A Premature baby Brionna Levine with brain bleed Born at 24 weeks - Pictures of what babies go through in the NICU

My daughters baby, Brionna Levine was born about three weeks ago at 24 weeks. We went back to Pittsburg in the NICU unit today to visit her. She looks better to me but I am not a doctor. They plain an ultrasound for tommaro and have increased her feeds every three hours.

The hospital called me around noon today while I was at work to inform me they did the ultrasound and it did not look good. Her ventracles had in fact gotn bigger. We are back at square one. The nurse practitioner stated she looked at the ultrasound and it was devistating. Were do we go from here? My daughter and I talked and I feel its not it our hands anymore and its not my place to make Brionna pass away.

My boyfriend decided to take Kala and I out to eat for her b-day to a Chinese resteraunt. Chinese is Kalas favorite food to eat. While Kala wasn't looking I told the staff it was her birthday and they came over and sang happy birthday to her and she was embarressed but it was funny.

I recieved about ten calls this morning on my cell phone somehow it was on silent and I didnt wake to answer the phone. When I got out of bed I phone the hospital back, I was thinking the worst with so many calls. The nurse practioner said Brionna didnt have a good night, they had to stop her feeds and they were trying to get in touch with Kala. If something was to happen with Brionnas heart they wanted to make sure Kala still did not want them to do chest compressions.

Everything has been getting so costly and I couldnt thank the church and my coworkers for helping me at a time like this. When I begin thinking how am I going to pay the gas to go see her this week someone gives me money to help. Pittsburg is four hours away and it costs me about 50$ everytime I drive there. I try to go two or three times a week. I have one friend at work who puts 20$ in my pocket everytime I see her.

It bothers me, evertime I speek to the hospital they talk of taking her off the ventelator. I just can not do it. I feel theres a reason Brionnas still here and shes a little fighter. Its the worst feeling not to know weather to plain for a baby for a funeral.

 kala had testing today in school so I decided to go to Pittsburgh myself. I got there after four hours of driving and the doctor once again had said Brionna had stablized as of midnight the night before. The fluid on her brain was still worse and they talked of a shunt. I said if your going to do a shunt you need to hurry up and do it or that fluid will keep building up. She said she would talk with neurosergery and see if she is strong enouph and a canadate.

I recieved a phone call from the Doctor who is going to perform Brionnas sergury. This has got to be the hardest decision anyone would ever have to decide. First Brionna is on a ventelator which cannot be moved to the operating room. The question is do they bag Brionna for 15 minutes while they perform the operation on her brain and hope she dont die during the process or perform the operation in her room and risk infection. Bedside operation has never been done before but someone has to be the first at everything. Second question is, do they perform the operation tommaro or wait till Monday. By Monday she may be more stable or she may get worse with the brain bleed. No way to tell which would be better for Brionna, the Doctor will not make the call. I feel like I need to go with my gut on this one which has been at bedside and tommaro. The fluid needs off the brain ASAP and I feel along bedside is the safest for Brionna. My gut has not steared me wrong yet and I have to know that if god takes her then he wanted her to go but for some reason she is still with us. the following morning they put the shunt in and Brionna did well through the sergury.

I recieved a call from the doctor today. Aparently the shunt that they put in her head isnt working. Brionnas brain has filled up with fluid and there is almost no brain tissue left. I was hopeful that this day would never come. The only other option would be to put a needle in her head daily and drain the fluid but it wont change her out come. The doctors are saying she will be a vegtable and never beable to communicate. This is all just so sad.

 Around 6pm Brionna passed away.......