12.1.15

And just like that, we’re over a month in, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we’re creeping up on 3 pounds.  Bring it December.

5 weeks (29 weeks gestational) Update:

weight: 1,210 grams (2 lb 11 oz)| height: 13.5 inches

Brain Bleed– This week’s scan came back and the ventricle looks to be decreasing in size which is “good” according to the doctors. According to us, it’s great!

Ventilator– Now that Jack is over a month old and hasn’t moved off the ventilator and his settings have been stagnant they are going to try him a low dose of steroids starting today.  This has been known to be a miracle drug for some micro preemies as the boost they need to get off the ventilator.  Of course, with any medication there are pros and cons to weigh.  The con to the steroid treatment is it might not take for Jack and there is the possibility of neurological damage based on studies.  There haven’t been too many studies done on preemies but higher dosages on older children have been noted to have some risks.  Our team of doctors are hopeful this is what Jack needs.  Just a little turbo to get him over the vent hump and then he can really give his lungs a much needed break and extubate that ventilator tube and start to grow and develop at a faster clip.  Saddle up Jackie boy, you are starring in the upcoming Fast and the Furious Micro Preemie Drift.

Feeds– Jack continues to tolerate feeds well.  They had to stop his feeds for a few days this week while they did another spinal tap and blood work up along with antibiotics because they were suspicious of infection (turned out to be fine).  Back on feeds now and loving his new ND tube.  This tube is weighted and sits further in his stomach.  He pulls at all his tubes so this will be a harder one for him to self extubate.  He’s a feisty little guy, and who can blame him for wanting tubes out of his nose and throat.  Each time we kangaroo with him we joke about busting out of the joint but I don’t think Jack’s kidding.  One day we’ll walk in and he’ll have tunneled his way out of the isolette and be waiting for us by the car.

NICU + Real Life–

Skin to skin- Daddy was finally able to kangaroo with Jack and it was pure magic. Mommy was hoping to keep it together but the moment Jack was placed on top of Daddy’s chest for the first time…waterworks. It’s been amazing to have Jack back on his original ventilator from the Oscillator (couldn’t hold him due to the position he needed to be in) so we can do skin to skin again.  We need kangarooing just as much as the baby.

First Family Thanksgiving — It was a perfect day spent just the three of us.  Wish Frank could have given Jack some licks, but they’ll be plenty next year when we’re all home together.  AnnaMaria, our nurse for the day, made a handprint turkey for us from Jack and helped us decorate his isolette. We both got to swaddle hold the baby enabling us to look at his face.  We don’t get this opportunity while kangarooing- yet another first, yet another reason to be thankful.  After our Jack visit at the hospital we joined our family for our first time out since the baby’s birth.  It was a safe zone of love, support and comfort and we didn’t have to retell the tale of how we came to have a 24 week micro preemie.  We needed a moment outside the NICU for ourselves to recharge and pretend to think about other things than Jack.  It’s amazing we had things to talk about before he came along, it’s all consuming these days in both tough and wonderful ways.

Graduation day for Jack’s first friend-  One of the first couples we met within our NICU nursery was Stephanie & Craig.  They are our floor’s captains radiating hope.  They’re about to be discharged with their amazing daughter that was also a 24 weeker and 140 days later is a strong ‘full term’ baby ready to breathe fresh air and feel the warmth of home.  Stephanie & Craig will never fully know the extent of how much they helped us in those first few days.  They were one the first people to walk over and just say ‘congrats on becoming parents’.  It was the moment we felt proud and not different.  It’s hard for everyone to know the right reaction, it’s an unusual circumstance for us all, but we are parents nonetheless and we have this crazy head start full of worry, setbacks, health challenges and growth to just get to the point where the baby is ‘born’.  Anna, Jack and the rest of these preemies go through life at a corrected age – meaning on Jack’s due date in mid February he will technically be 4 months old but corrected age of 1 day.  That won’t be challenging when anyone asks how old our baby is! But that’s our world, just one of the many small challenges we’ll face, along with a lot of large ones too.  And 35 days into this journey, we now feel as if this was always supposed to be our path to becoming parents.  So to Stephanie, Craig & baby Anna – congrats on becoming parents 140 days ago and congrats on becoming parents the moment you walk through your front door tonight.  Thank you. Forever.