Equipment

Continuing with our theme of preemie accessories, today you get a look at some of the equipment that Avigayil brought home.

Like most babies she has a baby monitor, swing, bouncer, etc. However, unlike most babies, Avigayil also has some other equipment.

This is "the Doggy". It is her nebulizer. Her constant companion. Normally, she uses it every 6 hours but when she is sick she uses it every 4 hours. Ultimately the doctors want to get her down to only every 12 hours. Unlike every other baby ever, Avigayil LOVES the nebulizer. Unnatural, I know. Sometimes we turn it on just to help her calm down or sleep.

Next is her pulse/ox monitor. This goes wherever she does. It measures her heart rate and oxygen saturation. It works by using a sensor or probe attached to her foot. It measures based on her blood vessels. Blood vessels are small, baby blood vessels are even smaller and preemie blood vessels are the smallest of all. What that translates to in real terms in LOTS of false alarms. So fun, especially at 3am. We will definitely miss this when it goes. On the other hand, your heart rate drops when you are asleep. How many other parents get proof positive that the baby is asleep enough to move without waking up?

This monster is our oxygen concentrator. It pulls O2 from the air and concentrates it to help Avigayil breath.

He brought his friends the large back up O2 tank and the portable O2 tank.

This is the feeding pump. It lets us feed Avigayil through her NG tube at the amount and rate that we choose (or really the rate and amount the doctors choose).

Last but not least is the scary looking torture device known as suction. This is like the bulb syringe on steroids. It's used to suck junk out of her nose and mouth. As you can guess this is Avigayil's favorite machine. No, not really. She wishes it would take a long walk off a short pier while plugged in.

Here is a glimpse of the bedroom (without the nebulizer or suction in place). The crib is also a special small crib that we got from a medical equipment rental.

****REMINDER: Please vote for Avigayil at http://handtohold.org/donate/events/preemie-power/vote-for-your-favorite/ She is now listed on page two. You can vote once every 24 hours. Voting ends tomorrow.****