The Journey of James Weston

Last week I really just wanted to share on how well our baby girl is doing (and today's ultrasound she is 2½ lbs 😍, still preeclampsia free!). However I also feel the need to share information about things that aren't talked about as much. Most people are misinformed on what they think they know about preeclampsia and I'm hoping I can provide clarity! Preeclampsia is actually a problem of the placenta, not lifestyle. It is how well the mother’s DNA and father’s DNA work together to build the placenta, and then how well that placenta works with the mother’s immune system to develop a blood supply. 😲 In some cases, her immune system overreacts to the foreign DNA from the father the first time, which prevents the placenta from implanting properly and leads to preeclampsia. 🧬 Typically, subsequent pregnancies are less prone to this reaction, as the mother becomes more accustomed to the father's DNA. None of this is affected by diet or stress. High blood pressure is only ...

Wednesday, September 20th, 2023 🤰🏻This past Sunday I reached 26 weeks! This is another huge milestone for us! I'm delighted to share that we've consistently received positive updates during every doctor's appointment (even just yesterday!). 😁 In August, I had the pleasure of meeting with my MFM specialist in Tampa, where I experienced my first-ever positive news during a 20-week anatomy scan. As you can imagine I was terrified to go to the appointment. So much so that I scheduled a 4D ultrasound with a sonographer at her home at 17 weeks. Every time we received good news it was such a blessing but there was always a sense of anticipation for the next ultrasound. 👶🏻 Our baby girl is thriving, with a normal placental cord attachment (both Hannah's and James' were marginal attachments), a healthy 3-vessel umbilical cord (James only 2), and on-track measurements for long bone development and amniotic fluid levels. Encouragingly, I've exhibited no signs of preec...

August has been such a busy month! 🍴We started off the very beginning of the month with a GI appointment. Dad was able to come this time, which was super helpful. James likes to scream and it makes it nearly impossible to talk to the doctor and dietician. This was only our second appointment with this new doctor; the first time was at the end of May. Since then James has made so much progress! Well today was no different. The doctor switched out his GJ button for a MIC-KEY G-tube button in the office! It was almost 2 years to the date when James got his GJ placed in the PICU. The reason she was okay with switching the button was because James had been getting fed through his G-tube for 2 months and he also was tolerating his new formula which was higher calorie. The doctor also gave us an okay to wean James off of Prevacid over the next week! Her instructions were to increase his rate until we get 100 ml/hour. At the appointment he was only at a rate of 47ml. Mom and Dad did the math ...