1720 grams on the board, that is 3 lb 12.7 oz. He is getting closer to that 4 lb mark!

He is at 38% oxygen! The nurse today is one of his primaries! She comments  It has been a little bit since she has seen him,  he is bigger now! Getting old RT! She tells us how last night’s nurse had him down to 33% oxygen!

 Sounds like we are trending the right way! They did an xray this morning, it shows a bit more congestion in the upper right and lower left.  Started back up the CPT (vibration during cares before suctioning) to help get rid of it, pulmanologist came by this morning too.

On the 15th RT has his first eye appointment scheduled to check for ROP, one of the other concerns we have had on our minds.  ROP stands for retinopathy of prematurity, it effects babies that have had to recieve elevated percents of oxygen.

Stevie Wonder is blind because he was a preemie and at the time nurse and doctors put preemies on high oxygen percents to keep them alive,  a side effect of high oxygen is abnormal accelerated growth of the blood vessels and the retina becoming detatched.

Also on the 15th, if RT is on a low enough oxygen percent the doctor is planning to try extubation. Removing RT’s ventilator tube from his throat and attempting a non invasive method.

We do cares,  some poop! Temp is good. CPT, suctioned, repositioned feeding started.

He tolerated cares well!  Maybe skin to skin again after lunch!

Quick lunch then back up. On the way back from lunch a commercial box truck pulled up to the curb next to the hospital, there is a walkway covering that covers the sidewalk, whoever designed it made it overhang past the curb a few inches, it ended up tearing a hole in the top front right corner big enough to put a watermelon through.

There is no sign to warn of height restrictions or low overhangs.

I was across the street and couldn’t do anything to try and stop the driver. 

Some other people saw what happened and laughed at the drivers mistake and misfortune. It really frustrated me that they would laugh about it. I leave the frustration with these people outside and enter the hospital.

Up the elevator to the NICU, We hang out, a baby gets transferred out of the room, another one gets moved so that the two twins that came yester day have incubators closer together.

RT tolerates the noise well. He is getting better at regulating his breathing and initiating breaths as his spo2 declines. But if his oxygen percent is turned up he decides he can be more relaxed and not work as much. This makes it harder for the nurses to wean his oxygen percents appropriately because he will regulate his sp02 by not breathing as much and not alarm high sat,  thankfully today’s nurse is pretty familiar with him and will play his games.

1400 Cares, just pee. Good temp. Nurse removes his IV that he got for the blood transfusion yesterday, CPT, suctioned, Skin to skin time! No IV lines!

Transition is smooth. His oxygen needs go up to 48% for cares and bwing mooved. Then we are able to slowly wean it back down while he lays on me. He seems more awake today but relaxed. He isn’t too wiggly. He opens his little eyes occasionaly squints up at my chin. We get to do some extra skin time. He is back down to 40% oxygen. But then it’s time for another xray to see if CPT is being effective. They come 20 minutes early. We put him back in his incubator. Xray, I take a peek at the image. To me, lungs look better than the one from earlier!

Cares, small smear of poop. Good pee. Temp, CPT, suctioned. Repositioned, swaddled.

1900 shift the angel passdown. Nurse from last night is back!

2000 cares, temp, diaper change just pee. Respiratory therapist from yesterday has him again, RT starts to desat down to 86 spo2, she turns him up to 60% oxygen, she has fast hands. An alarm goes off and she has to run off to help somewhere. The nurse turns him down after he high sats. Respiratory therapist hurries back and starts cares again. Flowvent, CPT, suctioned, repositioned. During moving tubes and RT his hoses come disconnected 3 times.

It appears she likes having tension on the tubes. Maybe she had a bad experience having them positioned the other way?

She positions RT better this time, his ET tube in a more neutral position although still under tension, his head isn’t bent back like last night! She is learning what he likes! He tolerates it all pretty well. Cares are done, she starts to log everything In the computer nearby. Time for us to stare at RT through his incubator walls and talk quietly to him. He looks snug.

I’m glad she didn’t go far. RT’s ventilator alarms MVE low. This was happening yesterday when he was positioned on this side. He leaks around his ET tube more in this position. Respiratory therapist  investigates.

One if the ventilator tubes that was under tension has worked it’s way loose, but nit completely disconnected. (This is why I would think you don’t want tension on ventilator tubes)

She re-connects it.

I really hope that is the only time he becomes disconnected accidentally tonight. I have fears about this because of  when this happened a few weeks ago at the same time he aspirated some regurgitation and we lost all his lung recruitment.

He alarms again MVE low, she investigates. Nope its all connected, just the air leak around his ET tube like yeaterday.

Hopefully this doesn’t end up like the boy who cried wolf.

He is a happy little boy, getting his dinner, got a few hours of snuggles, he is all swaddled up now. A few small smiles and then it’s time to close the curtain and let him sleep.

A stable day, only one or two events logged.

Hopefully this nurse can work her magic tonight too and get him down to Lower oxygen percents while it’s peaceful in the NICU.

Dream of happy things my boy!