Today Weston is ten days old! We had a wonderful day. I showed up at his noon round, as usual. I took his temperature, wiped his face, changed his diaper, as usual. AND THEN, I got to hold him!!! I mentioned in my last post the concern that turning his head would cause a brain bleed, so S said I could hold him in such a way that his head wouldn't have to be turned so sharply.
Holding Weston is part of kangaroo care. Kangaroo care holds the theory that a preemie's direct, skin-to-skin contact with parents, especially mom, is essential to baby's improvement. It improves baby's respiration and heart rate, and mom actually acts as an incubator, automatically regulating her body temperature to keep baby at the right temperature. It causes baby to go into a deep sleep, which helps growth. It helps with brain development. It helps with breastfeeding. It helps babies go home earlier. This website is pretty informative for anyone who is interested: http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
So, after we were done with the rounds, they took the top off the incubator and pulled up a chair for me to sit in. He was awake with his eyes open during the first part. They put a blanket around him and had me LIFT HIM OUT. Let me tell you, that was scary. Then I put him to my chest, and S and the developmental specialist C (can't remember her exact title) helped me sit down in the chair. The monitors started going crazy; I have never heard so much beeping. As soon as I was seated, they got all the tubes, etc. situated and clipped most of them to my shirt. Essentially, then, Weston was attached to me. He put his little hand on my chest and rested his head on his hand and fell into a deep sleep within a minute or less.
After a couple of minutes, I was finally able to relax a bit. Then I was just in heaven. He felt just like a newborn, only smaller. He had a couple of brady episodes (dropping heart rate) but was able to raise his heart rate on his own. The monitor would beep, and of course I would look up. C encouraged me NOT to look at the monitor (easier said than done) and showed me the physical signs to look for; for example, when his heart rate drops, he gets a little pale. That will help Shannon and I care for him better when he goes home.
We got to sit together for about 15 minutes. My mom took a million pictures, which I will post to Facebook at some point. All in all, S and C said he tolerated it really well, and we can try again in a couple of days. Shannon will get to give it a try that time. I wish he had been there today.
When we were done, I was supposed to stand up. S thankfully told C that I was "post-section" (recovering from a c-section). I have no abdominal strength right now, so they basically had to lift me up. I put him back in his incubator, they unhooked all the tubes from me, and he was back.
The good news continues: THEN, S fed him one cc of breast milk! Shannon went to visit him this evening, and then I called the night nurse around 9:30 tonight. She said that he tolerated the feeding just fine, she fed him another cc of milk at 8:00 pm, and his tummy is nice and flat. They will continue this schedule (one cc every eight hours) and gradually increase it from there. His weight is up 30 grams from yesterday (660 grams), which puts him back at 1 lb 7 ounces and ten grams higher than his highest weight!
Weston has pretty high blood sugar, and they are not sure why. When the night nurse started her shift at 7:00 pm, his sugar was at 220. By 9:30, it was down to 199. It needs to be below 150-160 to be in the normal range. At this point, they decrease his lipids in his TPN (nutrition line) to lower his sugar. The lipids provide extra sugar and calories to help him grow. The nurse informed the physicians, who have not ordered anything yet, but they will keep an eye on it. The night nurse mentioned that he is just so small that he can't regulate much on his own yet.
I realized I haven't been keeping perfect track of Weston's visitors yet, and that is something I'd like to do, so here's a quick rundown of family and friends he has met so far:
Mom, Dad, and Caroline
Oma (my mom)
Pappy (my dad)
Grandma and Grandpa (Shannon's parents)
Aunt Natalie (my sister)
Aunt Monica (Shannon's sister)
Liz Fleming (my friend from work)
Today was a huge answer to prayers for us: tolerated feedings, weight gain, and the ultimate bonus of kangaroo care! Please pray that the weight gain and feedings continue and that Weston poops! Please also pray for continued protection of his vital organs (to include lungs, heart, and brain) that seem to be doing well and continued protection from infection.
Also, please add baby Rolland to your prayers. He is one of Weston's NICU buddies and the son of a high school classmate of mine (small world!). He was born at almost 25 weeks gestation a couple of weeks before Weston. I don't know the details, but he has hit a rough patch. Please pray for baby Rolland and his family.
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