Sunday, December 21, 2008

Kangaroo Care

Nick had a little bit of a rough day today. It hasn't been bad, but not exactly good. He had a few episodes today, prompting the staff to put him on bipap. Basically, it is the same machine as the cpap, but it provides a little bit of pressure and rate to help him a little more. A bipap is basically a cross between a cpap and a vent. The nurse did say that she would be surprised if he didn't have to go on the vent tonight.

Going back on the vent is a mixed blessing. While it seems like it is a step backwards, it may actually help him. Right now, Nick is doing all the work of breathing. So, he is working hard, and burning calories by taking breaths right now. If he were to go back on the vent, then it would do more of the work, and allow him to concentrate more on getting bigger. While I am not happy about the vent, it may be more of what he needs. I am confident that they will do the best thing for him.

Tomorrow will be a big day for both Nick and myself. They want me to start something called "kangaroo care". I have been reading about this for a few weeks now and am very excited to try it. Basically, I sit in a chair and recline a little. Then they will bring Nick to me, and he will lay on my bare chest. We will have skin to skin contact. We will sit like this for about 3-4 hours. I will talk to him, read books and maybe even take a nap together. This allows him to get back on my rhythm. He will hear what he was used to hearing while inside, my heartbeat, stomach noises, just the noises of my body. It has been proven to really help him feel more comfortable, and content. Even if he goes back on the vent, they are going to try to let me do this. They really feel like this would help Nick. If he has a bad day, they may not let me do it, but for now, it sounds promising.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Please don't let yourself get discouraged if Nick has to go back on the vent. Babies this small require a lot of energy, and thus calories, to breath on their own as their lungs are so premature. He'll gain weight faster, which means he'll get moved to the "growing room" sooner:) Praise God, they're talking about kangarooing with y'all! I'm sure they can arrange all the tubes, if he's re-intubated, so you can do this. All the tactile stimulation is so important, coming from his parents, as you touch him and talk to him. Have you gotten his preemie baby blanket yet? Prayers were being said for him as I was making it:)
Merry CHRISTmas!
Ann Odom