November 1, 2012- Long awaited update

I can't believe that it's been 6 weeks since I last updated this blog.  There are so many days that I go to my computer to write a little something, but I end up distracted and I forget.  Can you imagine a new mom, a full time nurse and wife to be distracted?  I'm sure I'm the first one!  Ha ha!

During the last 6 weeks, Will has been diagnosed with reflux and we are finally settled with it now that we are on Prevacid.  It's an expensive medication, but, for Will, it works so much better than Zantac.  The last time Will was at the doctor, he weighed about 10lbs 6oz, so I'm sure he is 11lbs now.  He is changing everyday.  He seems to learn a new trick all the time.  For example, this morning, he woke up with a huge smile on this face, like he does every morning, and then he decided to carry on a full babbling conversation.  This is new.  He was talking up a storm while he was sitting on Brandon's lap.  It was almost as if he was telling us all about his dreams last night.  He's so funny.  Other than his huge and never ending smile, my favorite trick is when he sleeps for 8 hours a night.  This is new as of about a week.  He eats around midnight or one, and then he sleeps until 8 or 8:30.  I couldn't ask for more!  He seems hungrier during the day, eating about 3.5 ounces every 2-3 hours, but he's sleeping at night.  I can take more frequent feedings during the day.  Not too shabby!  Stay tuned for more Will updates because I think he might roll over sometime soon!  He's throwing his legs to the side all the time on his play mat.  I can't wait!

I get asked a lot about how Brandon and I are coping since we've been home from the NICU.  At first, I thought that was a silly question.  How are we doing?  We're great!  We have our healthy baby at home and we have truly been so lucky throughout our entire journey.  That should be the complete answer, right?  The more I think about it, the more I think that being home has been harder on us than on Will.  Brandon is great.  He is such a rock for us and is such a good dad.  I think he is amazed at all the things I worry about and when I tell him, he's right in saying that Will is fine and that we are doing just fine, but I still worry.

For me, being at home has been absolutely wonderful, but it is also stressful.  I am so grateful that we came home as quickly as we did and without complications, but I worry all the time.  I worry that he is too hot, too cold, not eating enough, not growing fast enough, not sleeping enough, not napping, his reflux, the chance at getting RSV and ending back up in the hospital, etc.  I mean seriously, it's ridiculous!  I have a very healthy baby and I should enjoy every second of every day, and I do for the most part, but I also worry a ton!  I feel guilty for my worrying, I feel guilty that my milk has dried up and I feel guilty that I work as much as  I do.  One thing I have to realize that I don't work as much as some mothers have to, but I still feel bad.  One thing that relieves my worry is my phenomenal husband.  We are so lucky that Will doesn't have to go to daycare right now.  I think once he's older, he will go to daycare, but for right now, we are lucky that our little preemie can stay home with me, my husband, and the dogs.

Although, I worry a lot about Will and what might happen, I wouldn't trade the hand that we were dealt for anything in the world.  I think our experience has made me a better person and I hope, a better mom.  Even though, I worry all the time, I feel like I appreciate all the little things.  It was hard getting up in the middle of the night for Will's feedings, but I was happy to do it, and have that time alone with him.  I am happy for poopy diapers, especially because they don't happy everyday, so I am happy when they come.  But most of all, I am happy that I have this amazing baby!  I am so blessed and so lucky that I have this little miracle and all we've been through is worth his sweet toothless grin.  He makes me smile and see the world through a new set of eyes.  How wonderful is that!?!  How wonderful is it that I get a new chance to look at life through my son's eyes and that I get to live life all over again with my son?!?



I know that the worrying won't go away, but at some point, I hope it will subside.  At least I can say that my worrying doesn't interfere, too much, with my parenting and enjoying my son's progress. 

October 31, 2012- Happy Halloween!

September 12, 2012- "Got Preemie?" Fundraiser

My wonderful husband has the biggest heart and while we were in the NICU with Will, he had the grand idea to head up a fundraiser to raise money for the Common Bonds parent group in the NICU.  Below is a link to the news piece that aired tonight about Common Bonds and the fundraiser.  

I know I don't always say it, but I am so proud of my husband!  It's been a crazy two months since we've been home from the NICU and with this fundraiser and I haven't made it easy on Brandon, but I am so proud to be married to the man with a huge heart.  I hope the fundraiser raises a lot of money for Common Bonds so parents in the NICU will be well cared for, just like us!




http://www.kutv.com/news/features/pay-it-forward/stories/vid_45.shtml

September 5, 2012- Brandon's Birthday!

                                                    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRANDON!!!

September 4, 2012- 3 Months Old Today!

Today, Will is 3 months old!  Where has the time gone?  I can't believe that I have a 3 month old baby and he has changed so so much.  Brandon and I took Will to the zoo yesterday, and we had a great time!  Will is so much more awake now, and he really seemed to enjoy the fresh air at the zoo.  We took him out of his stroller to show him the animals and while I know he didn't know what he was looking at, he really seemed to be happy just hanging out with us outside.  
When we were driving home yesterday, I looked over at Will and he was smiling a huge smile and I was wondering what he was smiling at.  That's when I realized that he was smiling at himself in the mirror that is hanging on the back of the seat in front of him.  He seemed so happy sitting and smiling at himself.  It was so cute!
Brandon and I have been talking about our adventure over the past 3 months.  We could never have prepared ourselves for our wild ride, but we would never change it.  I really think that this experience has made us better parents and it has brought our marriage closer as well. I don't think a couple can make it through the NICU without each other.  Brandon was my rock while we were in the NICU and he still is my rock.  Will and I are so lucky to have him and Brandon and I are so lucky to have Will.  Will is our little miracle and he makes my life complete.  He is the best baby and we love watching him grow everyday and reach new milestones.  I can't wait to see him grow up, but in the same breath, I don't want him to grow up too fast.  I want him to be my sweet little preemie forever!

September 1, 2012- Itty Bitty update

Will is almost 13 weeks and he is one month adjusted today!  I can't believe how big Will is getting!  He is 7lbs 11oz and 19 11/16in and off all his meds except his vitamin!  He is starting to really focus on me and on Brandon.  He looks right at our faces and sometimes he will smile at us.  It is truly the best feeling to see him smile.  Will is also really really active!  He loves to kick his legs and move his arms.  He lays on his play mat and his blanket and just kicks up a storm.  He loves to move.  This should not come as a surprise to me since he was so active in my belly!  I love watching all of Will's changes.  He is such an amazing baby and I am so in love with him that there aren't words to describe it.  I look down at my sweet baby and I still can't believe that I am his mom!

I've been back to work for two weeks now which is one reason I haven't been as good about updating the blog.  The first week was hard, but leaving him with my awesome husband made it easier.  Brandon knows how to feed Will, how to give him his meds (although he is off all but the vitamin) and he even gets him dressed everyday I am gone.  I try and work my 12 hour days on Sunday day and Thursday night.  My other days are half days and I work around Brandon's schedule.  As my days away how added up, I am starting to have the mom guilt associated with a working mom.  Although, I know that Will is well cared for, it's not me doing the work and I feel completely guilty for being gone.  At first I thought it would be easier to leave because I was used to leaving him since he was in the NICU, but it is really really hard to be away.  As I said, I feel so guilty that I have to work.  I feel like Will won't remember be when I am gone for 12 hours and that he will only be comforted by Brandon and not by me.  I know that I have a lot of guilt because I had him early and now my working mom guilt is piling on.  Brandon keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault that Will came early and that Will is doing okay while I'm gone.  But still, the mommy guilt is there.  Hopefully, one day I can move past the guilt, but I think it will be a while.

On a happier note, Will has enjoyed his first college football weekend.  Brandon has requested that Will have one favorite college team and one favorite NFL team.  I am from Tennessee so Will is a Tennessee fan and Brandon is a HUGE Buffalo Bills fan and he would like Will to be a Bills fan for the NFL.  As you can imagine, I am agreeable to the the Tennessee part of the deal, but I am having a hard time letting Will be a Bills fan and not a Redskins fan ( I was actually born in Maryland and have been a Redskins fan since birth).  I guess marriage is all about compromise, and I will compromise on this, but maybe just maybe Will will end up in a Redskins shirt sometime this season!

August 7, 2012- Being a Mom

Today was Will's 2 month checkup and he did great!  He has more than doubled his birth weight.  He was 3lbs 1oz when he was born and now he is 6lbs 6oz!  Brandon and I were just talking about how he is filling out.  His face is definitely getting fuller and his belly finally has some meat on it.  We can't see his ribs anymore!  I can't believe that Will has been here for 2 months!  Brandon and I can't help but laugh thinking that I could still be pregnant had Will been somewhat on time.  My due dates ranged from August 4-7, so naturally I liked the 4th!  

Although the past couple of months have been the hardest months of my life, I don't think I would change anything about it.  I am very blessed that I have a healthy son who just came a little early and is a little small although he is getting bigger everyday!  One thing that makes me sad about Will coming early is that I'm not pregnant anymore.  I know that sounds so weird and I never thought I would say it, but I miss being pregnant and I feel a little cheated that I didn't get to experience a full pregnancy.  What do I miss about being pregnant?  I miss Will moving around in my belly and watching my belly move.  There is something so special about being pregnant and knowing that you are growing a tiny human and protecting your child.  Now I am protecting him in a completely different way.  

It's really really funny, I used to think that I had the coolest job in the world being a Pediatric Nurse and I still think I have a great and fun job, but I have come to realize that being a mom is the coolest and hardest job!  I always thought that I would know how to be a mom because I take care of kids at work, but was I wrong!  Nothing can prepare you to be a parent!  I know that I will make mistakes being Will's mom, but I hope that he knows that I am trying my best and that he can appreciate the things that Brandon and I do for him. 

August 1, 2012- Sleeping With No Attachments

Learning to be a parent with a baby at home has been very hard and very exhausting and something had to give, and it has been the blog.  My apologies for not keeping up with our time at home, but I am sure that all parents out there can commiserate with my exhaustion.  

Here's the update for the past few days.  Will was 8 weeks on Monday, and he is such a little man!  He now weighs 5 pounds 12 ounces and he is looking more and more like a little baby and not so much like a preemie!  He is still small, but he is definitely filling out and his head is getting a little more round and not so flat on the sides.  We had a great nurse in the NICU who was making it her mission to round out Will's head.  She would be so happy to see it now.  We have been using the head rest from his car seat (the thing that helps keep his head from falling to the side) in his crib, his pack and play and in his swing and it makes him sleep on the back of his head and he can't roll to his side.  We have definitely seen a huge improvement in the roundness of his head.  

Will has also been off oxygen for 11 days!  We have been putting his oxygen monitor on him at night so we can make sure he doesn't need oxygen at night.  Will has been doing really well with no desats at night, so Brandon and I made the brave decision to take off the monitor last night.  This was the first time in Will's entire life that he didn't sleep with a monitor, so needless to say we were both so nervous to not have our security blanket on Will, but we knew that we needed to give it a try at some point.  I thought that I wouldn't be able to sleep last night because I would be so nervous, but the mother of the year that I am, I slept right up until Will demanded my presence at 4:45am.  I was so sleepy because Will and I were up at 4am yesterday morning, and I didn't get a good nap, so when I slept last night, I really slept.  Brandon, on the other hand, was very nervous.  He fed Will and put him to bed at 1am, and Brandon got up a few times to check on Will throughout the night.  What a good dad!

Tomorrow, Will is taking his first road trip to Idaho.  It's a whole new ballgame having to pack for myself, the dogs and for a baby!  I have made my list of things we will all need, so I hope I don't forget anything!  Wish us luck!

July 24, 2012- IMC Common Bonds Fundraiser

Being in the NICU was one of the hardest experiences of my life.  Brandon and I didn't know what to do and how to be NICU parents.  We were so fortunate to have the experience and the guidance of the NICU nurses and the other NICU parents.  There is a group at IMC called Common Bonds, and this group is made up of former NICU parents that volunteer in the NICU and help the current NICU families cope with being in the hospital.  I remember one of the first days in the NICU and looking over on the nurse's cart and seeing a bag of goodies that were left for me and Brandon.  The bag had a little baby washcloth with a poem that brought me to tears (and it still does) and candies that had sayings taped to the back giving advice to the NICU parents.  

We also received scrapbook pages with pictures of Will taped to them, a CD with pictures of Will throughout his stay, crotcheted items, and a tile with a Dr. Seuss saying on it.  These are just a few examples of the items we were given throughout our stay.  This group also organizes a scrapbooking night on Tuesdays where all the paper and supplies are supplied free of charge and on Wednesday nights there is an event that is organized for the parents by this group.  The support that current NICU families receive from this group is absolutely amazing!  It makes it bearable to go through the NICU experience with the support of former NICU families. 

This group does not have an endless supply of money to help support their generous deeds.  While we were in the NICU, Brandon and I were trying to figure out how to give back, and we decided to organize a charity auction and fundraiser to support IMC Common Bonds.  We have organized this for September 15 at Union Park in Midvale at 4pm.  We are currently accepting donations for the auction and have already collected many items from around the Salt Lake Valley.  We will also have the International Dutch Oven Society making food and offering samples for a small donation.  Brandon and I are so excited for this fundraiser and we hope to give back to Common Bonds. 

Please join us on September 15 and help us give back to a wonderful group that help NICU families cope with their baby being in the hospital. 

July 24, 2012- Being Home

I know that I've said it before, but it is so surreal being home.  There are times that I look at Will and I can't believe that he is really mine.  I really like to look back at all the pictures of Will from his stay in the NICU.  I have pictures from everyday that we spent at IMC starting from birth until the day we put him in the car.  We have come a long way and we are very very fortunate to have a healthy baby.  

We are all getting used to being home.  Brandon and I have gotten into a rhythm with feeding and changing Will.  Will has settled in with an every 3-4 hour eating schedule and he loves his naps.  We are trying to be good about letting Will nap in his pack and play and sometimes on our laps.  We don't want him to get used to always being held, but it's hard because he is so snuggly!  Will is doing great with his feedings.  He is taking about 45-55ml when he takes a bottle and he is learning to nurse on both sides instead of just one side.  He is getting to be so big.  We go in for a weight check on Thursday and I think Will might hit the 6lb mark.  He is looking so much bigger to us.  I know that everyone says that he is so small and a peanut, but Brandon and I know just how big he has gotten since he was born!

Will has also transitioned off his oxygen!  He has been on room air since Friday with only a 3 hour stint back on oxygen on Friday night.  We are still monitoring his oxygen saturations every night and when we are in the car, but Will is a champ and hasn't needed his nasal cannula.  It has been so nice to walk around the house without all his cords attached to us.  I feel like we can get more done without the oxygen and the monitor.  Brandon and I are so proud of our little man!  He has come a long way from the 3lb 1oz baby on CPAP to an almost 6lb baby on room air!

July 17, 2012- Learning to be at home

Well, we've been home since Friday afternoon, and we are still getting used to being home.  I told Brandon the other day, that I still feel like someone will call us and tell us that we need to bring Will back and that he isn't supposed to be home yet.  It is very surreal to have him home.  

Will has adjusted well to being at home.  He is eating well and gaining weight.  When we went to the doctor yesterday, Will had gained 5 ounces since Friday.  Will is also sleeping in 3-4 hour time blocks.  This, I have to thank the NICU for training Will to eat that often.  We are very lucky to have him on that kind of schedule.  Also, Will doesn't cry that often.  He definitely will express his displeasure with his diaper changes and that he is hungry.  After we acknowledge his issue, he is a happy and content baby.

 Will also tolerates the dogs.  The dogs are very funny with him.  They always walk over to his pack and play to see if he is in there and what he is doing.  Every morning, they come with me into the nursery to see if Will is awake and they love to sniff his head as a way of saying 'Good morning'.  Our boy beagle, Bonez, gets very upset when Will cries and he wants to make sure that he is okay and that we aren't torturing him.  Our girl beagle, Harley, likes to come over and lay by me when I am holding Will and she likes to check on him in his bed.  She is like a little mama.  

As each day passes, I am truly reminded how lucky I am to have such a wonderful healthy baby and that we could have had a rougher and longer stay in the NICU.  I can't wait to see what each day brings for this little man!

July 13, 2012- Home Sweet Home

Friday the 13th isn't so spooky this time around.  It is still a little bit scary, but not in a horror movie kind of way.  Today is the day that Will graduated from the NICU!  We are finally home and learning how to be a family outside the hospital.  Brandon and I can't express how grateful we are for the extraordinary staff at the IMC NICU, especially the nurses and Will's primary nurses.  Last night two of Will's main primary nurses were working and we were able to say goodbye to them and thank them for taking care of our son.  Today, Will's other main primary nurse worked and discharge us.  Having primary nurses really allowed us to leave the NICU and know that Will was in the best hands.  We will never be able to thank these individuals enough.  They are truly angels and we will never forget them.  

Putting Will in his car seat today and driving away from the NICU was truly a surreal experience.  Brandon and I have been waiting for this day for 6 weeks and it was finally here.  There were times on the way home that I kept thinking "do they know that we took him from the hospital?".  Indeed, they knew and now Will was our baby to take home.  When we finally got home, the dogs met Will.  Bonez was interested, but Harley was definitely more intrigued and a little scared when he would cry or squeak.  So far, Will has been eating a lot and sleeping.  He seems to like his pack and play and has been napping in there for a while.  Will is doing really well on his home oxygen.  He is down to 1/16 Liter and I could wean him to 1/32, but I don't want to tonight since he is in a new place and might be a little freaked out by his new surroundings and new schedule.  

Thank you all for your interest in our NICU experience and your kind thoughts and prayers.  Brandon, Will and I could not have made it through this experience without you all.  A special thank you to the IMC NICU, the staff and all the volunteers.  It was so nice to visit Will and see really nice scrapbook pages with his pictures, little gifts and really nice poems for us to take home.  Being a NICU parent is not an easy thing to be and to have other people who have been through the same experience come and talk to you, leave notes for you, and post inspiring words on the IMC NICU page is truly helpful when you are knee deep in a life changing experience.  Brandon and I hope we can give back and help other NICU parents just as we were helped.   

 

Here's to a wonderful life with my amazing husband and my wonderful little miracle, Will. 

July 12, 2012- Rooming In

This post will be short because I am writing it from my phone and I won't have pictures tonight for the same reason.
Will had a great but tiring day. He passed his eye exam which means that there's no sign of ROP. ROP is a preemie condition that affects babies' eyes. Since the exam was negative, Will is able to be on his home oxygen need. Again, establishing the need is one step closer to going home. In order to go home on oxygen, I am rooming in with Will. We are in our own room right outside the NICU, and I am taking full care of Will. It's like a practice run for home. Wish me luck! I love being able to feel like a real mom!
Check back tomorrow for pictures and a new update!

July 11, 2012- Light at the End of the Tunnel

Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  I made it to the NICU in time for rounds this morning, and the doctor used the word 'discharge'!  I knew it was coming, but to hear the doctor say it, means that it really really is coming true!  I was so excited that tears of joy came to my eyes as I went back to Will's room and held him. 

Before we can go home, Will still has a few tests to pass.  He has to continue to feed everything by mouth and not the tube.  Check.  He has to gain weight. Check. Last, he has to pass his eye exam. TBD.  Will's eye exam will be tomorrow sometime, I hope in the morning, but we have no control when the doctor will come in.  

Today, Will did great nursing and did okay with his bottle.  Unfortunately, Brandon was not able to come to the hospital today so it was my job to give Will his bottle.  I have to say, Brandon is way better at giving Will the bottle than I am, but Will finished the bottle.  Will also did great with his oxygen today.  His flow was decreased to 0.5 Liters and his percentage of oxygen ranged from 21%-23%.  He really is getting better!  He is learning to coordinate his breathing with his eating, and he is so good at stopping when he's eating to take a breath.  He's my little big man!

Finally, Will gained weight.  He gained another 15 grams.  He is still hanging out right above the 5 pound mark.  I don't even think I can give him credit for an ounce, but hey, I will take 15 grams.  At least he gained weight. 
I can't even begin to explain how excited Brandon and I are at the thought of taking Will home in the next few days.  We have been running around getting Will's room ready, washing his clothes and making sure his car seat is ready to go.  I hope in the next few days, I will be able to put into words how excited and scared I really am at the thought of finally taking my son home and becoming a real family in our home. 

July 10, 2012- Stage Four

Last night Will passed Stage 3 of feeding!  Brandon and I were so excited this morning when we found out.  This means that Will can eat on demand and he can be breastfed and bottle fed when he wants as long as he eats about every three and a half hours.  This morning, Will was a little sleepy for his 8am feeding and only took 26ml.  When I got to the NICU, he nursed twice and took one bottle for Brandon.  When he took his bottle, he ate 40mls.  Will met his total fluid intake for the day and he didn't need any of his feeds in his tube.  If Will can take all his feeds in the bottle tonight, he might be able to get his feeding tube out tomorrow!  I can't wait to see his cute face without the feeding tube!

Will's respiratory status was also really stable today.  At one point, he was even on room air with just some air flowing through his nose.  Will really only needed oxygen when he was being bottle fed.  He is such a rockstar!  He will most likely come home on oxygen, but I am okay with that as long as he comes home soon!

Brandon just called the NICU and the nurse was busy but she passed on that Will gained weight and is 5 pounds!  I don't think saying that I'm excited actually describes how I feel.  It is so awesome to watch Will grow from a 3 pound 1 ounce baby to this 5 pound 36 week baby. 

July 9, 2012- A Long Day in the NICU

Today's story in the NICU started a little earlier than usual.  I knew that Will would be receiving his only tube feed for the day shift at 8am, and I wanted to be there for the feed.  Will has definitely shown that he no longer likes being fed through his feeding tube.  Instead, Will wants to taste his food and take it orally.  He's such a smart boy.  However, Will had to have one tube feeding this morning and one tonight.  When Will has his tube feed, he tends to need more oxygen and he refluxes which is very very painful.  It is so hard to watch your child be in pain and not be able to do anything.  I know that reflux is not the worst thing in the world, but it is still hard to watch him be uncomfortable.  During the morning tube feed, I held Will, rubbed his back and listened to Van Morrison radio on Pandora.  Will seemed to stay somewhat calm, especially when I turned on the radio.  I stayed for the entire day and for Will's tube feed at 8pm.  Again, I held Will close, rubbed his back and listened to Van Morrison.  Apparently, Will is a big fan of Van Morrison.  During both feeds, Will didn't really need an increase in his oxygen and he didn't seem to be too uncomfortable.  Van Morrison can cure all!

Since Will only had one tube feed during the day, he nursed twice and bottle fed once.  He did great with all his feedings and really didn't need a bump up in his oxygen.  He's really starting to catch on to eating and breathing at the same time!  Before his 8pm feed, Will was weighed and he gained a whopping 20 grams for a total of 2260 which is 4 pounds 15.7 ounces!  He is just shy of 5 pounds.  Hopefully we can reach this milestone tomorrow.  With this weight gain, his successful feedings during the day, and if he can oral feed tonight, he will pass stage 3!  This means that he will move on to stage 4 which is food on demand with no tube feedings if he takes all his milk by mouth!  Fingers crossed!

Will didn't have his eye exam today which is very frustrating for me, and I hope to talk to the nurse practitioner tomorrow about my frustrations.  He is supposed to have the exam on Thursday.  I wish it could be sooner!

July 8, 2012- Happy Anniversary

Today is my first wedding anniversary.  When I thought about this day, I never imagined spending it in the NICU, but days in the NICU have become my life.  My days consist of waking up at 8am, pumping, showering and drive to the NICU.  I sit and hold Will all day and we wait for Brandon to come keep us company.  So even though today was a special day for Brandon and I, it ended up like every other day except we had a nice dinner at P.F. Chang's.  I hate leaving the NICU early, ,but it was nice to go spend time with my wonderful husband. 

Will gave us a couple of nice anniversary gifts today; he weaned his oxygen and gained weight.  First, when I arrived, I asked the nurse and the nurse practitioner about weaning Will's oxygen.  He had been on 1 Liter since last Tuesday and he was doing great.  As I have said before, I keep hearing that it is good to wean Will's oxygen percentage is less than 30% and I have also heard that he needs to be at 21%.  I really just wanted an answer and the chance to wean his oxygen.  The nurse and nurse practitioner agreed to wean him to 0.75 Liters of oxygen and he did great!  His oxygen percentage was between 21%-27%!  He really only needed more oxygen when he received his feedings through his feeding tube.  My little guy is getting so good at oral feedings that he doesn't like getting his feedings in his tube anymore!  Now he needs to pass stage 3 so he can have more feedings orally and only one feeding per shift in his tube!  He is getting to be such a big boy!

So far Will is almost ready to pass stage 2!  He took two complete feedings from me, one from the nurse tonight and he gained weight!  Will gained 40 grams for a total of 2240 grams which is 4 pounds 15 ounces!  If Will can take one more bottle tonight, he will move onto stage 3.  This will allow him to take 6 out of his 8 feedings a day, orally.  He will only need 2 feedings in his feeding tube.  This stage lasts for 24 hours and if he passes stage 3, he can move on to stage 4 which is all oral feedings on demand.  I can't wait for this stage!  Fingers crossed that he can finish stage 2 tonight!

July 7, 2012- The Roller Coaster Continues

The NICU roller coaster continues.  This morning Brandon called the NICU to see how Will did overnight.  Will did great!  He took his full bottle feedings and gained weight!  This meant that we were moving on to Stage 2 Day2.  Will did great with his feedings.  He nursed well and took a bottle from Brandon.  His oxygen was stable as well.  He is still on 1 Liter with the percentage of oxygen ranging from 22%-25%.  Brandon and I keep asking when we can wean the oxygen from 1 Liter, but no one gives us a consistent answer.  We have heard that we can wean when the doctor orders it, when Will's oxygen is stable on 21%, when it is stable under 30% and when the nurses think Will is stable enough.  We really just want a consistent answer.  We can't wait to have our primary nurses back who are really consistent with Will.  

We were also hoping that we could complete Stage 2  Day 2 today.  While Will has done a great job with his feedings, we are sad to report that he lost 25 grams today.  He is back to weighing 4 pounds 13 ounces.  So that means tomorrow, we start back with Stage 2 day 2.  What a bummer!  Let's hope that he can finish Stage 2 tomorrow.