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Writer's pictureDr. Megan Powers, PT

Five Weeks and a Day - A NICU Story - Day 3

Updated: Oct 2, 2021

Day 3 - August 16, 2014


We checked on LoLa in the morning and found her on CPAP. Overnight she had a lot of trouble breathing and they ordered a chest x-ray that showed respiratory distress syndrome. Our nurse informed us that any activity at this point is very irritating to her and further increases the work of breathing. The doctor also informs us that she has two holes in her heart, a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), causing a heart murmur and contributing to her oxygenation issues. 80% of babies born at her gestational age have them and they usually close before discharge.


Worst of all, I am discharged from the hospital today. We have to leave her here and start the process of driving to and from the hospital every time we want to see her. We are grateful that the hospital is very close by. Not everyone lives within 15 minutes of a Level III NICU. We choose to focus on the positive...but leaving the hospital without your baby is difficult. Still, she is okay. She is alive. She is a fighter. She's a lion!

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