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Thursday, March 30, 2017

Solomon is back in his normal room in the NICU.  He had a good day today:  lots of eating, sleeping, pooping, and snuggling. 1240 g 

Field Trip and a Milestone

Ear Muffs

It's been a long day.  Early this morning he had an SVT (high heart rate) and a high temperature.  Although they were both temporary and came back down, the doctor wanted to check him out for infection.  So Solomon got some more pricks in his heel for blood.  He got an IV in one leg (didn't work) and then the other.  They started him on antibiotics while they do a culture which takes 48 hours to show an infection.  He was fine during the day and didn't show any more symptoms of being infected.

Tonight around 7:30, a horribly loud high pitched alarm started going off right behind his bed.  The alarm could be heard throughout the NICU as it was happening in all the rooms.  There was some problem with the oxygen tanks although Solomon was doing just fine in that regard.  I stood there holding his ears for about 10 minutes trying to protect them from the alarm which the nurses were eventually able to turn off.  Luckily this all happened at shift change so there were extra nurses around.  Solomon and a few other of the most critical patients were transferred to the PICU just to be safe.  The nurse just got word (as I sit here typing) that the problem has been fixed but we're staying put here in the PICU for the night and will transfer back in the morning.  I miss my nice brand new penthouse; Solomon doesn't seemed phased.

As for the milestone, Solomon weighs 1190 grams which is double his birth weight.  Way to go little buddy!

Re-reintubated

The mask had to go, causing too many problems.  They tried the nasal cannula for the afternoon/evening.  He was working really hard and was pretty much exhausted so they decided to go back to the breathing tube.  He's sleeping now and doing alright.  1140 g today. 

Eye Exam

Monday, March 27, 2017

Today Solomon had to have his first eye exam.  Preemies are at risk of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) which can cause blindness.  Because of the high levels of oxygen in the blood, the blood vessels in the eye can grow abnormally and cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye.  They gave Solomon numbing drops early this morning so the exam wouldn't hurt.  The doctor said his eyes looked great.  They will have to repeat this exam every week or two to monitor his eyes.  During the exam, the nurses switched him from the mask to a nasal cannula (see picture).  It was nice to see his face again but he was not liking the change so he is back to the mask.  He had a lot of extra air in his belly all day but a nice big evening poop helped alleviate the pressure.

Solomon is 6 weeks old today.  He weighs 2 lb 6 oz.

Day 42

Solomon had a peaceful day.  The doctor put him back on back up.  He did okay without it yesterday but he wasn't quite ready to be flying without a net.  His weight increased by another 30 g today. 

Visitors

Solomon had an exciting day today.  The doctor decided to turn off his back up settings.  That means that if he forgets to breathe, the machine won't do it for him.  He's got to learn to keep breathing on his own.  He did alright with it today.  He had about 3 episodes of low heart rate but the nurse just gives him a vigorous rubbing of his back and he remembers to take a breath.  His mask is really bothering him, especially on the bridge of his nose.  They've tried out prongs (that just go in the nostrils) but he didn't handle those too well.

All four of his grandparents got to come and visit today.  They all agree that he is, in fact, adorable.  Big brother Sam had to wait out in the lobby.

Solomon weighed 1060 g.

TGIF

Solomon had a good day.  They turned down the settings on his ventilator so he is doing most of his breathing on his own.  He is up to 1050 grams.  He has 8 feedings a day of 20 ml.  Solomon did much better today during our kangaroo care time.  Thanks for all of the kind words, cards, meals, and prayers! 

1 Kilo

Solomon weighs 1000 grams!  He was all over the map today:  he had some low temps, high heart rates, low heart rates, low urine output.  The doctor ordered some blood work to check him out and everything came back looking good.  To take the blood samples, they prick his heel and then squeeze out enough blood.  It took forever (probably 10 minutes or so) to get the amount of blood they needed.  I was holding his tiny little hand during this procedure and heard Solomon actually cry for the first time.  It was just a short feeble sound but a milestone nonetheless.  His evening has been calm and he is resting comfortably in room air.

Small/Moderate

The doctors said Solomon's PDA was deemed "small/moderate" by the cardiologist, rather than "moderate/large" as it was on the 8th (although these interpretations are a bit subjective).  The overall consensus  was that surgery is not necessary at this point.  The plan is to just give him some more time and to keep monitoring.  I got to hold him for about an hour today.  Since he was extubated, he doesn't do as well when I've got him out of the isolet.  He did well enough for the hour but then his breathing was getting shallow and his heart rate would drop.  I'm looking forward to the day when he doesn't have to wear that CPAP mask.  He was wide awake when the doctor was looking him over and the first part of skin-to-skin time.  His eyes are so blue :)

2 Pounds

Hard to see, but there is a tiny little baby in this picture. 

Solomon weighed in today at 930 g which puts him at over 2 pounds!  Tonight at the grocery store, Sam picked out three apples and put them up on the scale.  The apples weighed 1 lb 5 oz which is Solomon's birth weight.  Sam thought that was pretty cool.

The doctor ordered an echo on Solomon's heart today.  The procedure went well enough and I'll find out the results tomorrow.  Hopefully his PDA will show some progress towards closing.  If it is still large and no progress, the doctors are considering doing a ligation surgery.

Baby's First Binky

Monday, March 20, 2017

Solomon is adorable as always but even more so trying to suck on the tiniest pacifier I ever did see.  His weight was again 890 g.  The doctors ran a blood test today and a chest x-ray:  both looked good.  Every day that goes by that he doesn't get re-intubated is a great day in my book!

Happy Spring!

Just a Whiff

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Solomon had another good day today.  He is continuing to need low level oxygen support (just a "whiff of oxygen" as his doctor says).  His weight remained the same at 890 g.  His length is now 34 cm which is up 2 cm from his birth length.  Thanks again to everyone out there praying for our little man.  

Weight Gain

Solomon had a pretty good day today.  He had a few low heart rates but overall he's doing well.  He put on 70 g bringing him up to 880 g (1lb 15oz) which surprised me considering how much he pooped yesterday. 

Wee Little Oxygen

Friday, March 17, 2017

Solomon had a pretty good day.  He was on room air most of the day (air with no added oxygen).  He had a couple episodes of low heart rate but came right back up.  He was 810 g today and he was pooping like a pro. 

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Re-Extubated

Solomon had a nice day today.  We got some kangaroo time and he was improving ever so slightly on his oxygen.  I picked Sam up from school today much to his surprise.  I hadn't seen him since Monday morning.  The hospital called just as I was putting Sam to bed to let me know that they had to remove Solomon's breathing tube.  His oxygen levels had dipped really low and they suspected his tube was clogged so they took it out and sure enough it was.  He is back on the mask and here's hoping they don't have to re-intubate.  "Solomon" famously suggested cutting a baby in half to split between two mothers.... wish I could cut myself in half to split between two sons.

On a lighter note:  As I was making some food for Solomon, I thought I heard a knock at the window.  Seeing as I was on the seventh floor, I figured I was just imagining things. As it turns out, I'm glad I had the shade pulled!

Escape Artist

Solomon could not be contained today.  As hard as the nurse tried to keep his arms bundled up, he always broke free.  He had his eyes wide open all day today and was looking like he was about to pull out his tubes, get up and walk right out of there.  He was still at 800 g today and he showed just a teensy weensy bit of improvement in his oxygen levels.

Snow Day

Solomon is doing good.  Back down to 800 g.  New vent settings.  Lots of one-on-one time with mom.

1 Month Old

Solomon Orion is one month old today!  He gained 20 grams and is needing less support on the ventilator.  Thank you to everyone that has offered support and prayers.  

A Nice Day

I got to spend the majority of my day at the hospital with Solomon.  He was doing well today and we had lots of skin-to-skin time.  His oxygen levels were improving today, especially while I was holding him.  His weight went down 40 grams so he is clocking in at 800 g.

Steroids

Solomon is back on his full feeds now since being off the IV.  He is up 10 grams today.  The doctors decided to start him on steroids to hopefully give his lungs a boost and get him ready to be extubated soon.  They said not to be freaked out if I googled "steroid treatment + preemies" because they used to do higher doses for longer and the side effects could be severe.  Now they do lower doses for short periods of time and the side effects are less risky.  Thanks to everyone for your continued support and prayers.

My Little Tomato

Friday, March 10, 2017

Solomon had a peaceful day.  He is off the IVs and started his feeds again.  The transfusion of blood really changed his skin tone to bright red.  Looks like he spent a day at the beach.  It highlights all the blond fur he's covered in.  He is up 10 grams from yesterday.  He got a chance to skype with his big brother during skin to skin time and he sure loves hearing Sam's voice.    

Got Milk?

Thursday, March 9, 2017

On top of everything, having to extract milk nine times a day is getting exhausting.  Solomon may not need that much now (hence the surplus supply taking over my freezer) but I have to simulate a newborn's feeding schedule.  I'm looking forward to the night I'm woken up by a crying baby instead of an alarm and a pump.  Also, ending every day giving myself a shot in the stomach is getting old.

Solomon is doing okay.  His lungs haven't significantly improved from the tylenol but he is at least not getting worse.  Here's hoping we see some progress in his PDA closing soon.  The IV site in his scalp was getting red so they removed it and gave him a new IV in his arm.  I haven't been able to hold him the last two days so I'm hoping the IVs are gone tomorrow so we can get some skin-to-skin care.  He was down 20 grams today.    

Basketball Jones

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Solomon is alright today although he had a lot going on.  They did an echo on his heart and his PDA is still rather large so they are going to give him another round of tylenol.  The doctors also decided he could use another transfusion so here he is with two IV's in his scalp.  He was all swaddled in his basketball kerchief but no matter what, he could always wiggle his arm out.  He had his eyes open wide and was looking around tonight.  He also put on 70 grams since yesterday.

Keep on Keepin' on

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Solomon weighed in at 770 g, that's 1 lb 11 oz.  The nurse said they triple checked it.  He had a pretty normal day today.  Tomorrow is his last dose of tylenol and then they will do another echo to see if his PDA has made any progress towards closing.  The nurses and doctors keep talking about how cute he is.... I agree, but I'm a little biased.

Three Weeks Old

Monday, March 6, 2017

Solomon is three weeks old today!  He had another typical day.  The doctors changed some of his ventilator settings.  I got to hold him for about 2 hours today.  At one point tonight, he had a scary episode during which his heart rate and oxygen levels dropped super low.  He lost a lot of his color and he wasn't responding to the oxygen bag.  He did eventually bounce back and seemed fine after that.  He is down 20 grams today so he is just under 1 lb 7 oz.

High Times

Solomon had a high temperature today that would come and go.  He's also been on high oxygen today.  He had some high heart rates as well.  Other than all that, he seemed to be doing well.  We had a little bit of skin to skin time during which his heart rate, temperature, and oxygen levels all went down. 

Up and Down

Solomon is still doing well.  He is starting Tylenol tomorrow to help treat his PDA.  His weight went down today 60 grams.

1 lb 10 oz

Solomon had another day of sleeping, eating, pooping, desatting, and being adorable.  He's getting 13 mL of milk every 3 hours now and he put on 40 grams bringing him up to 1 lb 10 oz.  I caught him on video with his eyes open tonight.

The doctor said that the echo of his heart did show he has a PDA.  The plan is just to let it close on its own and only intervene if it causes a problem.  So for now we'll just live with the up and down oxygen levels.  

Another Day

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Solomon had a pretty typical day today.  His oxygen levels are still up and down.  The doctor ordered an echo of his heart to check on his PDA.  I will get results tomorrow.  Solomon was down 10 grams today.  We did get a chance to do some kangaroo care which is the best part of my day.  Sam is really getting excited about having a baby brother and I hope they will get to meet each other soon.

Feeling Better

Solomon had a good day.  The doctors made some changes to his ventilator settings.  He seemed to adjust to the changes well because his oxygen levels were more stable today.  He gained 10 grams, so he's now 690 g.  I got to hold him for a couple hours during which there were few alarm bells going off.  Sam woke up today feeling much better.  I'm so glad he doesn't have the flu!

A Pound and a Half

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Our little man gained 60 grams since yesterday and is now 1 lb 8 oz.  Overall he is doing well although his alarms were more active today than yesterday.  He still has episodes of low heart rates and low oxygen.  Yesterday he was still on IV fluids but last night they removed his IV and he is back on full feeds:  13 mL of milk every 3 hours.

Big brother Samson was having a rough day.  He complained all day of an upset stomach and then tonight got sick four times.  I'm hoping that it was just something he ate and is not the flu. Luckily he does not have a fever but I'm keeping a close eye on him.