6 days old - Night Night

Written September 7, 2013 9:37pm

Evan had a big day today. Not only is he making consistent diapers but he also has his ART line removed. This line goes through the belly button artery. Thy use it for blood draws and transfusions. This has a limited use though (just like a full term, the belly button nib falls off). For blood draws, they'll have to stick his foot. Thankfully, they'll only need to do this every 8 hours.

Evan was also exposed for a bit of our afternoon visit! The top for the incubator was up so the nurse could have a little more room to work. He's not under the bilirubin lights so we were able to get a good look at him. I think his hair has gotten longer and is filling in more. Evan's eyelashes are also growing in. They're very fine.

We're so happy for good days like this. Evan is such a strong little boy. He gives us our strength.

6 days old - We're Celebrating!

Written September 7, 2013 11:57am

Hello Everyone,
Even had a new IV put in overnight. They freed up his right arm. His new IV is in the left arm, along with the PICC line. Now that the right hand is free, Evan is busy working it out. He was very squirmy this morning when we got to the hospital.

Evan also finally pooped!! Yay! Andrew and I were so excited to hear that he had a stool. It's important for Evan to pass stool otherwise he could end up with a distended belly. He also had another dirty diaper at 11!! So to celebrate Evan's first dirty diaper, we got donuts from Paula's (an awesome local donut shop).

5 days old - Good Night

Written September 6, 2013 9:20pm

Confession: I was aging our son! Apparently I'm anxious for him to grow up because I was off a day off on his age. Whoops. So he's actually 5 days old, not 6. :)

We had a good night visit with Evan. Andrew was put to work fixing his goggles. The goggles don't quite fit on his head so they shift around a lot. As soon as Andrew fixed them, he wiggled and got his eyes free. 

They're still making adjustments on the new conventional ventilator. There is a slight chance that he'll have to go back on the other oscillator. They don't want his lungs under too much stress with this new vent. 

He's taking the 3 mL feedings like a champ. It seems as though his feedings are increased in the mornings when the doctors do rounds. 

Everyone in the NICU is amazing. All of the doctors and nurses are so friendly. They're constantly asking us if we have questions. They're so patient even when we ask the same things over and over. It's great to know there's good support at the hospital.

Evan looked like he was blowing bubbles today. He also used a super tiny pacifier. Granted he wasn't sucking on it, but he was definitely tonguing it. 

The puppies moved back in with us. It's nice to have them home again. They were certainly spoiled while they were with the Grandparents. Layla has appointed herself head of milking. She likes to sit behind me on the pillows when I milk.

5 days old - Morning

Written September 6, 2013 10:59am

Good Morning!
Andrew brought me to the hospital around 9. He visited for a few minutes and then went to work. Evan is stable enough that he's comfortable leaving Evan for bits of time.

The big news (so far) is that Evan was moved to a conventional vent! He loves this vent so far. The tubes are a lot lighter so they're able to change his positions easier. They'll continue to watch his levels with the hope that he can be extubated over the weekend.

They've increased his feedings to 3 mL. They need to make sure he continues to digest the milk. I'm glad they're upping his feeds. I'm pumping almost 100 mL every 3 hours!! He's gotta catch up. :)

I also changed his morning diaper. His bilirubin lights were off so he kept a eye on me for the whole process. I was a little fumbly, but I will get better. I liked that he kept an eye on me. :)

4 days old - Evening

Written September 5, 2013 9:19pm

Not much had changed when we went back this evening. Evan was still sedated from receiving his PICC line. The PICC line is in his left arm. It shouldn't restrict his movements at all. We still have our little wiggle worm. :)

He is propped up on his right side as his lung is collapsing a little bit. This is completely normal. By propping him it will force air into the lung to reinflate it.

He is aspirating a little. This means he's not fully digesting all of his 2 mL of milk. They can tell this as they always "draw back" (pull out/suction) before giving him a feeding. Again, the nurse didn't seem too concerned. His belly is soft (not distended) so he is digesting most of it.

Evan officially has a primary night nurse! This means that she will always be assigned Evan when she's working. She's no-nonsense and very focused on him.

We'll hope he has a boring night.

Again, we cannot thank you enough for you thoughtfulness and prayers. Without your support we would be so alone.