Tonight I learned that Elliot's feeding tube was removed overnight and since he has been taking the bottle pretty well all milestones are pointing homeward. His nursery mates Matthew, who left on Sunday night and Georgina, who is destined to head to Barcelona on Thursday (SAN->ATL->BCN, ohhh Mr Toad's wild ride!) have come a long way in the time they spent in the special care nursery. Others have come along now and entered life with a short layover in the SCN often beginning with the incubator stay, IV, monitor lines and photo therapy as the first stop. Next stop is the clear acrylic bassinet and feeding tube as nature begins to wake and take its course within the snugly wrapped burgeoning souls.
I think we have been fortunate in witnessing mostly favorable outcomes while we've been visiting as there are several testimonials indicating otherwise, one a framed remembrance to a 4 day old the other a plaque on a donated rocking chair in the name of a lost child. I forget what the mortality rate is for preemies in the sub 30 week category, but I'm glad we won't really need to know that stat. Survival to term for them is a struggle even in the best of circumstances and the effects of such an early birth can carry well into adulthood or be a permanent part of their life. Again I feel we may not have as great as many concerns in this regard, but time will only tell.
So here's to the final stretch and another day beginning...
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