They have continued to go up on his feeds. He is at 3.3 cc's an hour as of today. They will go up again tomorrow. Then the next day, when they go up on his feeds, they will mix the breast milk with a higher calorie formula. They make a half and half mixture. This gives him more calories and extra calcium to help him grow. Apparently, no matter what I do or eat, breast milk only has a certain number of calories and a certain amount of vitamins. Normally, babies don't need more, but with preemies, they give a little boost to help them grow quicker.
He is still getting the insulin, but they were able to drop it down a bit. His sugars have been good. They just keep him on it while they have him on the steroid.
He ot weighed again last night. He is still gaining, but because of the steroids he didn't gain as much as he has in the past. He is now up to 815 grams, or 1lb 12.8 ounces. Still growing, and that is all that matters right now.
I know I promised you a video, and I did take one, but I can't seem to get it to upload. So, you will just have to make due with a picture. As of today, Nick is two weeks old.
Update: I talked to Nick's nurse tonight to check on him. He had a bowl movement all on his own. I know it seems funny to be excited enough to put this in the blog, but it is a really big deal. So far, he hasn't been able to do that, they have had to give him a suppository to help him along. This is a really big step for him. It also means that so far, his bowls are working great. One less thing for us to worry about. Good job Nick!
2 comments:
Hi Jennifer! My daughter, Cristi, told me about Nick, and we've been praying for him on our message board. She is Susan's neighbor, and I understand that Susan is a friend of your friend, P.D. Anyhow, Cristi and her husband, Jon, as well as the rest of us know all too well about UTMB and the NICU as their son, Tristan, was born at about 25 weeks, by emergency C-section. It really brought back memories seeing the pics of Nick. Cristi said she got teary-eyed as she remembers the pic of Tristan holding onto her index finger when he was less than 24 hrs old. He weighed in at 1 lb 10 oz. He was pink and crying when he was born, but had to be put on a vent as it was taking too much energy for him to breathe on his own. My prayer was for God's perfect will to be done. On my drive down to Galveston from here in East Texas, God gave me 2 confirmations that Tristan would be fine. After I got back home, I was given 2 more confirmations. My email addy is annodom@wildblue.net if you would like to know more. Of course, the gals on the message board were also praying for him, and he got the nickname, Mr. T! It was great that I could call each day and speak with his nurse. I wasn't always happy with what I was told, but God had given me a scripture, which I hung onto while Tristan was in the hospital. I was going to "walk by faith, not by sight." And, God was faithful. I wish that Cristi had started something like this so she could have chronicled everything that happened. I wish I had been journaling also about everything that happened. Fortunately, Cristi had been given some doses of steriod a few days before the c-section, and that helped mature his lungs somewhat. He had his ups and downs, and I can't even begin to guess how many times he extubated himself~~~pulled out his endotracheal tube. I think one time it was 6 times in 24 hrs! Praise God for your support system, and most important, keep talking to Nick, and touching him when y'all go see him. As little as these babies are, when they are a little older, they recognize the voice of their parents. I had crocheted Tristan a "preemie" baby blanket, and Cristi asked me to crochet one for Nick. So, she got it in the mail today. The nurses are great, and will leave it in his bed with him. It is machine-washable. Last year, after Christmas, she and I took about 12 preemie baby blankets that I made for the unit for other parents. As soon as I finish the 2 baby blankets I have to do, I'll be making more to send to the unit. There are a fantastic group of nurses, doctors, RTs, and OTs there, and the care can't be beat, even at Texas Children's.
I look forward to reading your updates:)
Ann Odom
Go Nicky Nick Nick!!! Poopin' machine!
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