October 6/09
Hanging out with my mom
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Spencer - Week 37
Hi Folks,
Another productive week for our wee one. He continues to stay healthy, continuing on now for another week not to have a single infection or illness throughout his ride in the NICU. Again, knock on wood! There was another MRSA scare in the row right next to ours, the 2nd time since we've been there. They tested all the babies just to make sure it hadn't spread and Spencer came back negative for it, phew! MRSA is short for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and is an infection that gets into the blood. It's transfered through human contact when those touching the babies haven't washed thoroughly. When they have it, the babies have to go in an isolation room and anyone going in to see them (parents, nurses, doctors) have to wear a gown and surgical gloves. Not sure how long it stays in them for before they get better .. and I have to say, I'm glad I don't know and hope I won't have to either!
Spencer's been gaining some serious weight the last 4 nights and somehow has ballooned out to a whopping 6lbs 14oz! The weight gain is fantastic of course, but now his stamina for eating just needs to catch up! He still gets tired when feeding and will conk out part way through the feed. Having said that though, the goal from last week was to take more than 15 cc of milk and .. I'm pleased to report that at last night's 3am feeding, the nurse got him to take 20 cc! "Full feed" at the moment is 59 cc so he's still a little ways away, but it's forward progress! From what I'm told too, once they figure it out, it's full speed ahead - they're off to the races and never look back. So, I'm hoping that'll happen for him in the next little bit here, maybe even by the next blog post? Keep your fingers crossed! Remember, one of the criteria for going home is taking full feeds at every meal (he gets fed every 3 hours) for a total of 48 hours.
Speaking of criteria, another one to go home is not having a single apnea or bradycardia for 7 days in a row while being off caffeine. Yesterday was Spencer's last dose of caffeine (the doctors did end up "weaning" him this time - he's been getting only half a dose for the past 3 days), so this marks day one of that countdown! So, having said that, provided he starts taking full feeds sometime this week (it's anyone's guess if he will), the soonest we can have him home is October 20th! Wouldn't that be nice, that'd be 2 weeks before his due date. We'll see how he does. Either way, he's not too much longer for the place now - we're definitely on the downward slide, for which I can't even begin to express how excited I am!!
It's funny, as of yesterday, I actually feel like I've gotten a second wind. On Thanksgiving Day (Sunday), I had the biggest crying fit breakdown because I was so upset that there it was Thanksgiving and our sweet little baby was stuck in a hospital cot. I was actually sobbing uncontrollably to Drew - he was having to tell me to slow down and breathe ... I think he was afraid I was going to hyperventilate or something! Anyway, it lasted a few hours - lie on the couch and cry was all I could do. I felt a little better by the time we left to go to family dinner at my parents' that night, and then the next day (Monday), I actually felt fantastic! The anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach that's been there a while now was gone and I felt refreshed and relaxed and that I was going to get through this last little bit just fine. Such a roller coaster of emotion this baby-in-the-NICU is. Honestly though, I now feel like I can ease my way out. I don't feel all wound up like a corkscrew anymore. Spencer is fine, doesn't need much longer now and it will be soon enough before he's home in our arms!
On that note, I will end off here and post some new pictures. Have a good week!
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Another productive week for our wee one. He continues to stay healthy, continuing on now for another week not to have a single infection or illness throughout his ride in the NICU. Again, knock on wood! There was another MRSA scare in the row right next to ours, the 2nd time since we've been there. They tested all the babies just to make sure it hadn't spread and Spencer came back negative for it, phew! MRSA is short for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and is an infection that gets into the blood. It's transfered through human contact when those touching the babies haven't washed thoroughly. When they have it, the babies have to go in an isolation room and anyone going in to see them (parents, nurses, doctors) have to wear a gown and surgical gloves. Not sure how long it stays in them for before they get better .. and I have to say, I'm glad I don't know and hope I won't have to either!
Spencer's been gaining some serious weight the last 4 nights and somehow has ballooned out to a whopping 6lbs 14oz! The weight gain is fantastic of course, but now his stamina for eating just needs to catch up! He still gets tired when feeding and will conk out part way through the feed. Having said that though, the goal from last week was to take more than 15 cc of milk and .. I'm pleased to report that at last night's 3am feeding, the nurse got him to take 20 cc! "Full feed" at the moment is 59 cc so he's still a little ways away, but it's forward progress! From what I'm told too, once they figure it out, it's full speed ahead - they're off to the races and never look back. So, I'm hoping that'll happen for him in the next little bit here, maybe even by the next blog post? Keep your fingers crossed! Remember, one of the criteria for going home is taking full feeds at every meal (he gets fed every 3 hours) for a total of 48 hours.
Speaking of criteria, another one to go home is not having a single apnea or bradycardia for 7 days in a row while being off caffeine. Yesterday was Spencer's last dose of caffeine (the doctors did end up "weaning" him this time - he's been getting only half a dose for the past 3 days), so this marks day one of that countdown! So, having said that, provided he starts taking full feeds sometime this week (it's anyone's guess if he will), the soonest we can have him home is October 20th! Wouldn't that be nice, that'd be 2 weeks before his due date. We'll see how he does. Either way, he's not too much longer for the place now - we're definitely on the downward slide, for which I can't even begin to express how excited I am!!
It's funny, as of yesterday, I actually feel like I've gotten a second wind. On Thanksgiving Day (Sunday), I had the biggest crying fit breakdown because I was so upset that there it was Thanksgiving and our sweet little baby was stuck in a hospital cot. I was actually sobbing uncontrollably to Drew - he was having to tell me to slow down and breathe ... I think he was afraid I was going to hyperventilate or something! Anyway, it lasted a few hours - lie on the couch and cry was all I could do. I felt a little better by the time we left to go to family dinner at my parents' that night, and then the next day (Monday), I actually felt fantastic! The anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach that's been there a while now was gone and I felt refreshed and relaxed and that I was going to get through this last little bit just fine. Such a roller coaster of emotion this baby-in-the-NICU is. Honestly though, I now feel like I can ease my way out. I don't feel all wound up like a corkscrew anymore. Spencer is fine, doesn't need much longer now and it will be soon enough before he's home in our arms!
On that note, I will end off here and post some new pictures. Have a good week!
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Spencer - 36 Weeks Gestation
Hi there,
Well, the first bit of good news is that they found the reason for the increase in apneas. For the first little while, most of the babies are put on caffeine, as it stimulates breathing in little lungs that aren't yet fully developed. Seems funny, as pregnant women aren't supposed to have too much caffeine, but it works for these preemies, so that is what's given. Anyway, the babies are then taken off of it around 34-35 weeks gestation. Because Spencer was doing very well, with no apneas or bradycardias at all, the doctors decided to take him off it on September 22, the very day he turned 34 weeks. And ... in looking back at his chart, the day after, September 23, was exactly when the "crash" started to happen. He was put back on caffeine on Friday, October 2 and has been just fine ever since. So, there's the answer - he just needs his Starbucks for a little while yet! The docs tell me that this happens sometimes, that the babies need to go back on it for a bit longer, "especially boys", I was told. I asked if this time, rather than cold turkey taking him off (which is how it was done), if he could be weaned off instead. The nurses say that's how they think it'll be done this time.
The other bit of good news is that, on Saturday afternoon, October 3, Spencer came off the oxygen!! It was funny how it was done - I was there feeding him and after the feed, the nurse came over and said, "Can I tell you a secret? I turned off the oxygen when Spencer came out of his cot ... he's been breathing on his own this whole time". At first, I was taken aback - I couldn't believe she did that! But then, I realized that during the entire feed, he'd been just fine. The nurse warned me that he may not be able to last, that if I came back the next day and he was back on the low flow, not to worry 'cause he proved that he was able to go on his own at least for a little while, which is still forward progress. Well, that was over 3 days ago and he's still going strong! So, finally!! At 35 1/2 weeks, his little lungs finally became developed enough to function on their own. Again, it's scary to think he needed such help to breathe ... though, I have to keep in mind that it was what the doctors were telling us all along - he just needs time for his lungs, not meant to be out in the real world yet, to mature and grow.
Weight-wise, as of tonight, he's 5lbs 9oz. No infections or illnesses, knock on wood ... oh and the eye doctor came yesterday to give Spencer a check-up and I'm pleased to report that she gave his eyes a "clean bill of health" - no ROP or any eye issues at all! Very, very lucky. I'm thrilled too, of course - being premature can affect the eyes and ears much more readily than being born full-term and I'm SO thankful that Spencer has escaped any issues with either.
The breastfeeding is slow, but steady - it's a learning process for both of us. He's able to take some, the most so far being 15 cc. His feed is at 51 cc every 3 hours at the moment - 15 cc, not being anywhere near full feed yet, means we still have to practice! He knows what to do, it's just building up the stamina to go at it longer. Tomorrow (Wednesday), he's going to get his first bottle (still with breast milk). They say that babies have an easier time with bottles because they're easier to suck, so I'm eager to see how much Spencer will get through that route. I'm also told by mothers that have been there for longer than me that if you agree to bottling, your baby goes home faster, 'cause they're able to reach the 48 hours of full feeds faster on the bottle than they are through breastfeeding. They say to work on breastfeeding once you get home, with the public health nurse's help.
Well, that's all for now ... everything at the moment is status quo. Goals for this week - to be weaned off of the caffeine and to take more than 15 cc either through bottle or breastfeeding!
Have a good week, everyone and stay tuned for next week's update ...
Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Well, the first bit of good news is that they found the reason for the increase in apneas. For the first little while, most of the babies are put on caffeine, as it stimulates breathing in little lungs that aren't yet fully developed. Seems funny, as pregnant women aren't supposed to have too much caffeine, but it works for these preemies, so that is what's given. Anyway, the babies are then taken off of it around 34-35 weeks gestation. Because Spencer was doing very well, with no apneas or bradycardias at all, the doctors decided to take him off it on September 22, the very day he turned 34 weeks. And ... in looking back at his chart, the day after, September 23, was exactly when the "crash" started to happen. He was put back on caffeine on Friday, October 2 and has been just fine ever since. So, there's the answer - he just needs his Starbucks for a little while yet! The docs tell me that this happens sometimes, that the babies need to go back on it for a bit longer, "especially boys", I was told. I asked if this time, rather than cold turkey taking him off (which is how it was done), if he could be weaned off instead. The nurses say that's how they think it'll be done this time.
The other bit of good news is that, on Saturday afternoon, October 3, Spencer came off the oxygen!! It was funny how it was done - I was there feeding him and after the feed, the nurse came over and said, "Can I tell you a secret? I turned off the oxygen when Spencer came out of his cot ... he's been breathing on his own this whole time". At first, I was taken aback - I couldn't believe she did that! But then, I realized that during the entire feed, he'd been just fine. The nurse warned me that he may not be able to last, that if I came back the next day and he was back on the low flow, not to worry 'cause he proved that he was able to go on his own at least for a little while, which is still forward progress. Well, that was over 3 days ago and he's still going strong! So, finally!! At 35 1/2 weeks, his little lungs finally became developed enough to function on their own. Again, it's scary to think he needed such help to breathe ... though, I have to keep in mind that it was what the doctors were telling us all along - he just needs time for his lungs, not meant to be out in the real world yet, to mature and grow.
Weight-wise, as of tonight, he's 5lbs 9oz. No infections or illnesses, knock on wood ... oh and the eye doctor came yesterday to give Spencer a check-up and I'm pleased to report that she gave his eyes a "clean bill of health" - no ROP or any eye issues at all! Very, very lucky. I'm thrilled too, of course - being premature can affect the eyes and ears much more readily than being born full-term and I'm SO thankful that Spencer has escaped any issues with either.
The breastfeeding is slow, but steady - it's a learning process for both of us. He's able to take some, the most so far being 15 cc. His feed is at 51 cc every 3 hours at the moment - 15 cc, not being anywhere near full feed yet, means we still have to practice! He knows what to do, it's just building up the stamina to go at it longer. Tomorrow (Wednesday), he's going to get his first bottle (still with breast milk). They say that babies have an easier time with bottles because they're easier to suck, so I'm eager to see how much Spencer will get through that route. I'm also told by mothers that have been there for longer than me that if you agree to bottling, your baby goes home faster, 'cause they're able to reach the 48 hours of full feeds faster on the bottle than they are through breastfeeding. They say to work on breastfeeding once you get home, with the public health nurse's help.
Well, that's all for now ... everything at the moment is status quo. Goals for this week - to be weaned off of the caffeine and to take more than 15 cc either through bottle or breastfeeding!
Have a good week, everyone and stay tuned for next week's update ...
Love,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Spencer - 35 Weeks Gestation, 7 1/2 Weeks Old
Hiya Folks,
So Spencer weighs exactly 5lbs as of tonight, Tuesday! He is definitely starting to look more and more like what a newborn should look like - chubbier and not nearly as skinny and small. His temperament still appears to be very mellow and easy-going ... he doesn't cry or fuss too much at all, but instead is pretty relaxed. Who knows how he'll be when we take him home, but for now, this is wonderful to see! : )
Last week, I mentioned he had "graduated" to a cot (rather than the incubator). Well ... having done so has contributed to, truthfully, this not being the best week for him. Now that he's out in the open with all the noise and stimuli happening around him, he hasn't been able to get off the nasal prongs yet. Adding to that, while he was at 2 cc of oxygen while still in the incubator, he's now gone up to needing between 8 and 10 cc! At first, I thought this was a huge setback - here he was nearly off the oxygen and then up it goes again, 4-5 times what he was getting before! The nurses made me feel better though, saying that in time, he'll get used to being part of the outside world and besides, the difference between 2 and 10 cc of oxygen is actually super minimal. So, that made me feel better. Still though, the "NICU adage" that the babies take '2 steps forward, 1 step back' I suppose has rung true here. I hope to be writing next week that Spencer is finally breathing room air, all on his own. Again, I know that the lungs are the last to develop .... so I suppose that is another bit of reassurance.
Another setback this week has been that the apnea spells (shallow breathing) have started up again. He went 13 days (Sept 10-23) without one and then suddenly, 2 days after being in the cot, they've started up again. He's had about 1 a day since Saturday, the 26th. Now, apnea spells are not unusual for these little guys as I've said before (in fact it's one of the criteria for going home, not to have one for 7 days straight), but it seems strange that Spencer went from not having them for 13 days back to having them again, so the doctors are trying to figure out why. Is it the stress of moving to the cot? A different reason altogether? 3 days ago, he was tested to see if he might have an illness or infection - those tests came back negative, so that wasn't it (thank goodness .. luckily Spencer still yet has to get either!) The doctor today is wondering if it could be reflux - inflammation of the trachea from the increase in volume of milk Spencer has been getting. He's been gaining weight fast this week, so his feeds have been going up fairly quickly - perhaps his trachea isn't used to the amount and has become inflamed, thus making it harder to breathe properly, the doctor thought? Today, he prescribed a twice a day dose of antacid. We'll see if that helps. The other possibility is that his hemoglobin may be low, in which case they could prescribe more iron to compensate. Spencer gets bloodwork done once a week (on Wednesdays) so tomorrow, they will see if that's the case. So .. it's a trial and error thing for now, and hopefully they'll get to the bottom of these apneas soon.
Yesterday, the cardiologist checked Spencer for his PDA valve - this is the valve in the heart that for full-term babies closes as soon as they're born, but for preemies, stays open. Sometimes, the opening is quite large, in which case the babies are prescribed medication to help it close and if that doesn't work, are sent to Children's Hospital to close it through heart surgery. Thankfully for us, Spencer's valve opening after he was born was so minimal that the cardiologist was just going to "keep an eye on it" and re-assess once he was 35 weeks old. Well, she came by yesterday for an ultrasound and found that in the weeks since she'd checked him, it had closed on its own! Phew, that was a relief. A stroke of good news in this seemingly rough week Spencer's been having!!
As for the feeding, Spencer is still "in training" with the breastfeeding. We try him once a day, as any more at this early stage would likely be too much for him and would tire him out. To find out how much he's getting, the nurses weigh him before the feed and then weigh him after, as the amount he'd taken would show up on the scale since it hadn't been digested yet. The past 2 days, Spencer has taken 10 cc before getting too tired and stopping. His full feed is 44 cc and one of the criteria for going home is that he needs to take the full amount of feed (at this point, 44 cc) every 3 hours for a period of 48 hours. So .... you can see that we'll still be "hospitaling it" for a little while yet, until he gets the hang of it and is able to get the amount he needs for the amount of time (48 hours) they require him to get it.
Speaking of "hospitaling it", it's so strange how the emotions of it all go from peak to valley in the matter of one day. Yesterday was a really hard day for me. I was so worried and emotional over these apnea spells starting up again that it was all I could do to keep from bursting. In the afternoon, I was holding Spencer and I just couldn't take it anymore - the tears started flowing and flowing and wouldn't stop. The nurses were fantastic - I felt like a huge fool, but they see it all the time so were so great in helping me pull myself together. Today though, I feel ok again. Yesterday, I didn't know how on god's green earth I was going to get through the month or so it'll be until we can bring him home and then today, I feel like though of course it's painfully tough, we still WILL get through it. It's amazing how some days, it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other and other days, I feel so incredibly blessed to have this beautiful little boy to call Drew and my own that I'm walking on air. Going through this experience has hands down been the hardest 7 1/2 weeks of my entire life, but we WILL get through it and one day, look back at it all as a memory. Part of what's getting me through is realizing that I'm not the first person to give birth prematurely and certainly won't be the last and darn it, if those mothers can get through it, then so can I!! Again, it's all about that magic word that at the moment, I hate so much ... T-I-M-E.
Well folks, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading and please keep your fingers crossed that they find the reason for the apneas soon!
Love and Hugs,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
So Spencer weighs exactly 5lbs as of tonight, Tuesday! He is definitely starting to look more and more like what a newborn should look like - chubbier and not nearly as skinny and small. His temperament still appears to be very mellow and easy-going ... he doesn't cry or fuss too much at all, but instead is pretty relaxed. Who knows how he'll be when we take him home, but for now, this is wonderful to see! : )
Last week, I mentioned he had "graduated" to a cot (rather than the incubator). Well ... having done so has contributed to, truthfully, this not being the best week for him. Now that he's out in the open with all the noise and stimuli happening around him, he hasn't been able to get off the nasal prongs yet. Adding to that, while he was at 2 cc of oxygen while still in the incubator, he's now gone up to needing between 8 and 10 cc! At first, I thought this was a huge setback - here he was nearly off the oxygen and then up it goes again, 4-5 times what he was getting before! The nurses made me feel better though, saying that in time, he'll get used to being part of the outside world and besides, the difference between 2 and 10 cc of oxygen is actually super minimal. So, that made me feel better. Still though, the "NICU adage" that the babies take '2 steps forward, 1 step back' I suppose has rung true here. I hope to be writing next week that Spencer is finally breathing room air, all on his own. Again, I know that the lungs are the last to develop .... so I suppose that is another bit of reassurance.
Another setback this week has been that the apnea spells (shallow breathing) have started up again. He went 13 days (Sept 10-23) without one and then suddenly, 2 days after being in the cot, they've started up again. He's had about 1 a day since Saturday, the 26th. Now, apnea spells are not unusual for these little guys as I've said before (in fact it's one of the criteria for going home, not to have one for 7 days straight), but it seems strange that Spencer went from not having them for 13 days back to having them again, so the doctors are trying to figure out why. Is it the stress of moving to the cot? A different reason altogether? 3 days ago, he was tested to see if he might have an illness or infection - those tests came back negative, so that wasn't it (thank goodness .. luckily Spencer still yet has to get either!) The doctor today is wondering if it could be reflux - inflammation of the trachea from the increase in volume of milk Spencer has been getting. He's been gaining weight fast this week, so his feeds have been going up fairly quickly - perhaps his trachea isn't used to the amount and has become inflamed, thus making it harder to breathe properly, the doctor thought? Today, he prescribed a twice a day dose of antacid. We'll see if that helps. The other possibility is that his hemoglobin may be low, in which case they could prescribe more iron to compensate. Spencer gets bloodwork done once a week (on Wednesdays) so tomorrow, they will see if that's the case. So .. it's a trial and error thing for now, and hopefully they'll get to the bottom of these apneas soon.
Yesterday, the cardiologist checked Spencer for his PDA valve - this is the valve in the heart that for full-term babies closes as soon as they're born, but for preemies, stays open. Sometimes, the opening is quite large, in which case the babies are prescribed medication to help it close and if that doesn't work, are sent to Children's Hospital to close it through heart surgery. Thankfully for us, Spencer's valve opening after he was born was so minimal that the cardiologist was just going to "keep an eye on it" and re-assess once he was 35 weeks old. Well, she came by yesterday for an ultrasound and found that in the weeks since she'd checked him, it had closed on its own! Phew, that was a relief. A stroke of good news in this seemingly rough week Spencer's been having!!
As for the feeding, Spencer is still "in training" with the breastfeeding. We try him once a day, as any more at this early stage would likely be too much for him and would tire him out. To find out how much he's getting, the nurses weigh him before the feed and then weigh him after, as the amount he'd taken would show up on the scale since it hadn't been digested yet. The past 2 days, Spencer has taken 10 cc before getting too tired and stopping. His full feed is 44 cc and one of the criteria for going home is that he needs to take the full amount of feed (at this point, 44 cc) every 3 hours for a period of 48 hours. So .... you can see that we'll still be "hospitaling it" for a little while yet, until he gets the hang of it and is able to get the amount he needs for the amount of time (48 hours) they require him to get it.
Speaking of "hospitaling it", it's so strange how the emotions of it all go from peak to valley in the matter of one day. Yesterday was a really hard day for me. I was so worried and emotional over these apnea spells starting up again that it was all I could do to keep from bursting. In the afternoon, I was holding Spencer and I just couldn't take it anymore - the tears started flowing and flowing and wouldn't stop. The nurses were fantastic - I felt like a huge fool, but they see it all the time so were so great in helping me pull myself together. Today though, I feel ok again. Yesterday, I didn't know how on god's green earth I was going to get through the month or so it'll be until we can bring him home and then today, I feel like though of course it's painfully tough, we still WILL get through it. It's amazing how some days, it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other and other days, I feel so incredibly blessed to have this beautiful little boy to call Drew and my own that I'm walking on air. Going through this experience has hands down been the hardest 7 1/2 weeks of my entire life, but we WILL get through it and one day, look back at it all as a memory. Part of what's getting me through is realizing that I'm not the first person to give birth prematurely and certainly won't be the last and darn it, if those mothers can get through it, then so can I!! Again, it's all about that magic word that at the moment, I hate so much ... T-I-M-E.
Well folks, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading and please keep your fingers crossed that they find the reason for the apneas soon!
Love and Hugs,
Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)