Kick some MRSA butt!

Nick got a perfect score - 4 negative MRSA swabs in a row so he has moved out of the contact isolation room! He's doing well eating too. They started a few weeks ago with 2hrs on and 2 hrs off and he's now 1hr on then 2 hrs off. If he does well they'll do 30 min on and 2 off. They're getting ready to try a bottle so he has to be able to take the food faster than 1-2hrs! Things will be speeding up now...not sure if he'll go to Rex or not - it's up to them. I like Duke, the nurses and doctors are wonderful and they know him there.

He was 3lbs 9.5oz but he hasn't pooped in a day or 2 so that could be a bit off! I told you everyone spends a huge amount of time contemplating baby poop! :D

97 degrees and no A/C :(

Our A/C units (yes both of them!) decided to konk out a couple days ago. I'm already dying and it's supposed to get up to 97 degrees today. Someone is coming out "sometime today" - who knows when - so I probably won't be able to get to the hospital. I'm bummed. Hopefully it'll be an uneventful day in the ICN.

Transfusion #2

Nick weighs 3lbs 7oz today! His hematocrit was a bit low so he had his 2nd transfusion today - so the blood might be adding to his weight a bit. They had to put an IV in and try a few times because his little hands were still bruised from the one on Monday (NEC scare). He did well with it but was a little puffy from the fluid so they upped his lasix (a diuretic). I held him for about an hour and a half today. The nurse had to give him a bath because she used the old glycerine chip trick and he filled 3 diapers. He was chilly after his swim so when I got there he was bundled up like an eskimo baby.

Father's Day

We all went up today. Bri held him for about 30 or 40 min (Sean and I went and had a snack) but they're restricting his "outside time" because of his feeding issues. He hasn't been gaining as much weight lately because of the formula change and all - so Sean and I didn't hold hm. Getting him in and out and handing him to different people uses calories...he is still around 3lbs 2oz - don't know what he is tonight yet. They'll weigh him before feeding at 9. The nurses made a sweet fathers day card with his footprints.

He's keeping his temp up well. They started off with his bed detecting his temperature and it would go up or down as he needed. Then they set the bed at around body temp and he had to adjust his own body. Now they have the bed set to room temperature and he's still keeping his temp up well so next week he should be going to a big boy bed with lots of blankets. He's is now wearing a tshirt or onesie - so cute. Rosanne said she was going to mail me some preemie clothes so hopefully she will. I hate to buy a lot of that small size but he could use a few.

He's been there over 30 days so we could get a parking pass at least! So we get free parking whooppee. One more negative MRSA and he'll get moved out of that room and maybe even to Rex as early as next week. As long as he's MRSA negative they'll take him.

Whatta doll!

Friday June 15, 2007

I wanted to get a picture of Nick with this doll to gauge his size in the future - they're actually about the same size right now. So I said "Nick pose like the dolly and we'll get you out of the hospital really soon!" and this is what he did!! Just kiddin...my kids don't listen to me that well...

Thursday June 14, 2007
As soon as I got to the hospital this morning the nurse was trying another glycerine chip routine and very soon the plumbing was fixed! Everyone was very happy. I'm sure Nick was happy also because when I held him he slept for an hour. He lost a few grams today which is no surprise - so hopefully he'll be on the road to gaining again tomorrow.

He got the nasal canula and the IV port out yesterday so that's 2 less wires to mess with.

What's for lunch?

My breastmilk is dwindling...one of the hazzards of being hooked up to a plastic contraption vs. feeding the "normal" way. Nick is having digestion issues on the formula so the drs are trying to find one that will work for him. So far we had the NEC scare on Monday and he hasn't been pooping. One thing you wouldn't know if you don't have kids is that baby poop is a huge deal. We have a lot of doctors and nurses getting paid a wheel barrow full of money to find out why he's not pooping. Let's hope the plumbing starts working soon!

NEC...or not?

Tuesday June 12, 2007

Good day at the NICU! Held Nick for an hour and 45 min. and he slept the whole time. He was one worn out baby today. After the IV/antibiotics and bowel xrays yesterday, today he had his eye exam for ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) and a head ultrasound. The eye exam left his poor eyes red but the results were very good...no sign of ROP. The ultrasound was also good...no sign of cerebral hemorhage. They dressed him in a way-too-big onesie. The size is "under 10lbs" so you could fit 3 of Nick in it...but it's so cute.

Monday June 11, 2007
I went up to the hospital this morning and found out that they had taken xrays of Nicks bowels because they didn't sound quite right and he had some residual in his stomach which indicates that he wasn't digesting as well as he had been. They were concerned about NEC - necrotizing enterocolitis which a large percentage of preemies can get. It's an infection of the intestines that can eat away the walls and cause perforations. The doctor said his first xray was borderline so they weren't really sure...in his words "it could be nothing or it could be devastating" Here is a link that explains it more http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=21913

I just turned around and came home because they had to put an IV in and a bunch of other needle sticks to do blood cultures and I couldn't stand to watch that. It would've been over an hour and I thought he could use the rest after all that. We waited all afternoon for the results of the 2nd xray and at 6:00pm -Bri called the nurse and everything is ok. He doesn't have NEC!

Even though formula is very good these days, breastmilk is easier digested in most cases so it could've been just the transition from breastmilk to formula or just a random thing - So another bullet dodged! He's 3lbs 2oz as of last night and eating 19.3ml/hr (about 7oz./day). He looks downright plump at this weight (compared to a few weeks ago!).