We have good news to report about Aiden’s bilirubin. Although it is still elevated, it has gone down nicely over the last few days. The doctors think that treating the urinary tract infection has most likely helped his liver also. Aiden is still on his nasal canula (when he does not pull it out of his nose).
Evan is still on the ventilator, and the doctors are giving no indication of when he might be extubated. He is tolerating his vibrating treatments a little better now, but still has episodes when he is just very uncomfortable. We have been able to hold him the last several days/night, and he has really liked it. He has been out of his incubator since he was put back on the ventilator last week. He is in a warming bed. This is good and bad. It is good in that we can talk to him easier, touch him more, and be closer to him. However, he is very sensitive to sound. And, there are lots of sounds in the NICU (including his very noisy ventilator). Every time the phone rings in the bay, his arms and legs flail out, and this makes his ventilator beep, which makes Evan squirm even more. For Evan’s comfort, we will be glad when he is back in his quiet little house.
Both boys have had good weight gain over the last week. They are up to about 3 pounds now!! Evan’s feeds were even decreased today to possibly help with his lungs (less volume). Aiden has been very interested in eating for himself. He has latched on to me (Janel) twice, and ate 10 mL out of a bottle this morning. He has to learn to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This is usually done around 33 weeks in-utero. The boys will be 33 weeks on Friday.
Everyone in the NICU has warned us about the ups and downs in the NICU (they call it the roller coaster). And, although we have had many, many ups and downs, I don’t think we will ever be prepared for the “downs”. Our hearts still sink every time we get worrisome news. We really appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers. David and I pray constantly for Evan and Aiden. I can’t help but think of Mark Shultz’s song “He’s My Son”. The chorus has been my prayer for 7 weeks…..
Evan is still on the ventilator, and the doctors are giving no indication of when he might be extubated. He is tolerating his vibrating treatments a little better now, but still has episodes when he is just very uncomfortable. We have been able to hold him the last several days/night, and he has really liked it. He has been out of his incubator since he was put back on the ventilator last week. He is in a warming bed. This is good and bad. It is good in that we can talk to him easier, touch him more, and be closer to him. However, he is very sensitive to sound. And, there are lots of sounds in the NICU (including his very noisy ventilator). Every time the phone rings in the bay, his arms and legs flail out, and this makes his ventilator beep, which makes Evan squirm even more. For Evan’s comfort, we will be glad when he is back in his quiet little house.
Both boys have had good weight gain over the last week. They are up to about 3 pounds now!! Evan’s feeds were even decreased today to possibly help with his lungs (less volume). Aiden has been very interested in eating for himself. He has latched on to me (Janel) twice, and ate 10 mL out of a bottle this morning. He has to learn to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This is usually done around 33 weeks in-utero. The boys will be 33 weeks on Friday.
Everyone in the NICU has warned us about the ups and downs in the NICU (they call it the roller coaster). And, although we have had many, many ups and downs, I don’t think we will ever be prepared for the “downs”. Our hearts still sink every time we get worrisome news. We really appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers. David and I pray constantly for Evan and Aiden. I can’t help but think of Mark Shultz’s song “He’s My Son”. The chorus has been my prayer for 7 weeks…..
Can You hear me?
Am I getting through tonight?
Can You see him?
Can You make him feel all right?
If You can hear me
Let me take his place somehow
See, he's not just anyone
He's my son
I'm finally back in town and catching up with what is happening with the boys. I'm SO glad they are gaining weight! We'll keep praying for Evan's lung development and for Aiden's UTI to clear up along with his high bilirubin. And that song is just a tear jerker! I hope you guys were able to connect with Eric Price and/or his wife. Let me know if I need to do anything to help facilitate that. I'm gone again next week, but I hope we see you this weekend. Love, Gayle and Mark
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