Weight on the board is 1994 grams!  Impressive! Only one ounce shy of being 3 lbs more than his birth weight!

Nurse that is on today is a primary!

The ventilator is slightly different,  he is now on bubble CPAP, it is very similar to standard CPAP. There is a constant pressure being given to RT, but the air also flows out into a contraption that has water in it,  adjusting how deep the tube goes into the water dictates how much pressure is built up to give RT support before the air is able to push down the water out of the tube and bubble. It is kind of like blowing bubbles in a cup of water with a straw,  it is more difficult the deeper you put the straw in the water and you can feel a slight fluctuations in the pressure as each bubble escapes the straw.  

This system is less electronic, and more physics based.  There are no alarms to say he isn’t getting enough pressure or too much pressure, it doesn’t try and correct for leaks and give more pressure.  If he is getting too little pressure it won’t bubble. Meaning either there is a leak from around his mask, out his mouth or disconnected tubing which causes not enough pressure to get to the water and displace it to cause bubbles.

Not sure if this makes sense without seeing it?

He had an uneventful night!  He is on 30% oxygen.

Cares, temp is 36.7, just pee. He has not pooped in two days nuse gives him a sapository. Hernia is still large, Swaddle him up,  Put him back to rest. He disn’t get angry with us.  I talk to the respiratory therapist ask a few questions about the bubble CPAP to make sure I understand it, sounds like I do.

The NICU chaplain comes by,  she has been gone for 3 weeks and glad to see us. We have a good talk.

We get to put some stickers on the container the tube blows bubbles in,  a shark,  some seewed, and a few starfish! There are two brands being trialed at the hospital,  the other one you can put fake fish that float around in the bubbling water.

Lunch.

Back to NICU.

He is on 29% oxygen.

1400 cares, temp 36.8. Still no poop. Maybe he will during skin to skin.  Its my turn. We have a good snugle.

During our skin time, the nurse removes his incubator and brings in a cribette! He is going to be out of the box! He has maintained his temp good enough inside his incubator on 27 degree air which is what the nicu is supposed to be maintained at!

It will be so nice to be able to look at him and talk to him not through glass!  Plus him liking to be social and getting older and wanting to see more he might like it better!

1700, skin time is up. I put him into his cribette for the first time! It’s easier, nothing to bump his head on!  Temp is 36.9 no poop still.  He stays calm.  Another sapository, mom massages his belly gently.  The nurse retapes his OG tube. RT makes sounds like he now needs his diaper changed!  Yup.  Full diaper,  almost leaked out.  Takes two diapers and a hand full of wipes  to get him clean.

His hernia is smaller by about half now that he has pooped! He seems even more comfy now. It’s easier to change him in the cribette, don’t have to work through small port holes!

Keep on pooping RT!

Dinner,  we go to 8 oz burgers and get shakes to celebrate his good day.

It’s a big deal to be out of the isolette! He is in something that looks almost like a crib one would have at home,  but it can elevate the head end, has an IV pole and is made out of powder coated metal.  And the sides can drop down…  which is illegal at home.

Back to NICU,  shift change, another one of RT’s primaries!

We do cares, temp is 36.7 good job being out in the air!  Just pee, decent amount though! Bath time!  Mom gets to help, I take photos and a video.  Goofy boy. He likes being in the water, but I think he would rather just sit there in the warm water and not have to come back out.

Goes well,  after we swap to nasal cannula. He isn’t liking them,  I lift him to help change linens.  He is angry because of his cannula so I gently bob him back and forth, he loves the motion,  this is the first time anyone has given him rocking like this but it appears to help calm him!

After we swaddle him up tight and get him settled in,  he is comfy looking and calm.  It’s nice to talk to him without anything between us, be able to bend down and get your face close enough he can see it.

We are so proud of how well he handled today! It’s been an incredible couple days!

Tomorrow is another big day!  His 2nd eye appointment. Nervous and anxious.