Amy Campbell » Amy

Look how I’ve grown!

aleena — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:10:37 +0000

This has been a crazy year for me. I started out 4 lbs 2 oz on April 28, now 8 months later I weigh 18 lbs. Here are just a few of my recent accomplishments: I’m learning to eat my veggies. I can sit up by myself. I smile and laugh (only if I deem you are really funny). I found my voice box. I love to scream. –Amy

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

One of the nurses from the NICU gave us this idea to document Amy’s growth with a teddy bear.

Speaking of nurses… The other day, JJ and I ran into one of the nurses (Kathy) from the NICU who took care of Amy. It took me right back to Amy being there in the hospital for those difficult 5 weeks. It also reminded me of how wonderful the nurses were that took such great care of her. It was amazing to see what they do on a daily basis. They have a special place in my heart.

This has been a great year for our whole family. In our memories 2008 will always be the year Amy was born. 2008 will be remembered as the year we witnessed a miracle. We can’t imagine our life without Amy now. And I can’t believe how fast 8 months has gone by. I feel so blessed, I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am for her and all of my girls.

Daddy loves Amy

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:41:18 +0000

Finally, a treat for everybody after all this time. There is more to come! Really.

There is no hope for this poor child. Still, we think she’s kinda cute.

She’ll be 3 months old on the 28th. It’s amazing to think she’s been with us that long.

Have We Got Some Good News For You!

admin — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:01:50 +0000

Somebody came home today.

Last night we got word from the hospital that baby Amy was scheduled to go home.

We showed up at the hospital at 10:00 this morning with our car seat in hand. We met with the doctor, talked with a few specialists and nurses, and waited in the parent lounge. Aleena fed the baby at the hospital for (hopefully) the last time. At 12:45 we walked to the car with our third daughter in tow.

It was a quiet ride home, aside from Natalie and Erika playing slug-bug. I just can’t get over the fact that this day has finally come. It is exactly 5 weeks since Amy was born. She was born weighing 4lbs 1oz and left weighing 5lbs 3oz. I can gain that in one sitting. We are all just pinching ourselves (I am pinching more than an inch) that she is actually here. She’s asleep in her bassinet as I type this treatise. I will hopefully wake up and have this baby waiting to eat or crying. We haven’t had a newborn around for 6 years.

The older sisters are just sooo excited. Both Natalie and Erika want to hold the baby and take care of her. We gave Amy a bath tonight and there was plenty of assistance to go around. We can only hope that this attitude carries on for a few more years and numerous diaper changes.

Thanks to everybody for all the love, prayers and support. It has truly paid off. Our precious baby has finally come home to her family.

Back on Milk, Back in the Incubator

admin — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:36:13 +0000

We were definitely warned that we would be witnessing a 2 steps forward, one step back in our quest to having our daughter come home. On Friday, Amy was taken out of her Isolette/incubator and put into an open baby bed. She was able to stay warm on her own and was doing great. On Sunday, the doctor allowed Amy to begin taking her mother’s milk rather than relying solely on an i.v. This has been kind of a great big deal to all of us.

It was a pleasant surprise to walk into the nursery and see our baby freed from the little plexiglass pod that she has lounged in for the past two weeks. She looked so big and ready to pack her bags and come home. Pretty awesome stuff.

On Sunday, Amy was able to down a few bottles of milk and has been on the stuff for the last three days. We are watching her feed with a little fear and trepidation as tests are showing that there are still traces of blood in her stools. Nobody can see it, but there is the slight possibility that she may have to pull back from milk again for a while. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she continues to improve.

Life has a way of throwing a few curve balls here and there. As of Sunday night, Amy is back in her incubator as she was getting cold and could definitely use some help in the heat department. She is happy and comfy inside, but it’s kind of a bummer to think that she has to be trapped in that box a while longer than we had hoped for.

Weekend Setback

admin — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:28:16 +0000

When Amy was born, one of the first things the doctors told us was that we should expect a recovery path of taking “2 steps forward, 1 step back”. So far, we have been able to buck this trend. Amy has done exceptionally well and had no setbacks whatsoever. That all changed this weekend.

Saturday morning I had a conversation with the doctor on duty about the baby. She had been eating rather well and they had been able to increase the amount of milk she was getting. Overnight, she had started to bleed somewhere in her digestive tract. The nurse recognized the condition quickly and no long-term damage was done. However, baby will not be having any milk or food taken orally for the next 10 days.

Amy also needed a blood transfusion and they have been giving her antibiotics to heal any internal wounds. We were a little concerned about the transfusion to say the least. However, the doctors have had the blood on hand since Amy’s birth due to the fact that both Mom and Baby were very low on blood from complications that led to Amy coming so early. The transfusion was all but inevitable.

Saturday evening was spent watching and monitoring baby as she went through numerous tests and injections. After all was said and done, she actually looks great. Her color is much better and she is resting and taking it easy (as all babies do when kicking back at the ICN).

Sunday, we all went and spent time with baby Amy as a family. Sisters and Mom were able to oogle over the little bundle of love and she is recovering rather nicely. Right now we are taking our “2 steps forward”.

Baby Amy Sucks

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:51:38 +0000

Literally. Aleena and I were at the hospital last night. The nurses want Aleena to practice breast-feeding with the baby. Amy latched on and began her dinner. This doesn’t sound like too much, but it’s actually a pretty big deal for a premature baby to suck, swallow and breathe so quickly. She has caught on to this much faster than expected and we can only hope that means that she can gain some weight and come home to us sooner than later.

Anyways, it’s such a joy to tell people that my kid sucks!

All the Campbell Daughters and Dad

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:10:38 +0000

Had a nice visit tonight with the baby. Aleena was at the hospital all day, then came home and went back with me and the kids. Two visitors at a time are all that is allowed in the ICN. We broke the rules and got some pictures to show for it. Amy no longer has the catheters and IVs attached to her belly-button. She is also taking more milk (went from 10ml to 15ml). We still don’t know when she’s going home.

Nearly One Week

admin — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:22:35 +0000

It’s been nearly seven days since Aleena and the baby went into the hospital. Since that time, there has been a lot of progress on both mom and baby.

Aleena is now home. The hospital released her on Friday and we came home. We then promptly went back to the hospital later that day to be with baby Amy. Aleena is still a bit tired from the c-section and all the fringe benefits that come with childbirth. She is getting rest and is spending quality time at the hospital holding the baby.

Amy is doing even better. In the past few days, the baby has improved drastically. As of Thursday, Amy was taken off of the ventilator and was breathing on her own. As of Saturday night, she no longer had the need for any additional oxygen from a tank. She is now breathing completely on her own. Mom and I have also been able to hold the baby. Amy is taking breast milk from mom with the aid of a tube and she has been able to digest the food without any problem. Also, Aleena has been breast-feeding the baby directly. It’s gonna take some time, but both baby and mom are getting the hang of it.

More details to follow. If you have any questions and want some answers. Please post them on the site in the comments. We will do our best to answer them.

Also, we would again like to thank everybody for their support and prayers during this scary time. The outpouring of love and help has been tremendous and it is much appreciated. We are sorry that numerous phone calls and emails remain unanswered, but we hope you understand and can be patient with us.

Baby Amy in a Nutshell

admin — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:42:50 +0000

Aleena had our baby 2 months early. She was rushed to the hospital on Monday for an emergency c-section. Aleena was just minding her business going through toys in the nursery and getting ready for the baby when she began bleeding. I was home with her and was able to call an ambulance to the hospital. This is the nice version of the story.

Baby Amy was born on Monday April 28. She was 4lbs 1oz and 16 inches long. Had she gone full term, she would probably have been 25lbs and needed a crane to get her out. Considering the circumstances, it has been the best of a horrible situation. Amy’s underdeveloped lungs are really the only concern right now. She is on a ventilator and has been stable all week.

Both the baby and mom are doing better. We are hoping that Mom comes home on Friday, which of course means that we will just drive back and stay with the baby all day every day. Natalie and Erika are so excited and are happy to be big and bigger sisters.

I need to throw out a big “Thank You” to everybody for all that you have done. There has been such a tremendous outpouring of love and support from all of you. It has made our ordeal so much easier to deal with.