Today’s weight on the board is 1717! He broke back through the 1700 gram berrier!

9 weeks old today!

The nurse we have today is one of his primaries!

His oxygen percent is at 21%! Great job RT! Not any big effects or regression from vaccine yet! His last steroid dose was at 0500 this morning too,  no more dexamethazone for now!  There is a chance if he regreases we will have to start it back up again. Hopefully we won’t have to,  due to the side effects, but it was definately the right choice to help him progress. It is promising that he didn’t start requiring higher amounts of oxygen while weaning the steroid though!  

We do cares,  his temp is high 38! Maybe he has a slight fever due to the vaccinations. just pee. The respiraroty therapist swaps him to the nasal canula. The nurse gets tylenol to help his temp and turns down the incubator to as low as it will go 27.

During cares his oxygen has to be turned up slightly,  but right after back down to 23%. He is doing awesome!  Hopefully this indicates we will be able to wean down the high pressure he has on his ventilator soonish.

Then nurse turns him down to 21%, today is family rounds (where we sit down in a room with RT’s team and discusses everything.)

The nurse says she talked to the pulmonary Dr. This morning,  he recommends not switching to CPAP, until RT is weaned down to 1.5-2 on nava level.

1230 The Dr. is busy doing something though so family rounds are postponed.

We have lunch,  then back up to NICU,

Family rounds still postponed.

Eventally it is our turn,  the nurse presents RT and how he is doing, everyone is happy with the last few days of progress we have had.  We will be starting back up Flowvent, an inhaler steroid to lessen the likelyhood of regression.

The nurse mentions RT’s temp and asks if he continues being warm enough are we going to move to an open crib.  The Dr. has no objections! An open crib soon! He mentions that they will be starting to check his reflexes in the next couple weeks to see if he is progressing how they want and start seeing if he will need extra assistance with anything. See if the is signs of the brain damage that has occurred from his brain bleed etc.

I don’t see anything yet that looks like problems physically or mentally, but I have been warned some of his reactions are more primal and not really controlled intenationally by RT.

To me he looks and acts like a smart baby that knows what he likes and doesn’t like.

After rounds I get Grandpa from the waiting room and we had into NICU, cares, temp is 36.6 mostly pee in his diaper, just one small smear of poop. He had a big one earlier this morning for the nurse though.

Then it’s time to do skin to skin! RT settles immediately. The nurse is able to turn his oxygen down to 21%. After about an hour and a half he desats to 85 spo2, nurse bumps him up to 25% oxygen.

Grandpa gets to just sit and hang out and look at his grandkid.

Time goes quick, 1715 comes and it’s time to put him back.

1700 cares slightly late but that’s ok,  temp is 36.9 just pee. I help put on his hat that holds his nasal canula after cares back down to 21%.

Dinner time with grandparents. We share a slice of cheesecake. It’s their 31st anniversary.

Then we head back up to the NICU.

Shift change,  nurse tonight is one of his primaries, last time she saw him he was still intubated!

He’s on 21% oxygen still.

2000 cares.  Temp slightly high 37.5. Nurse will recheck and possibly more tyenol. Just pee.  Bumped up to 25% for cares. Swap to nasal mask.

We talk about doing bath time tomorrow at 2300 cares! That will be fun!  It’s been too long since his last bath,  we haven’t gotten to be there for it yet either. So tomorrow will be our first together!

I go out and bring grandma in to see RT, the grandparents head out early tomorrow morning. She says her goodbyes. After they are done mom and grandma come back out.  We say our goodbyes and get our hugs then see them off to the elevator.

Back in we go. 21%! My turn to say goodnight to our little boy.