Hello,
Thanks everyone, for keeping up with the blog - hope you're enjoying hearing about our little one progress! Spencer is still doing well. He's up to 4lbs 4 1/2 oz now, so as of last night, is officially in a cot. Yahoo, no more incubator! Last night was the first time we got to dress him in clothes, too (the incubator is nice and warm, so up until this point, he's just been in a diaper). It was so funny, Drew was snapping away with the camera as I dressed him in his very first outfit, an ENORMOUS smile on my face! Yet another example of how the simple pleasures are not taken for granted, being the parents of a preemie!! I can't even explain how incredible it is to be able to kiss him as much as we want, now that he's not living in a "box". What a difference from 5 weeks ago, when we had to wait until 8pm to do so.
Other big things this week - his feed schedule changed from every 2 hours to every 3 hours .. doing this is to prepare them for what it will be like once they're at home. He also had his follow-up eye exam .. no ROP detected again, his eyes are healthy! Phew. His hearing test was done today, as well. Although he does startle at a noise in the room so we figured his ears were ok, I was still a little nervous about this one, as it detects even the slightest hearing impairment. Spencer's nurse was prepping me before the technician did the test, saying it's completely common for babies to fail the test the first time (due to fluid in their ears) and then pass it a week or so later, so not to be worried if this were to happen. Well ... it didn't! Both of his ears passed, his ears are fine. Oh my goodness, what a relief!
Still no infections, thank goodness - he seems to be an all-around healthy boy who just needs time to fully develop. The biggest obstacle has been mastering the breathing, though it too is coming along as he grows and develops .. he's been on 2-3 cc of oxygen for the majority of the week (down from 5 cc last week) which, I'm told by the nurses, is really just a whiff of air - not too much at all. I think that by the next blog post, he'll be off the prongs altogether.
Well, those are all the updates - stay tuned for next week and again, thanks for reading!
Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xo
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Spencer - 33 Weeks (Gestational Age)
Hello again!
Well, Spencer's made some great strides this week. Still no infection or any real issues to speak of, which we're so pleased about and ... last Wednesday (the 9th, Drew's birthday), he "graduated" from CPAP to Low Flow nasal prongs, which only give him the tiniest bit of oxygen! He's on 5 cc right now and once he gets down to 0, he won't need any breathing help at all. So, he's getting there. As I said before, the breathing/lung development is the biggest thing for these little preemies.
Weight-wise, as of tonight (Tuesday), he's up to 3 pounds 10 1/2 ounces. 5 1/2 more ounces and he's out of the incubator and into a cot! Also, at 3 lbs 12 ounces, they go from being fed every 2 hours to being fed every 3 hours, so that'll be the next thing for Spencer.
The other positive thing that happened this week is he got his eye exam done ... and no ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) was detected! He'll get a follow-up exam in 2 weeks, but so far, his eyes are fine. Drew stayed with Spencer as he was getting the exam done - I was told by other parents to avoid it if at all possible, as the process scares the babies, which in turn scares the parents .. their eyes get opened super wide with this special eye opening tool .. one person even said it looks like a medieval torture device ... that was enough for me, I wanted no part of it! At the same time, I was glad Drew was there to comfort Spencer. He said Spencer did very well and didn't struggle or squirm too much. Poor little guy though - about 1/2 an hour afterwards, he threw up. His nurse said it would have been the stress, as Spencer had never thrown up before (and hasn't since, either). I felt so sad for him. : ( These little babies go through so much in their first few weeks of life - the poking, the prodding ... it doesn't seem fair. If I could go through it all for him, I would in a heartbeat!!!!!
Finally, the very latest thing that's happened (just started yesterday) is that I'm starting to introduce breastfeeding to Spencer. The preemies get the coordination to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time between 34-36 weeks, so it's still a little early for him, but the nurses say I can start training him now. So far, so good .. he latched on for a few seconds his first few tries! It's a learning process, but I think he'll be fine, once he gets the hang of it.
Oh ya and one very last thing - a new mom came in from Children's Hospital with a baby who is now 35 1/2 weeks, but was born at 23 1/2 weeks at 1 lb 6 ounces .. she had (or has) the same thing I do, a shortened cervix and her stitch only lasted a week and a half (I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine lasted 6 weeks?) ... her daughter, Erica, is huge now though! I couldn't believe how big she was, looking at her in comparison to Spencer. Hanako, the mom, told me that generally, the preemies will go through a growth spurt at around 34 or so weeks (that's just next week for Spencer!) and for her daughter, it meant gaining 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) a day! Sounds pretty fantastic, I can't wait for Spencer to go through his. Every ounce he gains makes him bigger, stronger and closer to the NICU door! : D
Well, that's all for this week. I've been meaning to post more pictures - I'll do that soon.
Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts!
Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Well, Spencer's made some great strides this week. Still no infection or any real issues to speak of, which we're so pleased about and ... last Wednesday (the 9th, Drew's birthday), he "graduated" from CPAP to Low Flow nasal prongs, which only give him the tiniest bit of oxygen! He's on 5 cc right now and once he gets down to 0, he won't need any breathing help at all. So, he's getting there. As I said before, the breathing/lung development is the biggest thing for these little preemies.
Weight-wise, as of tonight (Tuesday), he's up to 3 pounds 10 1/2 ounces. 5 1/2 more ounces and he's out of the incubator and into a cot! Also, at 3 lbs 12 ounces, they go from being fed every 2 hours to being fed every 3 hours, so that'll be the next thing for Spencer.
The other positive thing that happened this week is he got his eye exam done ... and no ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) was detected! He'll get a follow-up exam in 2 weeks, but so far, his eyes are fine. Drew stayed with Spencer as he was getting the exam done - I was told by other parents to avoid it if at all possible, as the process scares the babies, which in turn scares the parents .. their eyes get opened super wide with this special eye opening tool .. one person even said it looks like a medieval torture device ... that was enough for me, I wanted no part of it! At the same time, I was glad Drew was there to comfort Spencer. He said Spencer did very well and didn't struggle or squirm too much. Poor little guy though - about 1/2 an hour afterwards, he threw up. His nurse said it would have been the stress, as Spencer had never thrown up before (and hasn't since, either). I felt so sad for him. : ( These little babies go through so much in their first few weeks of life - the poking, the prodding ... it doesn't seem fair. If I could go through it all for him, I would in a heartbeat!!!!!
Finally, the very latest thing that's happened (just started yesterday) is that I'm starting to introduce breastfeeding to Spencer. The preemies get the coordination to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time between 34-36 weeks, so it's still a little early for him, but the nurses say I can start training him now. So far, so good .. he latched on for a few seconds his first few tries! It's a learning process, but I think he'll be fine, once he gets the hang of it.
Oh ya and one very last thing - a new mom came in from Children's Hospital with a baby who is now 35 1/2 weeks, but was born at 23 1/2 weeks at 1 lb 6 ounces .. she had (or has) the same thing I do, a shortened cervix and her stitch only lasted a week and a half (I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine lasted 6 weeks?) ... her daughter, Erica, is huge now though! I couldn't believe how big she was, looking at her in comparison to Spencer. Hanako, the mom, told me that generally, the preemies will go through a growth spurt at around 34 or so weeks (that's just next week for Spencer!) and for her daughter, it meant gaining 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) a day! Sounds pretty fantastic, I can't wait for Spencer to go through his. Every ounce he gains makes him bigger, stronger and closer to the NICU door! : D
Well, that's all for this week. I've been meaning to post more pictures - I'll do that soon.
Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts!
Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Monday, September 7, 2009
Happy 1 Month, Spencer! (32 Weeks Gestation)
Hi Everyone,
Well, another good week for Spencer. He's now up to 3lbs 5 oz (1, 510 grams) as of tonight (Monday). When he gets to 1, 800 grams, he graduates to an open crib instead of an isolette, so that's an exciting milestone. 1, 800 grams is just under 4lbs, so that's not too far away! The babies gain an average of 30 grams per night, so we're looking at about 10 or so days until he's there. The other exciting thing that happens once they graduate to a crib is that the grandparents can hold them then (right now, it's only the nurses, Drew and I who can touch or hold Spencer), so that'll be nice for Grandma & Grandpa P. and Grandma & Grandpa S.! And then of course, once he 'breaks free', others can hold him, too ...
We've steered clear of any infections again this week, thank goodness. It's reassuring to know that our little boy isn't in the hospital because he's sick, but instead is in there because he's small and needs time to develop/mature. That's not to say he won't pick something up while he's there - of course that can happen - but here at 31 days, nothing has come up, so we're praying every day that he'll keep following along that course! Speaking of developing/maturing, his lungs are still in that process (in utero, the lungs are one of the last organs to develop). He's still on CPAP to give him the little boost he needs. It's tough to think that your little baby is having trouble breathing - one of life's most basic things - but again, it's not because he's sick that he can't, it's just because his lungs still need to mature. And they will, it'll just take time. (There's that word again - time - it's so annoying that it's passing so terribly sssllloowwwlllyyy!!)
The best time of day continues to be the time we can hold him. He is just the most precious little thing and I can't even believe the insane amount of love I feel for him. It's overwhelming!
Well, that's all for this week. Stay tuned for the next update and hopefully some more pictures! Keep the positive energy coming our way ...
Lots of Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xo
Well, another good week for Spencer. He's now up to 3lbs 5 oz (1, 510 grams) as of tonight (Monday). When he gets to 1, 800 grams, he graduates to an open crib instead of an isolette, so that's an exciting milestone. 1, 800 grams is just under 4lbs, so that's not too far away! The babies gain an average of 30 grams per night, so we're looking at about 10 or so days until he's there. The other exciting thing that happens once they graduate to a crib is that the grandparents can hold them then (right now, it's only the nurses, Drew and I who can touch or hold Spencer), so that'll be nice for Grandma & Grandpa P. and Grandma & Grandpa S.! And then of course, once he 'breaks free', others can hold him, too ...
We've steered clear of any infections again this week, thank goodness. It's reassuring to know that our little boy isn't in the hospital because he's sick, but instead is in there because he's small and needs time to develop/mature. That's not to say he won't pick something up while he's there - of course that can happen - but here at 31 days, nothing has come up, so we're praying every day that he'll keep following along that course! Speaking of developing/maturing, his lungs are still in that process (in utero, the lungs are one of the last organs to develop). He's still on CPAP to give him the little boost he needs. It's tough to think that your little baby is having trouble breathing - one of life's most basic things - but again, it's not because he's sick that he can't, it's just because his lungs still need to mature. And they will, it'll just take time. (There's that word again - time - it's so annoying that it's passing so terribly sssllloowwwlllyyy!!)
The best time of day continues to be the time we can hold him. He is just the most precious little thing and I can't even believe the insane amount of love I feel for him. It's overwhelming!
Well, that's all for this week. Stay tuned for the next update and hopefully some more pictures! Keep the positive energy coming our way ...
Lots of Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xo
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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