Bringing Hailey Home Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 6:49pm

First a few updates, Hailey had a very good 1 week birthday today. She is taking in the minimum breast mlik requirements through a bottle for her to be off her IV and come home! Today is her best feeding day since she started! So we're very thankful for that since she had been having problems swallowing. Her stitches / tummy incision are healing nicely so far. And tonight we're learning how to put in a feeding tube in case Hailey can't take in the nutrients she needs via the bottle.

So the plan right now is for us to take her home tomorrow sometime! We needed to reach the feeding milestone - which she did today. Then we needed to figure out getting oxygen ready for her at the house - which also thankfully got taken care of. We will be sent home with an oxygen tank for traveling and all she'll need at the house is oxygen, morphine for when we feel she is in pain, and feeding tube supplies in case we should need it. Everything will be taken care of by the local hospice where we live. We will work with one of the hospice nurses to figure out a plan for caring for Hailey - we're initially thinking of having the nurse come once a day just to check on things - maybe less since Hailey has been doing so well. Unfortunately the drive home from Birmingham is close to 4 hrs so we're praying that the car ride goes smoothly and she just sleeps most of the time. We don't know when we'll be discharged but at this point it should definitely be tomorrow.

I'm incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to come home with her. I will also honestly say I am a little nervous about it, but its definitely where I want her to be and believe she needs to be.

So those prayer warriors out there - please pray that our discharge and travel home will go smoothly and that little Hailey will do great throughout the process so that we can get her to her home. Please also pray that God would bless her time at home with us and give us (and any doctors, nurses, etc.) working with us the wisdom to take care of her and keep her comfortable. And please pray that Hailey continues feeding well with the bottle so that we don't have to use a feeding tube. Thanks!!!!!!