Francesca Update - FINALLY!

Sorry for the lack of Francesca updates! I had some info, but I was waiting until I got to actually visit Maureen. I did see her today...yeah! It was wonderful to see Maureen. Hopefully I will be able to see Francesca in the near future as well!!

Maureen thanked me and thanked me for the wonderful box of cards! She was so touched by all of the cards, notes, and prayers! I had to tell her how all of it came about and she just couldn't believe how generous all of you are! Please know that they truly feel that all of those prayers is what got Francesca through. The closer they get to bringing Francie home (which could be very soon...with oxygen and tube feeding, but home!!!) the more the doctors and nurses reveal how worried they really were for Francesca in the beginning. So please know that God heard your prayers and has/is healing baby Francecsa!

As usual, below is directly from their online journal. Thanks for checking in on Francecsa and for your continued prayers!

Posted on 1/18/09:

"Hello Friends and Family,

Francesca has had a very busy few days since we last updated the website…we are sorry for the long time lag. Our laptop wasn’t working, so we couldn’t log on for a few days there!

Since the last update, Francesca has done very well, and is still off the ventilator!!! She was initially getting oxygen through a high flow nasal cannula, after getting extubated. Then on Saturday, they were able to take off high flow oxygen, and put her on regular oxygen (still through the nasal cannula), which they will slowly continue to wean down.

Since she has been able to stay off the ventilator, Francesca has had her first few occupational therapy sessions, so that she can begin to work on bottle feeding. She is having a difficult time coordinating suck-swallow-breathe, and her suck is not very strong, so she will have a ways to go with her feeding (which they have been warning us about for weeks). Francesca is making progress, and mommy is doing a great job doing Francesca’s exercises and working with Francesca and the bottle feeds. We are quite proud of them both! It does look like Francesca will at least partially be tube fed for a while yet, so both Maureen and Ronny have been learning to insert her NG tube (feeding tube through the nose). They are doing a great job.

Francesca got a major promotion on Friday evening, as she was moved from the “very sick” room of the NICU, to a “progressive room” in the NICU. We were actually a bit emotional having Francesca move, as she’s had the same homebase since December 1st, but we know it’s a step in the right direction.

We are so excited about Francesca’s progress! We are thinking all the prayers said by all of you must be working! Please continue to keep Francesca in your prayers, we appreciate each and every one."