Oh So Close

Just 18 hours from making it to the one week mark Jack had another apnea/bradycardia episode. We were getting ready to leave for the hospital when the doctor called us. It really took the wind out of our sails. We were getting used to the idea of having him home soon, and really happy he had an end in sight. Well, he will be in the NICU for at least another week. When he goes home they'll send him home with an apnea monitor. They aren't sure what could be causing him to have these episodes, hopefully he will just outgrow them, and soon. Other than that 1 episode he did fine. He is eating all his food and is now 6 lbs 8.6 oz. He is getting so big. Especially when compared to his first pictures. So, the timer starts over again, we fully expect him to make it the full week. We've had a talk with him. We are very glad it happened at the hospital and not at home, we probably would have panicked.

Full Steam Ahead

Jack is still doing well. 3 days and counting since his last episode, we're hoping it just keeps on going. Today, they coaxed another poo out of him. He is still all blocked up, possibly due to all that iron (he gets extra in some formula and a special side dish of it as well). He did put on a little weight yesterday. Now up to 6 lbs 4 oz, Grandpa Dennis says he's an Italian eater. The nurse talked to the doctor today and they came up with a plan to re-evaluate his situation on Thursday to see how close he is to making it home. They moved him back into his big boy crib, he was in an infant warmer, because if he had an episode it was easier to work on him. They also took off the oxygen saturation monitor. So, everyone keep their fingers crossed that Jack behaves and can make it home very soon.

Finally a Poo

Jack is still chugging along and so far episode free. Last night after we left Jack had a nice poo, 4 diapers worth. It must have been a relief after about a day and a half of constipation. He weighed in this morning at 6 lbs 1 oz, that's up about 1 ounce from yesterday. We were surprised he gained at all after the poo he had. He did have a little choking incident while he was eating (per the nurse it doesn't count as an episode of apnea/bradycardia). He just tried to take too big a gulp of milk and started coughing. The nurse helped me out and told me how to correct it, now we know what to do when or if he does that at home.

So for those keeping track at home, it's almost been 3 days without incident. We are keeping are fingers crossed while we knock on wood, that this trend continues and he can come home very soon.

2 Months and Doing Better

Hello all. Jack is 2 months old today, I guess. His birthday is the 5th of December, but he was eight weeks last Saturday. I'm just going to say he's 2 months today. He gained a tiny bit of weight yesterday (despite all his episodes). He is at 5 lbs 15.6 oz, he is just flirting with that 6 lbs mark. So far toady he is doing well. His last episode was around 3am and it was a smaller one. Nothing like the big ones he had during the morning yesterday. We are hoping it was all just a reaction to the vaccinations he had. He is still eating very well, and loving his bottle. He is still having some poo issues, hopefully he can get that under control.

Doing Well

Jack is still doing well today. He has been taking all of his feedings. He doesn't have a set amount or time when he gets fed, but he's doing good. He is still having an issue going poo, and they have to give him a suppository to get things cleared out. I think that causes him some discomfort and an occasional dip in the heart rate. He got a visit from Mary's friend Allison today, she was disappointed because Jack wasn't awake when she came to visit. Jack lost a little yesterday and is now at 5 lbs 13 oz. He's chugging right along & getting stronger. The therapist also paid him a visit to observe how he was eating and if there was anything we could do to help him eat. She thought he was doing wonderfully and had no suggestions for intervention.

Time to Eat

Hello everyone from blog world. Jack ended his streak of episode free days yesterday. He had a big one around 7:30 & one smaller this mornings. It wasn't as bad as the episode he had about 3 weeks ago, but they had to give him oxygen with the bag mask. The doctor came in and took a look at him. It's possible that his feeding tube was causing an irritation in the back of his throat that trigger a response that made is heart rate drop. He also hadn't had a good poo in about a day so he may have been holding his breath while straining to push. To solve that problem the nurse gave him a laxative and it seemed to clean the system out.

So, Jack is now tube free. All his feedings are coming from a bottle, and he has no set care times. We let him wake himself up hungry and then feed him as much as he'll eat. The therapist came by again and checked on how he was doing eating from the bottle. He passed with flying colors and we got a few pointers on feeding him. The therapist is going to come by again on Thursday and give him a check up. She may also give him a discharge eval if all is going well. That doesn't mean he's going to be discharged, but it's a step closer. If he doesn't pass, we will know better the things Jack needs to accomplish to be discharged.

Jack also gained a little weight yesterday and is up to 5 lbs 13 oz, who knows how much of that stayed in after his laxative poo he had. Hopefully, he will stop these episodes with the changes made today. Jack was busy today, he also got a visit from his Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Mike (who somehow managed to dodge the camera again).

Another Month Behind Us

Well, it's the last day of January and all is going well. Jack gained some weight yesterday, now up to 5 lbs 11 oz. He is still doing good with his breathing and has kept his heart rate up. He had his first two feeding from a bottle this morning. He took just over half from his first and he devoured his entire second feeding. He wasn't too awake for the first feeding so we'll let it slide. Not much else going on which is a good thing for now.

It's Been 8 Weeks

That's right everyone, Jack is 8 weeks old today. He is still doing very good. He got his second full bath today, which he really seems to enjoy. No crying or fussing, he sits in the tub and relaxes while he gets clean. He did about one and a half feedings through his bottle today. He is doing a very good job with his eating & hopefully they will let him have more and more of his feedings through the bottle. Jack did lose about half on ounce yesterday, now at 5 lbs 9 oz. Also good news on the bradycardia & apnea episodes. He hasn't had a documented episode for 1 week. We are happy to hear that new and hope he keeps it up until come home time.

Yesterday, while at home, Mary and I practiced putting the car seat in. It was fairly painless and we're just going to leave it in. Sometime next week I'm going to go to AAA, they will check to see if I have it properly installed.

More Hurdles

The post made it in a little earlier than yesterday's. Jack lost 2 oz overnight probably just burning more calories maintaining body temp and stress from his head ultra sound (we hope). The ultra sound was good. All previous problems are getting better or have resolved, and nothing new has surfaced. Today he had his follow up to the bottle feeding evaluation. The nurses were surprised by how much better he had gotten and are recommending he get 1 or 2 bottle feeds daily. As he gets better they will increase them until all feedings are on breast or bottle. When that comes he can have his feeding tube removed and be a little closer to going home. Jack also got moved to a regular hospital crib and out of his isolette. It's not quite as roomy as his last bed, but it's for the bigger boys. One last improvement was the doctor discontinuing the monitor that check his oxygen saturation. They felt that his breathing and heart rate was doing just fine. He also hasn't had an apnea or bradycardia episode in 5 days (2 since switching to room air).

Last but not least Jack got a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Passalaqua who were very surprised at the progress he has made since their last visit. Keep up the good work Jack!!!!