Written September 27, 2013 6:22pm
Today. was. amazing. After 26 days, Evan was out of his bubble and got to snuggle!!
Let's back up. :)
Andrew and I were pretty excited about Evan's progress after we left last night. The doctors were talking about possibly extubating and going to the NIV. I called this morning (I was too anxious to wait for Andrew's drive-to-work update) and they did not extubate last night but they did get Evan prepped to do so today. They gave Evan another dosage of steroids and started him on caffeine. (The caffeine helps stimulate breathing - important as the NIV requires Evan to actually participate in breathing.) He didn't have a single brady the entire night and his CO2 levels were low.
Yesterday, Evan's nurse told me that depending on Evan, I would be able to hold him today (Friday). I tried not to get too out of control excited since anything can happen in the NICU. Before I left for the afternoon yesterday, I overheard the charge nurse telling Evan's nurse that she would be not at bedside, instead she would be inserting PICC lines. When this assignment happens, it means she doesn't get to be his nurse. I was pretty bummed since I knew it meant I probably wouldn't be able to kangaroo with Evan. Thankfully, Evan's nurse begged off PICC line duty so she could be with him!!
Around 12:30 today, Evan was extubated to the NIV. At first he wasn't so sure he liked it. With this style of ventilation, it pushes a lot of air out his mouth so he sounds like a little whale making blow off noises. It's awfully cute. He's also very bubbly so they're constantly wiping his mouth out.
After Evan rested for a little bit from the big switch, the nurse took a gas to check his CO2 levels. The wait to see the CO2 level was insanely long. This test would determine if Evan could come out to snuggle. The gas check is a good indicator of how well Evan was adjusting to the new vent. Thankfully it came back low enough that we were able to go ahead with kangarooing.
I wore one of Andrew's button down shirts today. Kangaroo care is all about skin to skin touch. Evan was placed on my bare chest wearing his diaper, hat and all his monitor lines. A few receiving blankets were piled on top and we just sat and snuggled for about a half hour or so. Evan seemed to like his first big adventure. His stats stayed stable and he didn't require any extra oxygen. His body temperature also remained stable! Evan did try to cry a few times, but due to having a ventilation tube for the past 3+ weeks, his vocal cords are pretty hoarse. The nurse said that he'll get louder as they heal.
After Evan was done snuggling, Andrew got to change his diaper. Evan is already proving himself to be a good listener. I told him to make a big messy diaper for his dad's first change as payback for the ones that he kept begging off - Evan did not disappoint. Andrew was a champ and not only did he put the diaper on correctly (something I continuously struggle with for some reason) but he also got him all cleaned up too.
A few other highlights from today:
- During his renal ultrasound (a routine ultrasound to check his kidneys that came back fine) he got really mad at the technician. In retaliation, he tried peeing on her. When the nurse caught his pee (caught as in she put her hand over the stream!), he got even more frustrated and ended up pooping all over the monitor leads that are attached to him. I held him over his bed as he got a mid-morning bed change thanks to his antics.
- He took to a pacifier like a pro!!
- Somehow Evan managed to pull the NIV out of his nose within the first few hours of having it. They taped it to the side of his face and he still managed to pull it out and put it in his mouth. He'll keep the nurse on her toes that's for sure!
- Evan started sucking on some of his fingers.
- Um... I held him!! I held my baby boy 26 days after he was born. All the days and nights of watching him through the bubble have been completely worth it for today.
I am so thankful Andrew was able to be present for Evan's big day. He gives Evan and I the strength that we need each day. I know that Evan could just feel the love radiating from Andrew and I today. I have never felt more in love with Andrew than today, watching him watch his son get cuddled by his momma.
Let's back up. :)
Andrew and I were pretty excited about Evan's progress after we left last night. The doctors were talking about possibly extubating and going to the NIV. I called this morning (I was too anxious to wait for Andrew's drive-to-work update) and they did not extubate last night but they did get Evan prepped to do so today. They gave Evan another dosage of steroids and started him on caffeine. (The caffeine helps stimulate breathing - important as the NIV requires Evan to actually participate in breathing.) He didn't have a single brady the entire night and his CO2 levels were low.
Yesterday, Evan's nurse told me that depending on Evan, I would be able to hold him today (Friday). I tried not to get too out of control excited since anything can happen in the NICU. Before I left for the afternoon yesterday, I overheard the charge nurse telling Evan's nurse that she would be not at bedside, instead she would be inserting PICC lines. When this assignment happens, it means she doesn't get to be his nurse. I was pretty bummed since I knew it meant I probably wouldn't be able to kangaroo with Evan. Thankfully, Evan's nurse begged off PICC line duty so she could be with him!!
Around 12:30 today, Evan was extubated to the NIV. At first he wasn't so sure he liked it. With this style of ventilation, it pushes a lot of air out his mouth so he sounds like a little whale making blow off noises. It's awfully cute. He's also very bubbly so they're constantly wiping his mouth out.
After Evan rested for a little bit from the big switch, the nurse took a gas to check his CO2 levels. The wait to see the CO2 level was insanely long. This test would determine if Evan could come out to snuggle. The gas check is a good indicator of how well Evan was adjusting to the new vent. Thankfully it came back low enough that we were able to go ahead with kangarooing.
I wore one of Andrew's button down shirts today. Kangaroo care is all about skin to skin touch. Evan was placed on my bare chest wearing his diaper, hat and all his monitor lines. A few receiving blankets were piled on top and we just sat and snuggled for about a half hour or so. Evan seemed to like his first big adventure. His stats stayed stable and he didn't require any extra oxygen. His body temperature also remained stable! Evan did try to cry a few times, but due to having a ventilation tube for the past 3+ weeks, his vocal cords are pretty hoarse. The nurse said that he'll get louder as they heal.
After Evan was done snuggling, Andrew got to change his diaper. Evan is already proving himself to be a good listener. I told him to make a big messy diaper for his dad's first change as payback for the ones that he kept begging off - Evan did not disappoint. Andrew was a champ and not only did he put the diaper on correctly (something I continuously struggle with for some reason) but he also got him all cleaned up too.
A few other highlights from today:
- During his renal ultrasound (a routine ultrasound to check his kidneys that came back fine) he got really mad at the technician. In retaliation, he tried peeing on her. When the nurse caught his pee (caught as in she put her hand over the stream!), he got even more frustrated and ended up pooping all over the monitor leads that are attached to him. I held him over his bed as he got a mid-morning bed change thanks to his antics.
- He took to a pacifier like a pro!!
- Somehow Evan managed to pull the NIV out of his nose within the first few hours of having it. They taped it to the side of his face and he still managed to pull it out and put it in his mouth. He'll keep the nurse on her toes that's for sure!
- Evan started sucking on some of his fingers.
- Um... I held him!! I held my baby boy 26 days after he was born. All the days and nights of watching him through the bubble have been completely worth it for today.
I am so thankful Andrew was able to be present for Evan's big day. He gives Evan and I the strength that we need each day. I know that Evan could just feel the love radiating from Andrew and I today. I have never felt more in love with Andrew than today, watching him watch his son get cuddled by his momma.
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