Photos inside!

Today was another good day,  nurse we have had a couple times.  

Good belly time with stretches, then I laid on a pad on the floor and put him on my chest,  he fell asleep almost instantly.

Talked to the surgeon that will be working on RT.

Scheduled to do inguinal hernia and G tube placement on Friday around 1300.

They make a small incision through the belly button, then insert a camera and look downwards towards the groin and do the hernia repair, if possible incision will be small and only belly button to work through!  If it is a more difficult repair they may have to enlarge the incision.

Then they turn the camera up towards the stomach and create a port from the left side of his stomach to his belly with another incision.

All done under anesthesia and intubated to keep him breathing. Hopefully extubate later in the day, or next day after surgery, obviously depending on how he is dealing with everything.

Normally they would wait till later on but they need to do the G tube for feeding prior to discharge so might as well do both at the same time.

We ask some questions. One being when he gets angry and bears down can he pop the stitches, there is a risk of his hernia repair falling.  But n one reason he gets angry and bears down is because hernia is there and makes him angry because it’s uncomfortable.  So repairing it could have the added benefit of less angre which the surgeon would be willing to take credit for.

Likely help with him pooping too!

G tube means he will not have any tubes going down his throat, less irritation from that! Feedings and medications that he does not want to take can go directly through the port on his stomach.

Can do feedings during the night so he can continue sleeping, keep him growing better! In the end it makes taking him home safer with less pressure for him to eat by mouth, lowering the chance he will get tired out and the worry he won’t be getting enough calories. Plus his fortification does not taste good, maybe feed by Gtube some fortified and add some unfortified milk feeds by mouth more for fun and developement. Saliva and the body feeling like it is eating is important for digestion.

Just an spo2 sensor and oxygen prongs in his nose! He will be back on heart monitor and respiraling rate electrodes for a while again after surgery.

Holding off on feeding by mouth till after his surgeries, they don’t want to put anything into the mix with his amazing RT is doing that could postpone surgery.

NICU people have been stopping by still! A few nurses, respiratory therapists, and even a NICU Dr. Good to see them all.

👇👇 photos!

Nice chubby baby,  something incredibly impressive for a preemie like RT to achieve!