Avigail - 3 lbs 8.5 oz and 15.43" long
Deacon - 3 lbs 7.1 oz and 16.06" long
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Major Desat
Avi's pressure on her CPAP was lowered to 5 today. The next step for both of the kiddos will be to go to the Vapotherm (high flow oxygen).
While we were at the hospital today, Deacon dropped his oxygen levels down to 29 (they are supposed to be between 80-95). He had quite a fan club gathered around his isolette! These moments are very difficult to watch. Fortunately, they were able to get him oxygen and bring his levels back to normal.
While we were at the hospital today, Deacon dropped his oxygen levels down to 29 (they are supposed to be between 80-95). He had quite a fan club gathered around his isolette! These moments are very difficult to watch. Fortunately, they were able to get him oxygen and bring his levels back to normal.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A Big Boy
Deacon got his first "big boy feed". He now gets his feedings the first 10-15 minutes of each care. They put the milk in a syringe and let gravity do its thing. He's been doing well on the feeds so far.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Eye Exams
The ophthalmologist saw Avi and Deacon today. She did a detailed eye examination of their retina to see if either of them have developed any signs of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The ophthalmologist gave each of them eye drops to enlarge their pupils, so the back of their eyes were more visible. They use a medical instrument called an indirect ophthalmoscope, to see whether the retina's blood vessels are growing normally. There are 3 Zones that are looked at. Zone 1 is the bottom of the eye, Zone 2 the middle and Zone 3 is the top of the eye. The blood vessels begin in Zone 1 and work their way to the top (Zone 3). Once the vessels make it to Zone 3 and ROP is still not detected, they will no longer need eye exams and shouldn't have problems with their eyes due to her prematurity at birth. Most preemies have some mild ROP that doesn't require treatment. But, if it is more severe the neonatologist will consider changing some basic care that could affect the progression of ROP (most commonly raising or lowering oxygen levels). Also, some severe cases of ROP will require surgery.
Avigail's eyes are still immature (this is a good thing). Her blood vessels aren't fully developed yet, but their are no signs of abnormal growth. The blood vessels have made it to Zone 2. This is very common for a baby of her gestation to still be immature.
Deacon's ROP is classified as a Stage 1 (mild). When ROP is only stage 1, the optometrist sees a white demarcation line separating the normally developed retina near the back of the eye from the undeveloped retina in the front. There are parts of his eye that are Stage 1 ROP and other parts that are Stage 2. His blood vessels have only reached Zone 2. There are two things that can happen, they can either get worse (Stage 3, 4 or 5) or they can begin to develop correctly. At this point, it's not severe enough for there to be concern. The neonatologist said that the stage Deacon is at is completely normal for babies born at the gestation he was.
Avi and Deacon will continue to get eye exams every other week until they are fully mature. The frequency of visits may increase if the ROP begins to get severe. They were both pretty tired after their eye exams and didn't really wake up during their care times, a first for both of them!
Deacon is continuing to gain weight and catch up to sister. Tyler and I were able to give Deacon a bath tonight. They take off all his "attachments" during the bath. It was much needed as he's starting to get rolls and hide stuff in them. My favorite part was wrapping him in the towel to dry him off. This was the first time I got to hold him in my arms with no wires or feeding tubes attached. It was a wonderful moment and we just stared in each others eyes. My heart melted. It is definitely one of the many memories I will have during our stay in the NICU. I can't even describe how incredible the moment felt.
Avigail continues to do well too. She's been tolerating her full feeds. Hopefully she'll get changed over to an 8 care schedule soon! She also pulled out her feeding tube today. Not a major problem as they just put a new one in. Guess she's tired of having a tube down her throat.
Avigail's eyes are still immature (this is a good thing). Her blood vessels aren't fully developed yet, but their are no signs of abnormal growth. The blood vessels have made it to Zone 2. This is very common for a baby of her gestation to still be immature.
Deacon's ROP is classified as a Stage 1 (mild). When ROP is only stage 1, the optometrist sees a white demarcation line separating the normally developed retina near the back of the eye from the undeveloped retina in the front. There are parts of his eye that are Stage 1 ROP and other parts that are Stage 2. His blood vessels have only reached Zone 2. There are two things that can happen, they can either get worse (Stage 3, 4 or 5) or they can begin to develop correctly. At this point, it's not severe enough for there to be concern. The neonatologist said that the stage Deacon is at is completely normal for babies born at the gestation he was.
Avi and Deacon will continue to get eye exams every other week until they are fully mature. The frequency of visits may increase if the ROP begins to get severe. They were both pretty tired after their eye exams and didn't really wake up during their care times, a first for both of them!
Deacon is continuing to gain weight and catch up to sister. Tyler and I were able to give Deacon a bath tonight. They take off all his "attachments" during the bath. It was much needed as he's starting to get rolls and hide stuff in them. My favorite part was wrapping him in the towel to dry him off. This was the first time I got to hold him in my arms with no wires or feeding tubes attached. It was a wonderful moment and we just stared in each others eyes. My heart melted. It is definitely one of the many memories I will have during our stay in the NICU. I can't even describe how incredible the moment felt.
Avigail continues to do well too. She's been tolerating her full feeds. Hopefully she'll get changed over to an 8 care schedule soon! She also pulled out her feeding tube today. Not a major problem as they just put a new one in. Guess she's tired of having a tube down her throat.
Avigail sporting her "little black dress"
Deacon holding Mom's finger
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Bring On The Scale
Avigail is finally at her full feeds. This means that her PICC line was removed this afternoon and she no longer needs parenteral nutrition. She is completely on my milk now and will start getting any medications orally, no more IV's (unless she needs another blood transfusion).
Deacon's CPAP was lowered to a pressure of 5. He was also changed from a 6 care schedule (every 4 hours) to 8 care schedule (every 3 hours). What this means is that he has been tolerating his full feeds and instead of feeding him continuously over the 3 hours of each care, he now gets his full feeds the first two hours of each care. If he tolerates this, tomorrow will be the first hour of each care. And if he tolerates that, he will get feeds the first 15 minutes of each care (just like a full-term baby)!
And another milestone, Deacon has been doing a good job of maintaining his own body temperature. What this means is that he is ready for a crib! The nurses are going to keep him in his isolette for a little while longer for a couple of reasons. It is much quieter in his isolette and blocks out the cries of the other babies in our nursery. It is also nice that he has the blanket on top of his isolette to block out the lights while he is sleeping. Once he goes into a crib he won't have either of these.
For another big milestone, Deacon weighed in at 3 pounds .7 ounces tonight!
Deacon's CPAP was lowered to a pressure of 5. He was also changed from a 6 care schedule (every 4 hours) to 8 care schedule (every 3 hours). What this means is that he has been tolerating his full feeds and instead of feeding him continuously over the 3 hours of each care, he now gets his full feeds the first two hours of each care. If he tolerates this, tomorrow will be the first hour of each care. And if he tolerates that, he will get feeds the first 15 minutes of each care (just like a full-term baby)!
And another milestone, Deacon has been doing a good job of maintaining his own body temperature. What this means is that he is ready for a crib! The nurses are going to keep him in his isolette for a little while longer for a couple of reasons. It is much quieter in his isolette and blocks out the cries of the other babies in our nursery. It is also nice that he has the blanket on top of his isolette to block out the lights while he is sleeping. Once he goes into a crib he won't have either of these.
For another big milestone, Deacon weighed in at 3 pounds .7 ounces tonight!
Deacon
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
7 Weeks Old
The twins are 7 weeks old today and one week closer to going home and meeting Tank and Dakota!
Both of the babies are still on their CPAP at a pressure of 6 and are starting to have less and less desats. They are both on my milk and continue to increase the amount as they gain weight. We're waiting to see how Avi tolerates the rest of her feeds as she'll be at full protocol by Thursday.
In the past, the nurse caring for them has been on a "2 baby shift". All this means is that the two babies they care for need their immediate attention for the shift. Of course, these two babies have been ours. Now, the nurses caring for Avi and Deacon are on a "3 baby shift". This is obviously a good thing because it means that Avi and Deacon are doing better and their monitors are not constantly ringing for attention. However, for selfish reasons, we liked the "2 baby shifts"!
Deacon met with the OTPT yesterday and and had a succesful visit. They were very pleased with him.
The nurse put my milk on some gauze and let me put it in Deacon's mouth for him to suck on (everything is still being fed to him through a tube). It was amazing how alert he became and how much he sucked on the gauze. He even had a little smile!
Tyler got to hold Avi for about 15 minutes last night and rock with her. This was the first time he held her without doing the skin to skin. I was extremely jealous, but had to stay out of the nursery last night because of a sore throat. We definitely do not want to risk getting them sick!
Both of the babies are still on their CPAP at a pressure of 6 and are starting to have less and less desats. They are both on my milk and continue to increase the amount as they gain weight. We're waiting to see how Avi tolerates the rest of her feeds as she'll be at full protocol by Thursday.
In the past, the nurse caring for them has been on a "2 baby shift". All this means is that the two babies they care for need their immediate attention for the shift. Of course, these two babies have been ours. Now, the nurses caring for Avi and Deacon are on a "3 baby shift". This is obviously a good thing because it means that Avi and Deacon are doing better and their monitors are not constantly ringing for attention. However, for selfish reasons, we liked the "2 baby shifts"!
Deacon met with the OTPT yesterday and and had a succesful visit. They were very pleased with him.
The nurse put my milk on some gauze and let me put it in Deacon's mouth for him to suck on (everything is still being fed to him through a tube). It was amazing how alert he became and how much he sucked on the gauze. He even had a little smile!
Tyler got to hold Avi for about 15 minutes last night and rock with her. This was the first time he held her without doing the skin to skin. I was extremely jealous, but had to stay out of the nursery last night because of a sore throat. We definitely do not want to risk getting them sick!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Another Monday Night Measurement
Avigail - 3 lbs 1.7 oz and 15" long
Deacon - 2 lbs 9.6 oz and 15.2" long
Deacon - 2 lbs 9.6 oz and 15.2" long
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Preemie Clothes, Here We Come!
Avigail had a blood transfusion last night because her hematocrit levels were at 28. Once they drop below 30 means it's time for another transfusion!
Deacon's CPAP was able to come down to a pressure of 6 today. Although both still have respiratory issues, we're thrilled to see improvement!
The kids were able to fit in their first "preemie" clothes!
Deacon's CPAP was able to come down to a pressure of 6 today. Although both still have respiratory issues, we're thrilled to see improvement!
The kids were able to fit in their first "preemie" clothes!
A precious moment...Dad and Avi
Avigail with her binky in her pocket
Dad holding Deacon during care time 
Deacon holding grandpa's finger
Dad holding Deacon during care time Deacon holding grandpa's finger
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
31 Weeks Gestation
9 more weeks and we will be ready to be born!
Two nights in a row of Kangaroo care. We swapped babies and I held Deacon and Tyler held Avi.
Avigail started back up on her feeds yesterday and becase her stomach is getting bigger again, they are not going to increase her amount. She is going to stay 1.8 ml/hour. She did get her CPAP pressure lowered to 6 today which will hopefully help alleviate air being puffed into her tummy. She started at a pressure of 8 a week ago so she's making progress. Once she gets down to 5 and has few to no desats, she will get off the CPAP and onto Vapotherm (high flow oxygen).
Avi also got to meet w/ the OTPT (occupational therapist physical therapist) yesterday. At this point, they are checking her reflexes and making sure both sides of the body are functioning at the same level. Babies of this gestation are usually not seen by an OTPT, but because they've been there for 6 weeks they felt it was time. For the most part, all seemed to be well. She was having a little trouble pulling her knees up to her chest, but the OTPT thought this might be due to the size of her large belly! She also has a long and narrow palate which could lead to some issues with nursing/bottle feeding. She will meet w/ the OTPT once a week until she is discharged. Depending on her needs when she goes home, will depend on how often she is seen after discharge.
Deacon will get to meet with the OTPT on Friday. He did have to have a blood transfusion last night as his hematocrit level was getting low. He looked better today and had his coloring back! He also got his pressure on his CPAP dropped from 8 to 7 today.
Two nights in a row of Kangaroo care. We swapped babies and I held Deacon and Tyler held Avi.
Avigail started back up on her feeds yesterday and becase her stomach is getting bigger again, they are not going to increase her amount. She is going to stay 1.8 ml/hour. She did get her CPAP pressure lowered to 6 today which will hopefully help alleviate air being puffed into her tummy. She started at a pressure of 8 a week ago so she's making progress. Once she gets down to 5 and has few to no desats, she will get off the CPAP and onto Vapotherm (high flow oxygen).
Avi also got to meet w/ the OTPT (occupational therapist physical therapist) yesterday. At this point, they are checking her reflexes and making sure both sides of the body are functioning at the same level. Babies of this gestation are usually not seen by an OTPT, but because they've been there for 6 weeks they felt it was time. For the most part, all seemed to be well. She was having a little trouble pulling her knees up to her chest, but the OTPT thought this might be due to the size of her large belly! She also has a long and narrow palate which could lead to some issues with nursing/bottle feeding. She will meet w/ the OTPT once a week until she is discharged. Depending on her needs when she goes home, will depend on how often she is seen after discharge.
Deacon will get to meet with the OTPT on Friday. He did have to have a blood transfusion last night as his hematocrit level was getting low. He looked better today and had his coloring back! He also got his pressure on his CPAP dropped from 8 to 7 today.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
6 Weeks Old
Avi's tummy is getting a bit better (girth was down about 1.5 cm tonight) so they may start her back on the feeds again tomorrow. Avigail got her first bath today. We used one of the pick "buckets" that they use in the hospital.
Deacon continues to do well - we're hopeful they'll turn the pressure on his CPAP down tomorrow and he should get his first bath in a tub!
They both also got to wear their first outfits today. It's amazing that they make clothes for a 2 lb baby!
We got to hold Avi and Deacon sitting next to each other tonight. After 6 weeks, we finally got our first family photo!
Deacon continues to do well - we're hopeful they'll turn the pressure on his CPAP down tomorrow and he should get his first bath in a tub!
They both also got to wear their first outfits today. It's amazing that they make clothes for a 2 lb baby!
We got to hold Avi and Deacon sitting next to each other tonight. After 6 weeks, we finally got our first family photo!
Monday, August 17, 2009
We Get To Wear Clothes!
Avigail - 2 lbs 10 oz and 15.4" long
Deacon - 2 lbs 5 oz and 15" long
Deacon - 2 lbs 5 oz and 15" long
FINALLY, the first Johnson Family photo
Avigail all worn out from getting dressed up for the first time, 6 weeks after birth!
Deacon all dressed up for the first time and no place to go!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A Tummy Full Of Air
Both of the kiddos are still on the CPAP machine and doing fairly well (Avigail has been on CPAP for 7 days and Deacon for 6 days).
Avigail did have a minor set back because her stomach was filling up with air (this is common when they are on CPAP). This started a couple of days ago, but early this morning it was measuring around 27.5 cm (compared to Deacon's 22cm). The doctor decided to stop my milk and lower her parenteral nutrition fluid (mixture of nutrients - sugar, protein, vitamins, minerals and salts dissolved in water). They also lowered the pressure on the CPAP machine. The doctors usually do their rounds around 8 a.m. They will decide if further treatment is needed for her.
Deacon is up to 6.5ml milk/hour and is now getting some iron supplements in the milk. Hopefully this will help him gain weight quicker. He is now on a schedule where his milk quantity will only go up as his weight does.
Avigail did have a minor set back because her stomach was filling up with air (this is common when they are on CPAP). This started a couple of days ago, but early this morning it was measuring around 27.5 cm (compared to Deacon's 22cm). The doctor decided to stop my milk and lower her parenteral nutrition fluid (mixture of nutrients - sugar, protein, vitamins, minerals and salts dissolved in water). They also lowered the pressure on the CPAP machine. The doctors usually do their rounds around 8 a.m. They will decide if further treatment is needed for her.
Deacon is up to 6.5ml milk/hour and is now getting some iron supplements in the milk. Hopefully this will help him gain weight quicker. He is now on a schedule where his milk quantity will only go up as his weight does.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
5 Weeks Old
What a relief, after 5 weeks we have finally experienced a few good days! The twins are both doing fairly well on their CPAP. They are still working hard but each day seems to get a little bit easier.
Avigail
Deacon
Deacon
Monday, August 10, 2009
Bye-Bye Ventilator's
Avigail had a pretty eventful day. She had a clog in her ventilator and was unable to get oxygen. The doctor immediately took her off the ventilator. Instead of reintubating her, they decided they would try her on the CPAP and see how she does. She had a little difficulty at first, but seemed somewhat comfortable when we left later this evening. They stopped her feedings for a few hours while she adjusted to the CPAP.
They were able to stop Deacon's parenteral nutrition today (mixture of nutrients - sugar, protein, vitamins, minerals and salts dissolved in water). Since both the lipids and parenteral nutrition were stopped, they pulled out his PICC line! At this point, all of his medications will be oral as he'll get his last IV line out tomorrow!
He's on 4.5 ml of milk an hour (will go up to 5.5 ml/hour tomorrow) and he seems to still be doing well. Since they stopped the lipids and parenteral nutrition, they are now mixing my milk with a protein powder.
Deacon was also extubated today and so far, he's doing well on the CPAP.
Monday night measurements:
Avigail - 2 lbs 7 oz and 14.4" long
Deacon - 2 lbs and 14.4" long
Once they weigh 2 lbs 12 oz they will go from 6 change times/day (every 4 hours) to 8 change times/day (every 3 hours) and they will get my milk "gavaged" during the first 15 minutes of each change time instead of steadily throughout the day.
They were able to stop Deacon's parenteral nutrition today (mixture of nutrients - sugar, protein, vitamins, minerals and salts dissolved in water). Since both the lipids and parenteral nutrition were stopped, they pulled out his PICC line! At this point, all of his medications will be oral as he'll get his last IV line out tomorrow!
He's on 4.5 ml of milk an hour (will go up to 5.5 ml/hour tomorrow) and he seems to still be doing well. Since they stopped the lipids and parenteral nutrition, they are now mixing my milk with a protein powder.
Deacon was also extubated today and so far, he's doing well on the CPAP.
Monday night measurements:
Avigail - 2 lbs 7 oz and 14.4" long
Deacon - 2 lbs and 14.4" long
Once they weigh 2 lbs 12 oz they will go from 6 change times/day (every 4 hours) to 8 change times/day (every 3 hours) and they will get my milk "gavaged" during the first 15 minutes of each change time instead of steadily throughout the day.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A New Isolette
Avigail and Deacon were both moved into new isolettes early this morning. The only difference is that the new isolette's top does not come off and they don't have humidity in their new units. They also like to sanitize their isolettes every 30 days.
Deacon is up to 4 ml/hour on my milk, enough for them to stop his lipids. They talked about stopping the fluid where he gets all his vitamins, possibly on Monday. If they are able to stop this (because he's getting enough milk), they will be able to take out his PICC line which will just mean one less line attached to him!
Avi started back up on my milk yesterday and is up to .6 ml/hour. She seems to be digesting it well and is having bowel movements!
Both of the kiddos are still on the ventilator. They tried to lower Deacon's settings and he wasn't responding to it too well so they decided to keep him on for now. Avigail's oxygen requirements have been a little higher, so until they can get those down they won't take her off either.
RM, Annie and Lucy were able to come to the hospital and meet Avi and Deacon today. Unfortunately, since Lucy isn't old enough she hung out in the waiting room while we took RM and Annie back separately.
Deacon is up to 4 ml/hour on my milk, enough for them to stop his lipids. They talked about stopping the fluid where he gets all his vitamins, possibly on Monday. If they are able to stop this (because he's getting enough milk), they will be able to take out his PICC line which will just mean one less line attached to him!
Avi started back up on my milk yesterday and is up to .6 ml/hour. She seems to be digesting it well and is having bowel movements!
Both of the kiddos are still on the ventilator. They tried to lower Deacon's settings and he wasn't responding to it too well so they decided to keep him on for now. Avigail's oxygen requirements have been a little higher, so until they can get those down they won't take her off either.
RM, Annie and Lucy were able to come to the hospital and meet Avi and Deacon today. Unfortunately, since Lucy isn't old enough she hung out in the waiting room while we took RM and Annie back separately.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
More Kangaroo Time
We had another session of "kangaroo care". Tyler had his arms wrapped around Deacon and mine around Avi. They do so well with their oxygen needswhile we hold them. I wonder if they could just live in our arms until they are discharged?
When I got to the hospital this morning, Avigail was really swollen. It sounds like it was a combination of the indomethacin (to help close the PDA) and her blood transfusion. They gave her some meds to help with urination and she was looking a lot better by evening! Avi also had her echo cardiogram this afternoon and she held onto my finger during the ultrasound. It was the cutest thing ever. The echo shows that her PDA has closed.
Deacon is doing well. He's made great improvement since his little scare over the weekend. Guess he just needed a little extra attention :-) The doctors are still talking about extubating him, so maybe that will happen this weekend.
When I got to the hospital this morning, Avigail was really swollen. It sounds like it was a combination of the indomethacin (to help close the PDA) and her blood transfusion. They gave her some meds to help with urination and she was looking a lot better by evening! Avi also had her echo cardiogram this afternoon and she held onto my finger during the ultrasound. It was the cutest thing ever. The echo shows that her PDA has closed.
Deacon is doing well. He's made great improvement since his little scare over the weekend. Guess he just needed a little extra attention :-) The doctors are still talking about extubating him, so maybe that will happen this weekend.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Another Blood Transfusion
Avigail started having quite a few apnea events today. The doctors did a CBC as well as a blood culture (will take 48 hours to get the results) just to make sure everything is okay. Her hematocrit (proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells) levels were at 28. Once these levels go below 32 the doctors like to do a blood transfusion, so she'll be getting one tonight. Hopefully she just needs more blood.
She also got her last dose of indomethacin (the medication to treat the PDA) tonight at 9 p.m. The nurse could still hear a faint murmur. She'll have another echo tomorrow evening which will tell us if the PDA did in fact close or not.
Deacon continues to do well. The nurse did hear a murmur on him tonight. We're hoping that his PDA didn't open back up. They won't do an echo on him unless they feel that it's affecting his breathing. He hasn't been having too many desaturations. The doctors are still talking about extubating him, but nothing has been done yet.
She also got her last dose of indomethacin (the medication to treat the PDA) tonight at 9 p.m. The nurse could still hear a faint murmur. She'll have another echo tomorrow evening which will tell us if the PDA did in fact close or not.
Deacon continues to do well. The nurse did hear a murmur on him tonight. We're hoping that his PDA didn't open back up. They won't do an echo on him unless they feel that it's affecting his breathing. He hasn't been having too many desaturations. The doctors are still talking about extubating him, but nothing has been done yet.
Deacon on the ventilator
Mom watching on as the nurse cares for Deacon
Avi on the ventilator
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
4 Weeks Old
Avi's PDA has reopened (now classified as large). They started her on a third round of medication in hopes that it will close. She will have another echo cardiogram on Thursday evening. If the medication doesn't work, the next steps would be surgery.
Deacon's urine culture came back and he may have a urinary tract infection. The doctor couldn't tell if it was actually an infection or if the culture somehow got contaminated. For now, they will keep him on the antibiotics for a total of 7 days. If he did have the infection, the antibiotics will take care of it.
Deacon's urine culture came back and he may have a urinary tract infection. The doctor couldn't tell if it was actually an infection or if the culture somehow got contaminated. For now, they will keep him on the antibiotics for a total of 7 days. If he did have the infection, the antibiotics will take care of it.
Monday, August 3, 2009
A Better Day
Avi was sent down to radiology today to have a GI series done (a radiologic examination of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract) since she still hadn't had any bowel movement. The exam looked good, her intestines are just small. It seemed to be a success though because at her 4:00 p.m. changing, she had a little mucus plug in her diaper for mom and at her 8:00 p.m. changing, she had a LOT of mucus and some poo in her diaper for dad! It was definitely a celebration at her bedside (once Tyler realized that the mucus was normal and should be coming out of her)! I think they still want to see a little more bowel movement before they start her up on my milk again.
Deacon seems to be doing well and has bounced back from the little scare on Saturday night. All 0f the cultures came back except the blood. They all came back negative (this is a good thing). The doctor mentioned doing another set of cultures because the first one they did was so early on that if an infection was just starting, they may not have caught it. He is still on antibiotics until the blood culture comes back, but he looks 100% better.
Deacon is referred to as our "little Houdini" because he always manages to escape the swaddles. He was quite the mover from when he was inside the womb. He is still doing well on my milk and the doctor even talked about extubating him again since his desats have been good. We'll see what they do in the next couple of days. We have learned that even from when they begin talking about it, things usually don't happen too quickly.
Monday night results:
Avigail - 2 lbs 3 oz and 13.8" long
Deacon - 1 lb 13 oz and is 13.8" long
Deacon seems to be doing well and has bounced back from the little scare on Saturday night. All 0f the cultures came back except the blood. They all came back negative (this is a good thing). The doctor mentioned doing another set of cultures because the first one they did was so early on that if an infection was just starting, they may not have caught it. He is still on antibiotics until the blood culture comes back, but he looks 100% better.
Deacon is referred to as our "little Houdini" because he always manages to escape the swaddles. He was quite the mover from when he was inside the womb. He is still doing well on my milk and the doctor even talked about extubating him again since his desats have been good. We'll see what they do in the next couple of days. We have learned that even from when they begin talking about it, things usually don't happen too quickly.
Monday night results:
Avigail - 2 lbs 3 oz and 13.8" long
Deacon - 1 lb 13 oz and is 13.8" long
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Rough Night
We had a bit of a rough night with Deacon last night. We got a call from the NICU at about 6:45 p.m. informing us that his blood pressure was extremely low, he wasn't moving around much and his color didn't look good. We had been up there during that day and left around 5 p.m. to head to Kim and Brad's to celebrate Brad's 30th birthday. It was a surprise party and Tyler actually made up an excuse that he forgot his cell at the hospital and needed to go get it. This was how Kim was able to get Brad out of the house while all the guests arrived. Unfortunately, we had to bail on the party and headed straight to the hospital.
Upon arriving, the doctor informed us that there may be a couple of things that could potentially be contributing to this. They had already sent blood (two different times) to the lab for a CBC (complete blood count), however the blood kept clotting and the lab was unable to get accurate results. The doctor wanted to run an arterial line so that it would be easier to draw blood as they would also need blood to run his gas levels. They made three attempts and couldn't get a line in since his veins are so small. They decided to start him on antibiotics just in case he did have an infection. The doctor was finally able to draw some blood for a CBC that the lab was able to use. The results indicated that his white bloods cells were slightly elevated possibly meaning that he had a minor infection. They did a couple of different cultures (urine, blood and I'm at a loss if there were any others done) and we should get the results tomorrow night to see if in fact he does/did have an infection. They also gave him another blood transfusion while we were there. The first one blew out (the vein goes bad) and so it took three more attempts to get a good vein!They also did an x-ray of his stomach and lungs and everything seemed to look good. The poor little guy went through quite a bit, but he was a strong little fighter. He made his mom and dad very proud!
We are very pleased with their care as they keep us informed of everything they're doing. In addition, they let us be by his bedside while all of this was going on (in addition to the 3-4 staff that were there too) so we're able to touch him and let him know his parents are there.
As of early this morning, he seemed to be doing better. His blood gas levels were more normal and his coloring seemed to be good. They did decide to put him back on the ventilator today.
Avigail had a good day yesterday. However, they stopped her feeds this morning because she still hadn't had any bowel movement and her tummy was starting to swell up again. The doctor was going to determine whether or not to do another contrast study (enema) during the 8 a.m. rounds this morning.
On a good note, Avi weighed a little over 2 lbs last night! I never thought I'd say that a 2 lb baby looks big!
Upon arriving, the doctor informed us that there may be a couple of things that could potentially be contributing to this. They had already sent blood (two different times) to the lab for a CBC (complete blood count), however the blood kept clotting and the lab was unable to get accurate results. The doctor wanted to run an arterial line so that it would be easier to draw blood as they would also need blood to run his gas levels. They made three attempts and couldn't get a line in since his veins are so small. They decided to start him on antibiotics just in case he did have an infection. The doctor was finally able to draw some blood for a CBC that the lab was able to use. The results indicated that his white bloods cells were slightly elevated possibly meaning that he had a minor infection. They did a couple of different cultures (urine, blood and I'm at a loss if there were any others done) and we should get the results tomorrow night to see if in fact he does/did have an infection. They also gave him another blood transfusion while we were there. The first one blew out (the vein goes bad) and so it took three more attempts to get a good vein!They also did an x-ray of his stomach and lungs and everything seemed to look good. The poor little guy went through quite a bit, but he was a strong little fighter. He made his mom and dad very proud!
We are very pleased with their care as they keep us informed of everything they're doing. In addition, they let us be by his bedside while all of this was going on (in addition to the 3-4 staff that were there too) so we're able to touch him and let him know his parents are there.
As of early this morning, he seemed to be doing better. His blood gas levels were more normal and his coloring seemed to be good. They did decide to put him back on the ventilator today.
Avigail had a good day yesterday. However, they stopped her feeds this morning because she still hadn't had any bowel movement and her tummy was starting to swell up again. The doctor was going to determine whether or not to do another contrast study (enema) during the 8 a.m. rounds this morning.
On a good note, Avi weighed a little over 2 lbs last night! I never thought I'd say that a 2 lb baby looks big!
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