Quinn's status

Yesterday marked being at the hospital for one week. The good news is that we are hoping to go home on Monday or maybe Tuesday. Quinn has been on tube feeds for nearly one week now. She has gained weight and she looks so much healthier. Her cheeks are filled out and her skin is pink.

She will be coming home with the NG tube. The tube goes from her nostril down her esophagus to her stomach so that milk can be pumped directly into her stomach. We are still feeding her orally as well. She takes a little less than 1/2 of her milk through her mouth either through breastfeeding or what is called a binki-trainer. A binki-trainer is a pacifier with a small tube hooked to a syringe that we can slowly push the milk through so it's like she's sucking it from a nipple. She has to work harder at the binki-trainer than she does a bottle. We don't want her to forget how to suck and use her mouth muscles.

We have been doing a lot of tests to figure out what is causing Quinn's symptoms. So far we have ruled out some truly difficult conditions, but we have a long road ahead of us. We will have to come out to Seattle from time to  time for follow up.