Well, the plan to extubate Vita (remove the tube from her throat) didn't go as well as we hoped. The tube came out, vital signs were observed, and the tube went back in. Vita just wasn't ready. The botulism paralysis works from the head down, so the head gets it first and gets it worst. There's really no way to know when a baby with botulism is ready to breathe on their own. Sometimes you just have to try it out and see if it works. This time, when they put the breathing tube back in, the tube is going through her nose. So it might be a little bit less uncomfortable. This little setback is discouraging... but the prognosis for complete recovery is unchanged.
Maybe in a few more days Vita will be able to get off the breathing machine, and then I'll be able to hold her and feed her again. For now, we'll keep on holding her hand, singing, and delivering breast milk directly into her tummy through a tube.
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