Last Night's Weight: 3lbs 9oz
Tonight's Weight: 3lbs 9oz
We have since discovered that most of Austin's weight gain this weekend is fluid. He received a dose of lasix this morning and most likely will be put on a diuretic to help him further. Jackson also had a problem with swelling and came home on a diuretic, so I'm not majorly concerned.
Austin had another eye exam this morning and the blood vessel growth is where it should be for his gestational age. We also found out that he has a Retinal Coloboma. Basically, there is a defect in his retina that happened at the point when his eyes were developing. We are not sure what his vision will be like, but it is only in his left eye. He will be checked again in two weeks and I hope to be there to talk to the opthamologist.
The only other changes today include his feedings going from 10mL to 15mL. There is talk on the horizon of adding in the fortifier again. I'm hoping there is something else they can try.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Huge Day for Austin!
Last Night's Weight: 3lbs 5.9oz (He has to be raiding the fridge at night!)
Today Austin graduated to a 2 liter nasal cannula. The nurse moved his feeding tube to his nose because he keeps pulling it out plus it will need to be there since he may get to start feeding on his own this week. He is now big enough to wear clothes, so I'm moving in his "dresser" today. (This NICU has no idea how we roll! :) ) Maybe tomorrow or later in the week he will graduate to the big boy bed (AKA Open Crib). The next major item that will need to be checked off is the closure of his intestines and he needs to gain about another pound to be eligible. At the rate he's going that could be sometime next week. :)
YIPPIE for AUSTIN!!!!
UPDATE: While I was there this afternoon, Austin's nasal cannula was turned down to 1 liter. I would think that by mid week he will be breathing on his own totally unassisted.
Today Austin graduated to a 2 liter nasal cannula. The nurse moved his feeding tube to his nose because he keeps pulling it out plus it will need to be there since he may get to start feeding on his own this week. He is now big enough to wear clothes, so I'm moving in his "dresser" today. (This NICU has no idea how we roll! :) ) Maybe tomorrow or later in the week he will graduate to the big boy bed (AKA Open Crib). The next major item that will need to be checked off is the closure of his intestines and he needs to gain about another pound to be eligible. At the rate he's going that could be sometime next week. :)
YIPPIE for AUSTIN!!!!
UPDATE: While I was there this afternoon, Austin's nasal cannula was turned down to 1 liter. I would think that by mid week he will be breathing on his own totally unassisted.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Chunky Monkey
Last Night's Weight: 3lbs 2.5oz
Today was the first time I noticed Austin was starting to fatten up! When I walked in and looked at him, I asked the nurse if he was swollen because his legs looked a lot bigger than I remember. She looked at me and said "No, he's started to put on fat. He even has a butt crack now!" I guess that jump from 2lbs 14oz has really had a noticeable effect on him.
He is doing really good! We are hoping by Monday he will get put on the nasal cannula since he is really not requiring much respiratory support. One of his nurses told us that he does not have any of the respiratory diseases commonly associated with preemies. I guess the three steroid injections I took for him really made a difference.
Update on the two other babies I mentioned in an earlier post:
Baby R - Last night her entire family was called in because she was not doing well. Thankfully she made it through the night, but please keep praying for her and her family. I'm sure they are dealing with a lot and having to make some very hard decisions.
Baby T - He is doing pretty good after his surgery. Jacob and I spoke to his father last night and he was born with most of his abdominal organs in his chest and they were compressing his heart and lungs. The surgery he had on Monday repaired the hole in his diaphragm,but there wasn't enough room in his abdomen for everything that should be there. He will have another surgery to close his abdomen on Tuesday.
Today was the first time I noticed Austin was starting to fatten up! When I walked in and looked at him, I asked the nurse if he was swollen because his legs looked a lot bigger than I remember. She looked at me and said "No, he's started to put on fat. He even has a butt crack now!" I guess that jump from 2lbs 14oz has really had a noticeable effect on him.
He is doing really good! We are hoping by Monday he will get put on the nasal cannula since he is really not requiring much respiratory support. One of his nurses told us that he does not have any of the respiratory diseases commonly associated with preemies. I guess the three steroid injections I took for him really made a difference.
Update on the two other babies I mentioned in an earlier post:
Baby R - Last night her entire family was called in because she was not doing well. Thankfully she made it through the night, but please keep praying for her and her family. I'm sure they are dealing with a lot and having to make some very hard decisions.
Baby T - He is doing pretty good after his surgery. Jacob and I spoke to his father last night and he was born with most of his abdominal organs in his chest and they were compressing his heart and lungs. The surgery he had on Monday repaired the hole in his diaphragm,but there wasn't enough room in his abdomen for everything that should be there. He will have another surgery to close his abdomen on Tuesday.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Farewell #9
Today Austin said goodbye to an old friend, ventilator #9! This has been his since he was put on the conventional vent. He got it back when he got sick last weekend, but a little while ago he earned his CPAP back.
Yay Austin!
Yay Austin!
Finally!
Last Night's Weight: 3lbs!!! Yes, he FINALLY made it!
Austin is getting better by the day. We hope that he will be able to come off the vent in the next couple of days. He was working really hard last night to make it happen sooner. By the time we left, he had a good portion of the tape loose on his upper lip. He did manage to pull his feeding tube out while we were there.
Hopefully there will be more good news when I get there today!
Austin is getting better by the day. We hope that he will be able to come off the vent in the next couple of days. He was working really hard last night to make it happen sooner. By the time we left, he had a good portion of the tape loose on his upper lip. He did manage to pull his feeding tube out while we were there.
Hopefully there will be more good news when I get there today!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
On the Mend
Weight: 2lbs 14oz
Austin had a good night and with all the antibiotics is on the road to recovery. It will probably be several days before we see any major changes.
Yesterday they had to increase the settings on his ventilator to help him more since he is "riding the vent" (NICU term for letting the vent do all the work). He got to the point where he was needing about 40% oxygen. When I called this morning he was back to 21% (room air) which is the oxygen concentration of the air we breathe. It's important to try and keep them as close to room air as possible, because too much oxygen can affect the growth of the immature blood vessels in the eyes.
Once all the labs came back yesterday, we now know that Austin has a UTI (urinary tract infection). So far the blood culture has come back negative, which was a huge relief for me! One of his antibiotics was changed to a stronger version to help him get over this a little quicker.
He is also not being fed at the moment to give his whole system a break. They have increased his fluids to fill in the gap until he can start being fed again. I think he might have had an allergy to the fortifier they use to increase the calories. Once they start feeding him again, I'm going to request they try something different and gentler or not to increase his calories.
Austin had a good night and with all the antibiotics is on the road to recovery. It will probably be several days before we see any major changes.
Yesterday they had to increase the settings on his ventilator to help him more since he is "riding the vent" (NICU term for letting the vent do all the work). He got to the point where he was needing about 40% oxygen. When I called this morning he was back to 21% (room air) which is the oxygen concentration of the air we breathe. It's important to try and keep them as close to room air as possible, because too much oxygen can affect the growth of the immature blood vessels in the eyes.
Once all the labs came back yesterday, we now know that Austin has a UTI (urinary tract infection). So far the blood culture has come back negative, which was a huge relief for me! One of his antibiotics was changed to a stronger version to help him get over this a little quicker.
He is also not being fed at the moment to give his whole system a break. They have increased his fluids to fill in the gap until he can start being fed again. I think he might have had an allergy to the fortifier they use to increase the calories. Once they start feeding him again, I'm going to request they try something different and gentler or not to increase his calories.
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| Not feeling so hot |
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| His feet got cold, so we are trying the socks again! |
Thanks for all your prayers!
Also, Baby R had one of her breathing machines taken away yesterday.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back...
What a weekend this has been! Friday night I noticed that Austin's bag was having more fluid than actual output, which concerned me. By Saturday it had increased to straight fluid. When I arrived on Sunday, he was very pale and not reacting as much. He was having periods of periodic breathing, where he would breath for a few seconds and then take a break for longer than I care to remember. I spent the entire day at his beside.
He was evaluated several times yesterday and they think he has an infection, but all the labs have not come back yet. As a precaution, he started 3 antibiotics yesterday and by the end of the day several changes had been made. He was switched back to SiPAP in hopes to help him breathe easier, but at one point he was requiring around 40% oxygen. His feeds were decreased to 12mL every three hours from 23mL and they have stopped fortifying his milk. They have also increased his IV fluids to make up the difference and to help him with any dehydration he might be dealing with. (So glad he still has his PICC line! We were really close to having it removed.)
This morning at 5:30am, the phone rang and it was the nurse pracitioner calling to let us know that they had put Austin back on the ventilator to further support his breathing. The nurse called shortly after that to let us know the same and that he had a chest (check placement of tube) and abdominal X-ray. The abdominal X-ray was to check to see if this was related to his intestinal problem. Until the results came back, they stopped his feedings. They were restarted with his 8am feeding.
I know this is just a bump in the road, but it is still unnerving when you get those early morning calls from the NICU.
Please pray that he starts feeling better soon and has a quick recovery. Also, please pray for two other babies in his room. One is on more equipment for respiratory support (Baby R - girl) than I ever knew existed and the other had surgery this morning that has lasted over 4 hours (Baby T - boy).
He was evaluated several times yesterday and they think he has an infection, but all the labs have not come back yet. As a precaution, he started 3 antibiotics yesterday and by the end of the day several changes had been made. He was switched back to SiPAP in hopes to help him breathe easier, but at one point he was requiring around 40% oxygen. His feeds were decreased to 12mL every three hours from 23mL and they have stopped fortifying his milk. They have also increased his IV fluids to make up the difference and to help him with any dehydration he might be dealing with. (So glad he still has his PICC line! We were really close to having it removed.)
This morning at 5:30am, the phone rang and it was the nurse pracitioner calling to let us know that they had put Austin back on the ventilator to further support his breathing. The nurse called shortly after that to let us know the same and that he had a chest (check placement of tube) and abdominal X-ray. The abdominal X-ray was to check to see if this was related to his intestinal problem. Until the results came back, they stopped his feedings. They were restarted with his 8am feeding.
I know this is just a bump in the road, but it is still unnerving when you get those early morning calls from the NICU.
Please pray that he starts feeling better soon and has a quick recovery. Also, please pray for two other babies in his room. One is on more equipment for respiratory support (Baby R - girl) than I ever knew existed and the other had surgery this morning that has lasted over 4 hours (Baby T - boy).
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| Sick baby :( |
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sweet Smile :)
Austin is having a GREAT day! This morning he was switched from SiPAP to CPAP. Although he still has to wear the same mask, he's one step closer to going on the nasal cannula.
During Austin's surgery when he first arrived at Baylor Dallas, the surgeon found that he had a meconium plug or meconium ileus. This is probably what caused his intestines perforate. It is also an indicator of Cystic Fibrosis. We have been anxiously waiting on the results of all the testing to come back for a few weeks. Thankfully when all of the testing came back, Austin does not have Cystic Fibrosis.
Austin has had the same nurse the last two days and he really likes her (as do I). Hopefully she will be one of his primaries! He was smiling a lot today. :)
During Austin's surgery when he first arrived at Baylor Dallas, the surgeon found that he had a meconium plug or meconium ileus. This is probably what caused his intestines perforate. It is also an indicator of Cystic Fibrosis. We have been anxiously waiting on the results of all the testing to come back for a few weeks. Thankfully when all of the testing came back, Austin does not have Cystic Fibrosis.
Austin has had the same nurse the last two days and he really likes her (as do I). Hopefully she will be one of his primaries! He was smiling a lot today. :)
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| What a Happy Baby! |
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Almost 4 weeks old (32 weeks gestation)
Tonight's Weight: 2lbs 13oz
Austin has reached the goal I had set to make it to for delivery, but he has been here almost 4 weeks now.
He is still doing really good. Today his feedings were increased to 22 mL and he is still digesting everything he is given. We hope in the next few days or so he is doing well enough that the PICC line can be removed.
On the respiratory front, he is doing great! He is still on SiPAP, but from the picture below he should be close to coming off of it. (The prongs from his mask are on his eyebrows.) He is having a blood gas done tomorrow morning and hopefully they will switch him over to CPAP.
That's all the news for today!
Austin has reached the goal I had set to make it to for delivery, but he has been here almost 4 weeks now.
He is still doing really good. Today his feedings were increased to 22 mL and he is still digesting everything he is given. We hope in the next few days or so he is doing well enough that the PICC line can be removed.
On the respiratory front, he is doing great! He is still on SiPAP, but from the picture below he should be close to coming off of it. (The prongs from his mask are on his eyebrows.) He is having a blood gas done tomorrow morning and hopefully they will switch him over to CPAP.
That's all the news for today!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Peepers, Socks and Primaries
Tonight's Weight: 2lbs 10oz
Last Night's Weight: 2lbs 9oz
Today was Austin's first eye exam and he did better than expected. This is one of the few things I cannot watch. To do this exam, the opthamologist has to use a retractor to keep Austin eye open while he looks at the blood vessels growth on his retina. The growth is where they would expect it to be based on his gestational age. He will have another exam in 2 weeks.
As I was sitting in the NICU today, I noticed that Austin's heart rate would spike into the 200s even though he was not really upset. Trying to figure out what could be causing it I noticed the little blue socks I had put on his feet the night before and remembered how after the nurse would tuck him in he would figure out a way to get one or both feet out. I did point out to the nurse that I was concerned about how his heart rate was so elevated and she started looking up the last xray he had done to see the placement of his PICC line. After talking to the doctor another xray was ordered just to be sure the current placement was still ok, since sometimes it can cause problems if it is too close to the heart. While waiting on the xray tech to arrive, I got up an pulled his socks off to see if it would make a difference. A few minutes later, his heart rate was under 200. When the xray came back, the doctor had the nurse pull his PICC line back 1cm. I'm not sure if it was the PICC line or Austin protesting his new socks, but it's funny how taking them off did help.
Some of the most important people in the NICU are the nurses as they spend the most time with the babies. When Jackson was in the NICU at Baylor Grapevine, we had several nurses that would always be assigned to his care. This was so nice, because they really knew him and we got to know them. Since being at Baylor Dallas, we really haven't had the same nurse more than once or twice so getting primary nurses is pretty important right now. We do have one for sure and then yesterday I think we may have another since she had been with him for both Saturday and Sunday. They both are so sweet with Austin!
Well, that's all for today!
P.S. Congratulations are in order for Jacob. He changed Austin's diaper for the first time tonight.
Last Night's Weight: 2lbs 9oz
Today was Austin's first eye exam and he did better than expected. This is one of the few things I cannot watch. To do this exam, the opthamologist has to use a retractor to keep Austin eye open while he looks at the blood vessels growth on his retina. The growth is where they would expect it to be based on his gestational age. He will have another exam in 2 weeks.
As I was sitting in the NICU today, I noticed that Austin's heart rate would spike into the 200s even though he was not really upset. Trying to figure out what could be causing it I noticed the little blue socks I had put on his feet the night before and remembered how after the nurse would tuck him in he would figure out a way to get one or both feet out. I did point out to the nurse that I was concerned about how his heart rate was so elevated and she started looking up the last xray he had done to see the placement of his PICC line. After talking to the doctor another xray was ordered just to be sure the current placement was still ok, since sometimes it can cause problems if it is too close to the heart. While waiting on the xray tech to arrive, I got up an pulled his socks off to see if it would make a difference. A few minutes later, his heart rate was under 200. When the xray came back, the doctor had the nurse pull his PICC line back 1cm. I'm not sure if it was the PICC line or Austin protesting his new socks, but it's funny how taking them off did help.
Some of the most important people in the NICU are the nurses as they spend the most time with the babies. When Jackson was in the NICU at Baylor Grapevine, we had several nurses that would always be assigned to his care. This was so nice, because they really knew him and we got to know them. Since being at Baylor Dallas, we really haven't had the same nurse more than once or twice so getting primary nurses is pretty important right now. We do have one for sure and then yesterday I think we may have another since she had been with him for both Saturday and Sunday. They both are so sweet with Austin!
Well, that's all for today!
P.S. Congratulations are in order for Jacob. He changed Austin's diaper for the first time tonight.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Friday Update
Tonights Weight: 2lbs 11oz
We have made it to the point where boring is a good thing! Austin is doing GREAT! I've been able to hold him everyday for the last three days and yesterday I held him for three hours straight.
Today his feeds were increased to 17mL, which is a little over 3 teaspoons, and they are fortifying his milk up to 22cal to help him gain weight a little quicker.
We are still waiting to hear the plan regarding the closure of his intestines. I've heard varying criteria for this surgery. The surgeon said 6 weeks, give or take, while some of the nurses said he would have to be a certain weight (5 pounds). Hopefully we will get this ironed out soon so we know what to expect.
We have made it to the point where boring is a good thing! Austin is doing GREAT! I've been able to hold him everyday for the last three days and yesterday I held him for three hours straight.
Today his feeds were increased to 17mL, which is a little over 3 teaspoons, and they are fortifying his milk up to 22cal to help him gain weight a little quicker.
We are still waiting to hear the plan regarding the closure of his intestines. I've heard varying criteria for this surgery. The surgeon said 6 weeks, give or take, while some of the nurses said he would have to be a certain weight (5 pounds). Hopefully we will get this ironed out soon so we know what to expect.
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| Austin holding his own pacifier. |
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Exciting Day for Mommy!
Tonight's Weight: 2lbs 9oz
There's not much to report. Austin is doing great, but does not care for the CPAP mask. His feeds were increased to 11mL today. He was really alert today!
Here are some pictures of Mr. Bright Eyes...
And my favorite of all...Finally at 19 days I got to hold him!
There's not much to report. Austin is doing great, but does not care for the CPAP mask. His feeds were increased to 11mL today. He was really alert today!
Here are some pictures of Mr. Bright Eyes...
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And my favorite of all...Finally at 19 days I got to hold him!
I spent an hour and a half sitting there holding him. He was SO calm! I could have sat there with him the entire day.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Big Changes!!!
Last Nights Weight: 2lbs 8oz
I have been hesitant to put his weight up, but he has been 2lbs 8oz for several days. He first hit this weight on Saturday and we really thought he would lose it since we thought it was due to the extra fluids from the surgery.
Over the past few days, Austin has needed less and less support from his ventilator and today the settings were so low that when I arrived I noticed his ventilator was sitting in the main hallway of the NICU. He is now on a SiPAP and is doing all the work. The SiPAP will remind or give him 10 breaths a minute if he needs it, but he is breathing well above that.
His goal now is to work through increasing feeding amounts and grow, grow, GROW!
I have been hesitant to put his weight up, but he has been 2lbs 8oz for several days. He first hit this weight on Saturday and we really thought he would lose it since we thought it was due to the extra fluids from the surgery.
Over the past few days, Austin has needed less and less support from his ventilator and today the settings were so low that when I arrived I noticed his ventilator was sitting in the main hallway of the NICU. He is now on a SiPAP and is doing all the work. The SiPAP will remind or give him 10 breaths a minute if he needs it, but he is breathing well above that.
His goal now is to work through increasing feeding amounts and grow, grow, GROW!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Post Surgery
There's not much to report. Austin is doing well and there are noticeable changes on his monitors today. His heart rate has come down since it's not having to work so hard. The doctors are not making any changes for him today to let him have another day to recover.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Urgent Update - PDA
I just spoke to the hospital and received the results of the echo Austin had done yesterday. He has a large Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Within the next 24-48 hours he will have surgery to close the PDA.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Good Day!
Last nights weight: 2lb 5oz
Austin had a really good day today! When I arrived, he had his PICC line in and the umbilical lines had been removed. While I was there today, he would get really upset and his heartrate would shoot up. I would put my hands on his head and feet and he would calm down. The second I would sit down he would do it again. I think he's ready to be held, but we have to wait until he comes off the ventilator so nothing gets pulled loose.
Stoma
Last night he had his bag put on to collect what is coming out of his ostomy. From what I hear, it really started working and he had to be cleaned up.
PDA
The doctor ordered an echocardiogram to check his PDA and we are still waiting on the results.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!
Austin had a really good day today! When I arrived, he had his PICC line in and the umbilical lines had been removed. While I was there today, he would get really upset and his heartrate would shoot up. I would put my hands on his head and feet and he would calm down. The second I would sit down he would do it again. I think he's ready to be held, but we have to wait until he comes off the ventilator so nothing gets pulled loose.
Stoma
Last night he had his bag put on to collect what is coming out of his ostomy. From what I hear, it really started working and he had to be cleaned up.
PDA
The doctor ordered an echocardiogram to check his PDA and we are still waiting on the results.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
All Aboard the NICU Rollercoaster!
Last nights weight: 2lbs 3.1oz
Yesterday was one of our down days in the NICU. Austin had several episodes when his heart rate and oxygen level dropped. When I arrived he was really slobbery and the nurse suctioned him several times, but he continued to have lower levels. When he had his last episode, she suctioned out his vent tube and gave him a dose of his pain meds which settled him down some. I ended up spending the entire day at his bedside.
With the episodes, additional tests were ordered to see what was going on since he had been doing so good the last several days. Thankfully all of them came back within normal ranges! They did give him another blood transfusion and started him on caffeine. Caffeine helps preemies remember to breathe.
On a happier note, he received his first meal at noon on Saturday of 3mL of milk and was receiving it every 6 hours. Since then he has been increased to 5mL every four hours. Hopefully he will really start gaining weight now!
Yesterday was one of our down days in the NICU. Austin had several episodes when his heart rate and oxygen level dropped. When I arrived he was really slobbery and the nurse suctioned him several times, but he continued to have lower levels. When he had his last episode, she suctioned out his vent tube and gave him a dose of his pain meds which settled him down some. I ended up spending the entire day at his bedside.
With the episodes, additional tests were ordered to see what was going on since he had been doing so good the last several days. Thankfully all of them came back within normal ranges! They did give him another blood transfusion and started him on caffeine. Caffeine helps preemies remember to breathe.
On a happier note, he received his first meal at noon on Saturday of 3mL of milk and was receiving it every 6 hours. Since then he has been increased to 5mL every four hours. Hopefully he will really start gaining weight now!
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