July 2, 2012- Four Weeks Old!

Will is four weeks old today!  In a way, I can't believe that it has been 4 weeks since I gave birth to this amazing little man and in another way, it has been the longest 4 weeks of my life.  My days have been consumed with driving to the NICU and sitting with Will all day.  I have my books (thanks Mom) to read and a sweet baby to hold and nurse, but the days are still passing slow.  I can't wait to take him home and be a true family with Will, Brandon and my dogs.  I hate being away from the house all day every day.  

Today, Will was still on 1.5 Liters of high flow oxygen.  The medical team didn't want to wean the oxygen due to Will's fragile status and I was happy with their decision.  His respiratory status was stable today with his respirations low and steady.  I nursed Will this morning, and he did great!  He had a full feeding and then he fell asleep.  He was stable on his oxygen and didn't desat at all.  I was so proud of him and I was prepared to feed him at 5pm or 8pm.  The time depended on whether he was more awake at 5pm or at 8pm.  When it was time for Will's 2pm cares, he was wide awake and wanted to suck on his hands or pacifier.  The nurse asked me if I wanted to try and nurse him even though I had just done it 3 hours prior.  I, of course, wanted to try and Will nursed again!  He had another full feeding and then he fell asleep.  I couldn't believe it!  I was so proud of him!

I am hoping that this is a turning point and that Will is finally turning a corner.  I have to prepare myself in case this doesn't happen, but I also want to be optimistic in thinking that Will will be coming home sooner rather than later.  Like most nights, Brandon called the NICU to see how Will was doing.  His oxygen percentage is down to 26% on the 1.5 Liters and we are hoping this means we can wean down to a normal nasal cannula tomorrow.  Also, Will gained another 85 grams for a total of 2190.  This is 4 pounds 13 ounces!  This means that Will passed day one of two of stage one.  If he nurses two times tomorrow and gains weight, we get to graduate to stage 2.  Stage 2 means that Will can nurse twice per shift or nurse and take a bottle.  We are so excited!  Fingers crossed for a good day tomorrow!