Day 9 - Milk does the Body Good
9a - Belly looks good today. Gas patterns in intestines look normal shows he can tolerate more milk. He’s at 5 ML and will increase 1 ML every 12 hours. Will increase from 24 calories to 26 calories per ounce (30 ML) of milk since his progress is so good.
Next brain ultrasound will be in 5 weeks to ensure things are still healthy. Still a risk for PVL for us to monitor (holes in brain tissues to reduce blood flow. Not likely, but possible). Two months post due date is when baby can see images and features, for now, the eye is just opening since the tissue is breaking down. Eye exams will happen around 31 weeks with ophthalmologist to ensure the retina development.
There’s a chance that he won’t need the PICC line since his feedings are going well. The alternative would be adding a little sedation for oral feeding and not through the umbilical catheter or PICC - this will be a big win for this week. Things to look that would call for extra attention will be discoloring of belly, throw up, decrease heart rate.
Ideal average weight gaining is approx 15g daily (100g for the week) bringing him from 605g to 700g approx. Overall, Doctor says James looks great and is making lots of progress daily.
First dip in testing results
10:30a - Needs an X-ray to see what happened in the last hour.
Doctor saw the heart rate was fluctuating rapidly and oxygen requirements went up to 80% (from 40%). So he requested an X-ray. They are coming to do it soon.
X-ray - lungs look like they are losing volume and collapsed a little since this morning. Will increase the ventilator support to get things stable. Getting an extra blood gas this afternoon. No tear in the lung, which is good. Just a small collapse due to the size of Jimmy and the immaturity of his rib cartilage. He’s okay right now though.
2pm - CO2 level was a little high from the blood gas test. They raised the levels up on the oscillator to help James. He has a diaper full that mommy changed for him. He’s stabilized now.
Lindsay's Health Update:
We got Lindsay’s blood results back and although the liver number went down, it's still much higher than where it should be (ALT Max is 78; was at 219 yesterday, today at 156). We are waiting to hear back from her OB to see what the course of action is. We are hoping a nap could help a little bit. She’s been under so much pressure with the pumping deadlines every 3 hours, the 9pm blood thinner injection daily causing massive bruising, the blood pressure medicine, the anti-inflammatory every few hours, and now the doctor told her to stop pain meds because they aren't going to help her liver...😞. It’s exhausting thinking about it, and she’s living it. We did make enough time for mom to visit James today in between our 35 minute drive to Clearwater for her blood test.
Little James is in the absolute best care by these amazing NICU doctors and nurses. I can really feel Lindsay's struggle. She's still dangerously unwell, trying to recover from surgery, and wants to be there for the baby. It's a guilt-ridden, exhaustive process. I put myself in a tough place with trying to recover and pump. I will say this: If at any point, Lindsay wants to no longer pump, she needs to give herself grace. I know exactly the feeling of wanting to give your baby the best nutrition to fight and heal. It's one of the only things you feel you can do for your baby. I also know that sometimes, Mom has to take care of herself to be strong enough to take care of baby. If pumping becomes too much and formula isn't an option, please know there is the option of donated breast milk. Hang in there, guys. You've got this. A year from now you will be in awe of his growth, gains, and little personality.
ReplyDeleteThank Keri! I'm going to DM you on Facebook!
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