The Journey of James Weston

Thursday, March 4th, 2021 This morning James had an EKG and an Echo. These were not his favorite. We are still waiting to hear results. This evening James weighed in at 2050 grams (4lb 7oz). He hasn't been making a lot of regular bowel movements so he may lose a few grams in the days to come. James also pulled out his OG tube again in MacGyver style. Yesterday he learned how to spit and blow bubbles so he does this to loosen up the tape on his chin holding down the OG tube. Once the tape has come off he then uses his tongue to move the tube out of his mouth. It is amazing! Lol But also hard to watch the nurse put this back in, as he gags the entire time. So that is 3 OG tubes out this week! James sported a new onesie that is very cute and soft, but a little big for him still. Room to grow! He is our rainbow baby! Thanks Grace! Mom was able to do a 3-hour hold today from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. James did excellent and slept the entire time except for the last 15 minutes where he was alert...

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 Lots of photos and videos today! Current weigh-in tonight: 2010 grams (4lb 6o z) 💪👶 ✔️ First Bath:  Today James received his first bath given by Mom, his primary nurse, and a respiratory therapist. He really loved it and definitely was kicking his legs! It probably felt like the womb, except with a lot more room. ✔️ First Onesie: After Jimmy's bath, we picked out his first outfit. Actually the only one that fit was his smallest one! Thanks Tierra for the adorable little outfit! A tiny little onezie with micro-preemie pants.  ✔️ New Neobar:  James also got his ET tube guard changed, which is great because it was pinching his little cheeks. He is growing everyday! Today's Goal: Decrease his FiO2 and ventilator settings. Right now he is at 50 FiO2, with a peep of 11, a rate of 22, and a leakage of 75%.  What that all means... FiO2: Defined as the concentration of oxygen that a person inhales. Ours is at 21%; his is 50%, so that he can reach...

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 Update :  James is doing the best he can, but he had did have a few small episodes today. What is a Brady? ... whelp, when I typed “Baby Brady” into Google I get LOTS of Tom Brady photos and baby clothes. 🏈... not what I was looking for. So, I switched the search to “NICU Baby Brady” and found this: Bradycardia is  the slowing of the heart. When a baby's heart begins to slow, there is decreased blood flow to the lungs and oxygen to the tissues drops. Bradycardia in a premature baby is defined as a heart rate lower than 100 beats per minute. He had three of these today two low oxygen desats around 40% (should be closer to 95-100%). During these five different episodes, time sort of stands still while we wait for James to recover. He fully recovers on his own with a small intervention from the nurses.  The X-ray came back fine. Blood gas is increasing a bit, which means James is not releasing CO2. We will continue to make changes on his ventil...

Monday, March 1, 2021 Update :  James has a pretty good day overall. He stayed close to 40% on FIO2 most of the day. He’s tolerating his 35 ML of feed. He weighed in at 1900g, which is 4 pounds 2 ounces. His wrist X-ray for rickets came back good. His blood gas came back overall good, CO2 at 59. His blood work came back okay.  Here’s a few photos from Mom’s skin to skin. 

Sweet Baby James is 2 months old (34 weeks gestational)! 👶 Loves being swaddled, laying on his back and right side specifically (used to love his tummy, but things change quickly 😉). Enjoys his morphine cocktails, but hates blood pressure readings, temperatures taken under his arm, and tubes (all tubes and lines). 🌡️ James is super expressive with his hands throwing gang signs at the nurses and he can shoot you a look with just his eyebrows. 🤟 He is a human clock and knows when he is due for his meds and diaper change! 🧷 James loves when Daddy reads Dr. Seuss and his skin to skin time with Mommy. 💗 He immediately calms down after his diaper is changed and will alert everyone when it's dirty by dropping his oxygen rate. 😯 James isn't a fan of heel sticks but loves his custom made pacifier for his ET tube! Although he is tiny, he is very strong and is known for his feistiness in the NICU. 💪 The nurses are always saying he is the cutest! "This week in the womb" h...

Sunday, February 28, 2021 James woke up today and told the world “I’d really like my dad to hold me today.” And the universe responded with “Sounds good Baby James ... we can make that happen!”  And so ...  James and Dad bonded for 75 minutes doing skin to skin. Dad found that humming was a great way to bond and calm Baby James during the hold. Such a nice experience!  This was Dad’s first time holding a baby ... ever!  And today James is officially 2 months old too. 👶  Dad also made it on the “Wall of Fame” of first skin to skin holds. The nurse took a Polaroid to hang next to Mom’s photo.  Update:  James has been at 40% on FIO2 for most of the day. He’s about to weigh in at 4 pounds today (assuming he doesn’t lose any weight since last night). He’s had his ups and downs, but mostly has been stable. His blood gas showed his CO2 in the 50s, which is good. He’s up to 35 ML of feed and is tolerating it. 

Saturday, February 27, 2021 Last night was another rollercoaster. Two bradys followed by an episode of him struggling really hard to breathe. His chest going forcefully in and out. James was wide eyed (more alert than normal) looking around for help. Have you ever had someone stare at you while they're struggling to breathe? Well, having your newborn give you the same look will bring you to tears! 😢 Our nurse stated, "He is being weaned. If we don't let him try on his own he will never get get this tube out". 🥺 Needless to say there have been new expectations set. This is all new to us. Today's Update: James had an increase in is PEEP to 11 due to his episode last night. He was down to 10 and is still making progress, but the doctors want to ensure that the pressure going to his lungs is at the correct settings. It’s a dance. His FIO2 has been around 40%. His blood gas went from 52 to 62 on the CO2. This is slightly concerning, but no changes will be made unti...