Our first days at Phoenix Children's

From a medical standpoint, our first days at Phoenix Children's Hospital were uneventful, but to me and Bryan they were pretty important. Emersyn was stable and doing well considering her heart defect. The doctor allowed us to start trying to breastfeed, but she had difficulty latching and was easily tired out when trying. The physician and I came to the decision to place an NG tube and start feedings that way. It wasn't the ideal situation but it would allow us to get something into her little tummy which would hopefully comfort her a little.

A close up of Emmy, wide awake with her NG tube in.

The sticker on her forehead was used to measure her cerebral

oxygen level. Her eyes and face are pretty puffy here from all of the fluids

she was getting to stay nourished and hydrated.

Emmy finally got her first bath,

and she was not at all happy about it!

The CVICU staff was wonderful about promoting bonding between the infant and parents. They were cautious about holding, but felt that the benefits of allowing us to hold our little girl outweighed the risk of dislodging the umbilical lines, so with the nurse's assistance we were allowed to hold Emmy as much as we wanted- which was most of the time! It was amazing how much more stable her vitals were when she was held...what this meant to me: less dinging and beeping from all of the equipment she was hooked up to! She would sleep on my chest through hours of the night, and that was when both of us got the most rest.

 Daddy and Em got to share their first football Sunday together.

Bryan kicked back in the recliner holding his girl while she slept the day away:)