Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Samuel is 35 weeks old!
Our little guy is quite amazing. In the past week he has managed to regulate his own body temp and is learning to eat on his own. We've had great success nursing and his eating from a bottle. We are starting off slow and nursing or giving him a bottle a few times a day. The first day he had something else in mind when he downed 36mL in just 20 minutes...1/2 the time it takes him to eat via his feeding tube! The next day when nursing him we got to hear a tiny little "burp" after eating...it was pretty cute! The Physical Therapist said that he is very strong and has the whole suck-swallow-breathe thing down pat, it just wears him out most of the time.
His episodes of bradacardias and apenia are becoming fewer and further between, which is another good sign for his upcoming discharge from the NICU. He needs to have five days of no bradys/apenias and we aren't keeping score yet but soon...
A special meeting with his sister this week was the highlight for all of us. This video is of Catherine waiting to meet her little brother:
His episodes of bradacardias and apenia are becoming fewer and further between, which is another good sign for his upcoming discharge from the NICU. He needs to have five days of no bradys/apenias and we aren't keeping score yet but soon...
A special meeting with his sister this week was the highlight for all of us. This video is of Catherine waiting to meet her little brother:
Sunday, February 13, 2011
34 weeks!
Today Sam is 34 weeks old. This is a big week: we are beginning to look for cues from Sam about his interest in eating (either via breast feeding or from a bottle). He also needs less and less help from his little heat lamp to keep warm which means he is learning to regulate his own body temp.
Sam is still having "bradys", which is when his heart rate drops and his breathing slows, but he is getting better about pulling himself out of these episodes, which is a positive indication of his maturity and lung development. He is still on caffeine to help him avoid the bradys as well. His sodium levels were also a tad low so he gets a touch of that every day as well. It's kind of like him sipping lattes, eating baked lays every afternoon while under a heat lamp. Not a bad life, actually!
We snuggle with Samuel every day; he is just so cuddly! Today we could finally see his eye lashes and they are just as long as his big sister's are but very, very blond! He also has gained his birth weight plus back and as of yesterday, was up to 4lb 4 oz! Still a little guy but filling up those thighs... This photo was taken last week while snuggling with dad...
Sam is still having "bradys", which is when his heart rate drops and his breathing slows, but he is getting better about pulling himself out of these episodes, which is a positive indication of his maturity and lung development. He is still on caffeine to help him avoid the bradys as well. His sodium levels were also a tad low so he gets a touch of that every day as well. It's kind of like him sipping lattes, eating baked lays every afternoon while under a heat lamp. Not a bad life, actually!
We snuggle with Samuel every day; he is just so cuddly! Today we could finally see his eye lashes and they are just as long as his big sister's are but very, very blond! He also has gained his birth weight plus back and as of yesterday, was up to 4lb 4 oz! Still a little guy but filling up those thighs... This photo was taken last week while snuggling with dad...
Friday, February 4, 2011
3+1 = LOVE
Welcome, Samuel Thomas!
Our little guy surprised us by showing up to the party TWO MONTHS early on January 27, 2011, 4lbs 1oz, 17 inches long with a full head of blond hair.
In the last week, Sam has gone from being quite sick to surprising the doctors and nurses with his progress. He is off a ventilator and now on a nasal cannula that provides him with some air support - they expect him to be off in a day or two. Today the nurses removed his PICC line, which was providing him with extra nutrients through an IV. He does have a feeding tube, which will remain in place for a few more weeks until he reaches gestational 34-35 weeks, when babies somehow figure out how to eat off their mommies or a bottle. This is also the time that he will suddenly realize how to maintain his body temp. No sense yet of when Sam will be home with us; we hope by the end of the month but it could be a bit longer.
The nurses and doctors at Kaiser Walnut Creek have been amazing. It was hard to leave there a few nights ago for the first time without Samuel but we were comfortable knowing that he is safe and in excellent care every minute of the day.
Catherine is doing great and is anxious to meet her baby brother. She has made him cookies and talks about how she wants to hold him and snuggle with him.
Our deepest thanks to everyone that has sent emails, notes, prayers and good vibes our way. This has been a really scary experience for us, and Scott and I feel so supported by our families and friends - and your families and friends - it's truly amazing. We are humbly grateful for your presence in our lives.
In the last week, Sam has gone from being quite sick to surprising the doctors and nurses with his progress. He is off a ventilator and now on a nasal cannula that provides him with some air support - they expect him to be off in a day or two. Today the nurses removed his PICC line, which was providing him with extra nutrients through an IV. He does have a feeding tube, which will remain in place for a few more weeks until he reaches gestational 34-35 weeks, when babies somehow figure out how to eat off their mommies or a bottle. This is also the time that he will suddenly realize how to maintain his body temp. No sense yet of when Sam will be home with us; we hope by the end of the month but it could be a bit longer.
The nurses and doctors at Kaiser Walnut Creek have been amazing. It was hard to leave there a few nights ago for the first time without Samuel but we were comfortable knowing that he is safe and in excellent care every minute of the day.
Catherine is doing great and is anxious to meet her baby brother. She has made him cookies and talks about how she wants to hold him and snuggle with him.
Our deepest thanks to everyone that has sent emails, notes, prayers and good vibes our way. This has been a really scary experience for us, and Scott and I feel so supported by our families and friends - and your families and friends - it's truly amazing. We are humbly grateful for your presence in our lives.
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