2.23.16

In the wise words of NSYNC “bye bye bye“.  That’s right, we said goodbye to two big pieces of our NICU journey this week — Nursery A and our frenemy the Ventilator.  BOOM.

 

17 weeks old (actual age) | 1 week old (adjusted) 

weight: 4,062 (8 lb 15 oz)| height: 21.25 inches

We are now full term and one week into our adjusted age.  Something must have clicked in Jack or maybe our faces are coming more into focus and he’s thinking “wow those two need me home more than I thought”.  We are still on the slow train to success but taking all the right baby steps to get there.

Respiratory– We are now 100% on nasal cannula — UP TOP!  We covered Jack’s eyes when the Respiratory team took away his ventilator because there is NO going back.  Jack gets a steady flow of Oxygen and he breathes his best when around 28-30%, we all breathe at 21%.  We need to wean him down towards that 21% and then he can start cycling from nasal cannula to room air.  More steps on the respiratory front (seems like there always is) but we are getting there! Mommy may have flipped the vent the bird on it’s way out.

Brain Bleed (Grade IV) – Head ultrasound has been stable for about a month now so will continue to monitor every other week.

Eyes– ROP Plus disease after the laser treatment has been regressing. Jack might need a touch up laser treatment down the road but as of now, not necessary!

Feeds– Jack has been doing great with his PO (by mouth) feeds this week! He’s allowed to bottle and breastfeed half his total volume, four times a day.  He hasn’t had major episodes during the feeds, which is a good sign and hopefully he will continue on this track as the volume and frequency increases.

Physical Therapy–  Jack hits the gym with his favorite therapist, Stephanie, a few times a week to make sure his arms and legs aren’t too tight as well as work on his midline control.  One of the many issues micro preemies have being outside the womb for such an extended length is they’re laying on a bed with limbs splayed out instead of being inside a fluid womb.  He will continue PT throughout his NICU stay and when we get home to keep on top of this area of development.

Nursery Graduation– The amount of new admissions the floor has had in the past few days has been tremendous.  It’s amazing how many preemies are born everyday and each one with it’s own journey of obstacles ahead.  Nursery A and B at our hospital are for the sickest/most critical babies – we have lived in Nursery A for the past four months (our entire stay to date).  As much as we loved our back corner of that room, it was time.  The lights are bright, the energy is high, the intensity higher — we need to kick it down a notch and let this baby grow in peace.  And that’s just what the Nurses and Doctors allowed us to do by moving us out.  We now reside in a tiny nursery right down the hall from the hustle and bustle of Nursery A and we are reunited with some of Jack’s old pals from Nursery A.  It’s a perfect new home for us.

We are just at the four month mark of this journey and it’s starting to truly wear on us.  It’s hard to always stay motivated, positive and upbeat about the situation at hand.  It’s harder to think about leaving and all that’s ahead of us, all the unknown still left to unfold.  We’re so tired emotionally and physically but everyday we walk through those hospital doors and catch the first glimpse of our baby’s eyes waiting for us — it all melts away.  Life melts away and all we see are those eyes that have been fighting this fight for so long and still shining.  And that’s all it takes, to turn the negative around, to wake us up, to be truly in love and happy.

Happy 17th Week Jack! Happy 1 Week Adjusted! Happy Happy Everything!