Two steps forward...

Sam had been having a stellar week. He was down to 2L of high flow oxygen and finally got to eat by mouth! He did great. Until 3AM this morning. He barely took anything from his bottle and had a Bradicardia/desaturation episode that was hard for him to get out of. He also lost 2 ounces. Crap, son. You can't go backward! We're here for you -- you can do it! Let's face it, prematurity sucks.

2010

I'm not talking about the year, but rather my little boy's weight. At this nights weigh-in, big baby boy got to 2010 grams. That is equivalent to 4 pounds 7 ounces. He was 1010g (2 pounds 4 ounces) at birth. That means he needs to gain only 10 grams to double his birth weight! This is HUGE.

Some things that are happening in the NICU with S. He is off the CPAP now, and moved onto high flow nasal cannula at 4L per minutes. He went from CPAP of 7 to high flow 4L. That is considered a huge jump with a preemie and while he isn't a superstar at breathing right now, he sure is giving it his best shot.

Mike, my husband, gave him his first dose of medication by mouth. S really liked it. He looked like he would lick the short syringe it was in for hours if we let him. He's precious. We also got to pick him up and put him down whenever we wanted to. We don't, because we don't want to over stimulate him. He needs his rest.

But oh em gee. He's nearly double what he was born. Amazing little man he is.

A New Day has Come

Celine Dion is one smart lady. She hires some brilliant writers, that's for sure!

I cannot get over how much this song hits so close to me. Right deep down into my heart. I cannot get over how lucky and BLESSED I am. Everything good in the world can be found in those two big eyes that stare back at me happily as I sing to him. Nothing can ever change the long road it took for my miracle to come. After tragedy, there should always remain hope!

1700 grams

Little man is not budging from 1700 grams. He apparently thinks 3 pounds 12 ounces is a good number for him. He doesn't realize that staying 1700 grams for 4 days straight will concern his nurses and in turn, concern his parents? Fortunately, his doctor isn't thinking much of it. He started his diuretics this week and has been losing the water weight he was holding on to.

What weighs 1700 grams? A quick Google search tells me this:

• a dolphin's brain,
• the brain of the leading poet of the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky,
• one liter of Hydriotic Acid,
• the brains of two camels, 
• and a fetus at about 32 weeks gestation.

That's right, everybody. Baby S is growing right on par. A 32-weeker would be about 3 pounds 12 ounces if he came today. That news makes momma happy. A fun tidbit? Einstein's brain weighed 1492 grams when he died. S outweighs that and then some! 

If S doesn't gain a little weight over the weekend, his breast milk will be mixed with formula to make it 30 calories. Breast milk, straight from "the tap" is 20 calories per ounce. He's currently getting his milk at 27 calories, so hopefully without a weight gain this weekend, a boost in calories will mean a boost in weight. The golden rule for S is as he gains, his lungs grow and he gets stronger.

Six Weeks Ago...

You were born.

That was little baby S at 4 hours old, weighing 2 pounds 4 ounces... lots of that water weight. A few days later, he dropped down to 1 pound 14 ounces. Now, six weeks later, he has doubled that number! 

Mr. S has brought so much joy to our lives already. Along with his care staff, we have a set of lofty goals for him to keep in mind. 

• Be the President of the United States at 36 y.o.
• Become a Hall of Fame pitcher for the Boston Red Sox by the age of 35. :)
• While playing for the Red Sox, he will spend his down time studying in Cambridge at Harvard. One of his Neonatologists has offered to pen a wonderful letter of recommendation. 
• During his childhood and young adulthood, we expect him to give us headaches, have lots of friends and be happy. We want him to grow knowing what a miracle he is.

Out of these goals set, the last is probably the most realistic. Sweet, beautiful baby boy. We love you.

What's going on with baby

My son is now 5 weeks 4 days old. His gestational age is 32 weeks. He technically should still be cooking inside, but he's out here and fighting. Some things going on with his life:

• He is on CPAP respiratory support. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is commonly used with premature babies as their lung tissue continues to grow. While we wish S could breathe on his own, the CPAP is a step up from being ventilated. A ventilator would be damaging to his lungs, and we're happy he isn't requiring that kind of therapy. It's going to take time, but he'll get strong.
• He weighs 1700 grams. (Everything in the NICU is metric, by the way.) That is equivalent to 3 pounds 12 ounces. His birth weight was 2 pounds 4 ounces and he dropped down to 1 pound 14 ounces when he was a few days old. Today, he doubled that weight! He's an all star in the weight department, right on the average curve. 
• Baby S does not need any type of digestive help. He loves to eat and is up to 30mL's every three hours, given via Gavage tube over one and a half hours. That's 8.1 ounces a day! What a big jump from his 1 teaspoon a day.
• He has been tested numerous times for many different reasons, and all those tests came back negative or all clear. They are: cranial ultrasounds, vision tests, digestive scans, among others. We still have more testing along the road but this is a positive start. 
• He received his third blood transfusion, because he was anemic and showing clear signs of it. He's doing much better after receiving that gift from a stranger. 
• S is on a number of medications/supplements: caffeine to aid in his Apnea spells, poly-vi-sol vitamins to provide more iron, sodium to keep his electrolytes in check, Reglan to help quicken digestion to lessen acid reflux, Zantac to reduce his acid reflux and a daily diuretic in place of Lasix to help keep his lungs and chest cavity fluid free.
• He's getting rounder and chubbier by the day. His isolette is now fitted with an interesting contraption that resembles a dinosaur skeleton, used to hold up his CPAP prongs so he can lay on his back with his head flat. The wonderful nurses have begun to shape his head and we've noticed a difference very quickly. 

He's still got a long road ahead of him. He has to learn to breathe on his own, and get off the CPAP before he can start getting food by mouth. Once on nasal cannula oxygen, he will have all the feeding hurdles to cross. Throughout all of this, he needs to make it 5-7 days with no spells at all to come home. It could be weeks or even months before he makes it home. We're trying our best to be patient but we want our baby with us. He'll make it. The doctor informed me the NICU is not outfitted for preschoolers, so we should expect him before then. :) Silly doctors.