray that it will be loose so that extracting it won't be painful for Emilia.

Emilia is 33 weeks gestation

Emilia is 33 weeks gestation. This past week was quite eventful for her because she had to be tested numerous times for an infection and it was found that she indeed had an infection in her blood with a random bacteria that is not very commonly seen in neonates. The bright side of this is the bacteria is not particulary dangerous and it has not caused meningitis. She needs to be on antibiotics for 7 days. She does not seem sick though. She is active and alert, still suckling well and poohing well. I guess the longer the hospital stay, the higher the chance of getting an infection along the way. Emilia has had a few infection scares in the first few weeks of her life but this is the first "confirmed" infection - after 53 days in NICU.

Her weight is now 1.8Kg but because her weight gain was very drastic, I think it may be due to fluid retention, not true growth. She is now 40cm in length. Still small but much bigger than when she was first born.