A Very Sick Preslee

Our neice Amanda has had quite the month.  She gave birth to Preslee Marie six weeks ago, had emergency gall bladder surgery 2 weeks ago, and Preslee has gotten very sick.  So sick, in fact, that she has been in the hospital for the past week. She is currently at Riley and they still don't know for sure what is going on.  She is not gaining weight and is not keeping fluids in her body.  She is on constant feeding tube and fluids through IV, but she was excreting (vomit & diarrhea) more fluids than retaining.  She is currently below her birth weight and they can't seem to ever get her weight above 6 lbs 5 oz. 

Camden, GaGa and I went to Riley on Saturday to see her.  She had taken a turn for the worse and looked pretty bad.  Her color was grey, her eyes had purple rings, and she was just so frail.  These pictures are bad, and they don't do it justice.

In the picture below, I was reacting to something Amanda was saying...and not to the baby.  It's a horrible picture of me, but it really shows Preslee's condition.  If you know how pale I am in general, than you can imagine Preslee's color.
 

Her head has also shrunken some and they have found some fluid on her kidneys and a hole in her heart that has not closed since birth (this is still within the realm of normal, but it needs to close in the next month or they may be more worried).

I returned on Monday afternoon and she was much improved.  Her color was more normal, the rings were gone, and she was much more alert.  She is no longer excreting as much, but still will not gain weight or stay hydrated.  The troubling thing is they can't figure out why.  Our family appreciates your thoughts and prayers for her.  We really need some answers so this baby can get well!

On a brighter note, Camden found this dinosaur in some outdoor spot as we were leaving on Saturday and enjoyed a few minutes of play.  She did a great job for the 4+ hours we were at the hospital...especially when we took turns taking her down to the family play room on the floor.