For the days and weeks to come, it was pure chaos as we adjusted to baby Ning's needs, schedule and tantrums - being first time parents, we were trying to 'follow' what was practiced in the hospital, such as feeding amount and timings, sleeping hours, noting down these figures for reference, etc. which we thought were best for her until advised otherwise (should be more flexible, on demand and not be too strict/rigid on ourselves and her) by siblings and relatives.
At the same time, we started searching for a nanny who fits our criteria, also had to deal with insurance claims, hospital discounts and confinement center refunds, and last but not least, struggling to get an accurate reading from on monitoring device. I suppose it was due to our hesitation to secure it very tightly (as advised by the vendor) around baby Ning's feet, worrying it might affect her blood circulation.
After days of failure in getting consistent readings, I dismantled one of the sensors and reassembled it solely with medical tapes and voila, accurate, consistent readings and graphs - should have done this earlier! Alas, the joy was short-lived as the sensor malfunctioned after only 3 days of usage, without the original cover to protect the wiring, it snapped from the sensor components. So I dismantled another *laughs* Post medication, baby Ning's reading has shown vast improvements, able to maintain on the high nineties most of the time, regardless during feeding, sleeping or play time.
With my recovery, I've started leveling up my skills in taking care of baby Ning as well, from carrying (fragile little one) to milk making and feeding, diaper change (difficulty increases ten fold when it's poo), cleaning and changing, bathing and putting her to sleep. At times, it gets really challenging when baby Ning was feeling groggy, or when I felt groggy during midnight feeds.
May 8 :: Our second visit to the doctor, whom I shall refer to DC henceforth. Similarly, using the more accurate (and trustworthy) device coupled with DC's monitoring, the outcome was positive and encouraging. She felt that baby Ning was ready and no longer need to depend on the oxygen feed, but if we're still concerned, can instead slowly reduce the dependency by scheduling intervals of stop and resume. Finally, progress! Her only caution is to avoid crowded places, to avoid chances of contracting respiratory related diseases as that would result in breathing difficulty for baby Ning.
That night, after much discussion, we decided for now to stop the oxygen feed during daytime, when we can still monitor closely (so we can resume quickly if required) and resume it at night during our sleep. And as we get more confident (by monitoring her progress), we'll re-look into removing the feed totally. Slow and steady approach. I have to admit, we were pretty paranoid in the initial days, especially when baby Ning inhales deeply *worry* or had noisy breathing *worry* or eat less *worry* or higher/lower than normal temperature *worry* Sometimes, I do wonder how we got through those days without falling into depression due to endless worries
Difficult times ahead.
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