We went to visit Christian with Michelle's mom today. I went down to speak with one of the doctors for a sleep study consultation while Michelle and her mom went upstairs to see Christian. Once my consult was over, I went up to see our beautiful little boy and he looks happy as ever! He always looks super cute when he is on his tummy, like a little tree frog! Yesterday we had a very exciting thing happen- he opened both of his eyes wide open to look at us!! That's the first time we have seen both of his beautiful little eyes! It was incredible to feel the emotion surrounding that event and very special.
Christian is feeding completely off michelle's milk supply, and the doctors boosted him up to 4.0 mL per hour today, which at his weight is the most they will feed him right now. If he tolerates this amount, they will begin fortifying the milk with extra protein and enzymes to boost the amount of calories he is consuming, ultimately increasing his weight.
Chrsitian began steroid treatments this morning. He is going to be receiving 40 days of injections to increase his lung functioning. The x-rays that came back showed lungs that were not functioning well and the doctors decided during rounds to begin steroid treatment earlier than expected as a result. Part of the problem is the fact that he is on a ventilator and that he is so young... his body and his lungs aren't supposed to be functioing right now, as they are supposed to be still developing in the womb. The nurse told me that these steroid treatments are very common in babies his age and that they should start to improve his gases soon. He has a high amount of carbon dioxide in his blood gases right now, which means his arteries aren't pumping enough of the gas out of his lung and heart. They have certain ratios of oxygen to carbon dioxide that need to be maintained and he is hooked up to an oxygen stream which can be inversely correlated to the amount of carbon dioxide leaving his blood. This is a scary time for us right now, as the longer he is on the ventilator the more potential scarring his lungs will endure.
In other areas, he is doing very well. His ventomiacin is no longer being given to treat his infection and it seems that it has been all cleared up.
Michelle is making Christian an Easter basket right now with massive amounts of ribbons on it. I'll have to take a picture and post it. She's extremely crafty, as is Corinne.
that is amazing that baby christian opened his eyes! :) I'm so happy for you guys.
ReplyDeleteI was born at 30 weeks and was 2 pounds 10 ounces, and my mom had to be given a steriod shot to develop my lungs. About a month of being in the NICU I lost a lot of weight and was 1 pound...and I was in the hospital until my orginal due date. But luck was on my side and I was brought home on a heart monitor and a breathing machine. My parents say it helped them because it eased their minds a little bit.
But on a happier note :) I'm 23 yrs old now, married to a wonderful man and I'm having a baby girl of my own.
But it is time that I say my prayers and I say goodnight! and I pray that ur family grows stronger and stronger everyday! :)
Amanda (From BBC)
So good to hear the updates!! Glad he is doing well! Can't wait for the next update!
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