Joshua has made it through his first 24 hours. This is great!! We went to see him this morning. They said that his weight was up, 700 grams today, but this could be because of all of the monitors and cords. We did find out that we will usually see the same nurses. They sign up for their babies and most try and stay with the same babies. This is good news. It's good for the babies and the parents that the same nurses see them all the time. They will learn to know what the babies like and dislike and really bond with the baby too.
He is still breathing mostly on his own with few assists from the ventilator but they think this could be better. Dr. Casey had told us that there is a blood vessel in his chest that can still be open and they did an Echocardiogram today to check for that. We happened to be there when the Neonatal Cardiologist came in to do the test. He had this little tiny stethascope and the ultrasound wand was also tiny. You never realize that they have this kind of equipment until you actually see it. While he was doing the Echo, he was educating us as well. We got to see all 4 chambers of his heart. He said that this looked good! However, he did have a moderate patent ductus arteriosus. This can often be corrected. They are going to give him a drug called Indocin. If you read through the rest of the blogs, this is the same medication I was on to stop my contractions. For him though, it will cause the ductus to narrow. It can have side effects, but I trust the doctors to do what is needed.
I changed his little diaper for the first time today. I was so nervous!! He is so tiny and has so many tubes and wires that I was afraid that I would hurt or upset something. I did it though. He is putting out a lot of urine which is a good thing, it means that his little kidneys are working good.
They told us that after his umbilical line is taken out (he has a line going in for IV's and blood draws) that they will then do a PICC Line. Once they do this, we can start Kangaroo Care. This is a method used in many Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Studies have been done to prove that this method of contact can reduce the time spent in the NICU. This will also give us a chance to bond with Joshua. Dave and I will take turns doing this. It's also important while I am pumping, since holding him will stimulate milk production.
We met another mom there who started with a baby just like Joshua. He is now 31 weeks and has been here for 7 weeks. in that time, he has gained 1 whole pound. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a milestone!! I look at the difference in size and wow a pound makes a total difference. It shows that we have a long road ahead of us, and that in time we will start to see progress.
He is still breathing mostly on his own with few assists from the ventilator but they think this could be better. Dr. Casey had told us that there is a blood vessel in his chest that can still be open and they did an Echocardiogram today to check for that. We happened to be there when the Neonatal Cardiologist came in to do the test. He had this little tiny stethascope and the ultrasound wand was also tiny. You never realize that they have this kind of equipment until you actually see it. While he was doing the Echo, he was educating us as well. We got to see all 4 chambers of his heart. He said that this looked good! However, he did have a moderate patent ductus arteriosus. This can often be corrected. They are going to give him a drug called Indocin. If you read through the rest of the blogs, this is the same medication I was on to stop my contractions. For him though, it will cause the ductus to narrow. It can have side effects, but I trust the doctors to do what is needed.
I changed his little diaper for the first time today. I was so nervous!! He is so tiny and has so many tubes and wires that I was afraid that I would hurt or upset something. I did it though. He is putting out a lot of urine which is a good thing, it means that his little kidneys are working good.
They told us that after his umbilical line is taken out (he has a line going in for IV's and blood draws) that they will then do a PICC Line. Once they do this, we can start Kangaroo Care. This is a method used in many Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Studies have been done to prove that this method of contact can reduce the time spent in the NICU. This will also give us a chance to bond with Joshua. Dave and I will take turns doing this. It's also important while I am pumping, since holding him will stimulate milk production.
We met another mom there who started with a baby just like Joshua. He is now 31 weeks and has been here for 7 weeks. in that time, he has gained 1 whole pound. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a milestone!! I look at the difference in size and wow a pound makes a total difference. It shows that we have a long road ahead of us, and that in time we will start to see progress.
2 comments:
Dave, Dianna, I just wanted to let you know that you and your sweet baby boy are in our thoughts on the 35+ board, and we will be sending warm wishes your way for an eventless stay in the NICU. Thank you so much for including us in your invitation to view the blog. I, for one, plan to keep up with the blog as often as possible! Hang in there... (((((((Hugs)))))))
Hi Guys! Bud, Bobbie, Wally, the kittens and I send huge hugs to all of you! Joshua was obviously ready to come into this world for a reason and it looks like he is up to the task. How fortunate is he to have a terrific big brother to teach him as he gets older and two parents who have enormous love for them as well as each other. It is amazing that such a little guy can have such a big impact on so many people. Lots of love!
Frannie
Post a Comment