Mikaila Dorothy Shareef arrived with vigor at 8:19 pm on March 24, 2008. She was a day shy of 28 weeks gestation (roughly 12 weeks before her due date.) At birth, little Mikaila was 1 lb 5 1/2 ounces and 32 centimeters (12.5 inches) long. The photo is from Mikaila's first 24 hours. To give you perspective on her size, the thing on her left arm that looks like a huge bracelet is actually Dara's wedding band.
Mikaila currently resides in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Albany Med, one of the top units in the country. Typically, premature babies stay in the NICU to due date plus or minus two weeks; Mikaila was due June 18.
Mikaila began exceeding expectations immediately. She came out kicking and screaming, a very good sign. Per protocol, doctors immediately placed her on a ventilator. Mikaila proceeded to yank it out of her mouth showing early her fiestiness. She received a score of 9 on her APGAR test. Another great sign.
To this point, Mikaila has been doing very well. The nurses in the NICU call her a superstar. She is tolerating her feeds since moving to breast milk. Bleeding on the brain is a concern for babies of this vintage. They have done two ultrasounds on her head and the results have been very favorable. Her vital signs have been strong from minute one. She is on a Sipap that provides pressure to her lungs but she is essentialy breathing on her own without additional oxygen. The Sipap simply provides pressure to keep the air pockets in her lungs open.
Like all babies, Mikaila had a PDA, which essentially is a small hole between the two sides of the heart. With term babies, they close on their own. Many preemies fail to close them on their own. The remedy is Ibuprofen and it seemed to work for Mikaila as her PDA closed after one course.
Mikaila will be 2 weeks old tomorrow night. She is very close to full feeds and should begin a rapid period of growth soon thereafter. We will update this blog as often as we can and will be sure to keep everyone aprised of any milestones she achieves.
Thank you to everyone that has offered us their support and prayers.
Dara, Kim & Mikaila
Mikaila began exceeding expectations immediately. She came out kicking and screaming, a very good sign. Per protocol, doctors immediately placed her on a ventilator. Mikaila proceeded to yank it out of her mouth showing early her fiestiness. She received a score of 9 on her APGAR test. Another great sign.
To this point, Mikaila has been doing very well. The nurses in the NICU call her a superstar. She is tolerating her feeds since moving to breast milk. Bleeding on the brain is a concern for babies of this vintage. They have done two ultrasounds on her head and the results have been very favorable. Her vital signs have been strong from minute one. She is on a Sipap that provides pressure to her lungs but she is essentialy breathing on her own without additional oxygen. The Sipap simply provides pressure to keep the air pockets in her lungs open.
Like all babies, Mikaila had a PDA, which essentially is a small hole between the two sides of the heart. With term babies, they close on their own. Many preemies fail to close them on their own. The remedy is Ibuprofen and it seemed to work for Mikaila as her PDA closed after one course.
Mikaila will be 2 weeks old tomorrow night. She is very close to full feeds and should begin a rapid period of growth soon thereafter. We will update this blog as often as we can and will be sure to keep everyone aprised of any milestones she achieves.
Thank you to everyone that has offered us their support and prayers.
Dara, Kim & Mikaila
5 comments:
My dear Dara, Kim and baby Mikaila,
Thank you guys, this is just great.Dara, ever since I spoke to you, my prayers and thoughts have constantly been with Mikaila.I even felt the urge to call you every hour just to get updates! I appreciate this blog very much.
My my, Mikaila, your progress is sooo impressive!...keep it up baby!Three cheers for you!hip hip hurray!...we are all with you in this...lots and lots of love for you from all of us here in Florida, especially your 3 cousins, Samiya, Zeeshan and baby Nyle.
We're thinking about you guys. I can't believe how tiny Mikaila is, but it sounds like she is indeed a fighter. We hope Kim is recovering quickly and that Mikaila is growing stronger every day.
- Kris, Janel, and Robin
Kimmy, Mikaila, and Big D
The blog is a great idea. Thanks. We so happy to hear how well Mikaila is doing and what a little fighter she is. She certainly takes after her parents. We are thinking and praying for all of you everyday. Kaitlyn is so sweet and now has included in her nightly prayers "Dear God, please help baby Mikaila keep growing stonger". We love you all and know are thoughts and prayers are always with you. God Bless!!
Love, The Kemmets
Dear Kim, Dara and Mikaila. Thank you so much for the blog - we have been praying for all of you and especially Mikaila Dorothy. She has a special middle name and a special guardian angel. She will be just fine - she sound like such a fighter. We will check back here frequently.
Love,
Cousins Pat and Mirza
Dara, Kim,
Our prayers are with you. We cannot wait to meet your daughter.
Best wishes,
Sarah and Pankaj
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