I know it has been a long time since our last post---keeping up with a blog is much harder than it seems :) ---but we have some wonderful things to report about!
We are finally rooming in with Colby at the hospital tonight! What does that mean you ask? We spend the night up here with Colby (possibly two nights depending on how he does) and he is all ours! We do the feedings every 3 hours, the diapers, the works! Basically---we finally get to act like parents! :) If we need anything, we just call one of the nurses.
We arrived a little before 8pm and got settled in our room. Started feeding him his bottle and that wasn't the best feed. We have been having a little trouble with our little man and his feeding. He has been ready to go except for getting those feedings on track for a about two weeks now. Here's hoping the next feeding goes a little better.
He is out of the room getting his little manly procedure done right now (poor baby) so when he is done he probably won't want to eat! :( So, his bottle at 11:20 may not go so great either!
He is doing such an amazing job each day---growing so much! He weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces now!! He is starting to look more like a little baby and less like a little man!
Colby is back in our room now and Daddy is talking to him about being home to watch the National Championship Game together! :) What a great day for Daddy and his little boy...and don't forget about sister---she has to be all up in the football game!
We are so thankful to all of our family and friends that have been there for us over these last few months. We don't know where we would be without you. You have been a rock for us to lean on, a source for love and support.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Brie and Jason
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Nov 20th to Nov 27th
Here is what has been going on with our pumpkin over the last week or so:
-He was taken off his oxygen and has done very well without it!!! He didn't even need it for feedings! Big Praises for that! What a wonderful big boy step in the right direction!
-He has gone to getting 47 CCs of formula to 52 CCs---we are almost up to 2 ounces! :) This has been a bit of a fight since we got back from Nashville. He just gets tuckered and doesn't finish up his bottle. We were doing every other feeding with a bottle and that has now dropped down to 3 times a day.
-They are a little concerned about him going backwards with this, They sent him to get an MRI last night to see if there was a reason they could see with that that would be affecting his eating. Hope to have some results when I call in about 30 minutes or so.
-If it gets to the point where his feedings are the only thing that is keeping him at the hospital---they have talked about the idea of sending him to Birmingham to get a G-tube. This is a tube that would go into his side and into his tummy. We would feed him his bottle and if he didn't finish all his formula during his allotted time, we would give him the rest through the tube. Mommy is still not sure how I feel about this so please say a prayer that I would have a peace about it if that is what is in His plan.
-Putting on some good weight!!!
-Nov 21st---6 lb 10 oz
-Nov 25th---6 lb 15 oz
-Nov 26th---7 lb 2 oz!!!!! I can't believe my little man weighs over 7 pounds already! I am going to be adding some pictures! Watch how chubby those cheeks get!!! :)
-Colby has also gotten to have some time in one of the swings in the NICU!!! So nice to think about him actually being able to do regular baby things!
-We were able to take Ainsley up the NICU on Sunday evening to take some Christmas pictures. I had talked with one of the nurses and was hoping just to take one in his room but the nurses up there are wonderful! They worked it out so we could pop into one of the room-in rooms to take our pictures. (Room-in rooms are for parents to stay in the night before they are able to take their baby home so that they can take care of the baby overnight but have someone right outside the door in case they have questions or issues). Brandi was very helpful---she handled taking some family pictures for us so we could have all 4 of us in them! It was also nice because Colby wasn't hooked up to anything---they had taken his feeding tube out for pictures for us, and unhooked him from everything so we could tuck wires into his clothes. That was the first night I didn't feel like I was going to break him! :) It was a wonderful chance to get to see him like that and to feel more comfortable without even realizing it!
That is where we are for right now. Thank you for all the continued prayers and support. It truly helps us get through another day with a smile. I am going to upload some pictures now!
God Bless,
Brie
-He was taken off his oxygen and has done very well without it!!! He didn't even need it for feedings! Big Praises for that! What a wonderful big boy step in the right direction!
-He has gone to getting 47 CCs of formula to 52 CCs---we are almost up to 2 ounces! :) This has been a bit of a fight since we got back from Nashville. He just gets tuckered and doesn't finish up his bottle. We were doing every other feeding with a bottle and that has now dropped down to 3 times a day.
-They are a little concerned about him going backwards with this, They sent him to get an MRI last night to see if there was a reason they could see with that that would be affecting his eating. Hope to have some results when I call in about 30 minutes or so.
-If it gets to the point where his feedings are the only thing that is keeping him at the hospital---they have talked about the idea of sending him to Birmingham to get a G-tube. This is a tube that would go into his side and into his tummy. We would feed him his bottle and if he didn't finish all his formula during his allotted time, we would give him the rest through the tube. Mommy is still not sure how I feel about this so please say a prayer that I would have a peace about it if that is what is in His plan.
-Putting on some good weight!!!
-Nov 21st---6 lb 10 oz
-Nov 25th---6 lb 15 oz
-Nov 26th---7 lb 2 oz!!!!! I can't believe my little man weighs over 7 pounds already! I am going to be adding some pictures! Watch how chubby those cheeks get!!! :)
-Colby has also gotten to have some time in one of the swings in the NICU!!! So nice to think about him actually being able to do regular baby things!
-We were able to take Ainsley up the NICU on Sunday evening to take some Christmas pictures. I had talked with one of the nurses and was hoping just to take one in his room but the nurses up there are wonderful! They worked it out so we could pop into one of the room-in rooms to take our pictures. (Room-in rooms are for parents to stay in the night before they are able to take their baby home so that they can take care of the baby overnight but have someone right outside the door in case they have questions or issues). Brandi was very helpful---she handled taking some family pictures for us so we could have all 4 of us in them! It was also nice because Colby wasn't hooked up to anything---they had taken his feeding tube out for pictures for us, and unhooked him from everything so we could tuck wires into his clothes. That was the first night I didn't feel like I was going to break him! :) It was a wonderful chance to get to see him like that and to feel more comfortable without even realizing it!
That is where we are for right now. Thank you for all the continued prayers and support. It truly helps us get through another day with a smile. I am going to upload some pictures now!
God Bless,
Brie
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
BIG UPDATES!!!
It has been just a little bit...things have been very crazy and hectic since our trip up to Nashville! Here are the highlights from the last week or so:
Nov 13--Colby was in his own room at the hospital so we were able to spend a long time with him this morning before he had to get ready for surgery. The doctor was wonderful and explained that he was going to go in and try to remove the scar tissue that was forming in Colby's right eye. The idea was that hopefully after removing the scar tissue, his retina would relax and hopefully reattach itself. He was going to look at his left eye and see if it needed more work while he was there.
Surgery in his right eye went well but it will be about 3-4 weeks before we know how well the right eye is doing. The doctor didn't do any surgery or further laser on Colby's left eye so that was an answered prayer! He had a little patch over his eye to keep his hands and fingers from hitting it. They got Colby off the ventilator (he had to be on it for the surgery) and onto the high flow cannula and then to the regular cannula very quickly.
Colby came back to Montgomery on November 15 and had a good ride home.
--We have had Aunt Kathy in town since Nov 16 so Colby has had a lot of visitors and lots of love over the last few days.
--We have been working on his bottle feeding over the last few days and he is getting better. He just needs to keep working on getting stronger. :)
--His eye patch came off on Nov 17 and it has been looking good. He is still getting drops in his eyes and Dr. Parma is coming to check on him a couple times a week still. Colby weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces on the 17th!!!
--Big sister has gotten to hold Colby again. She really likes it when she gets to hold him.
--During our visit on the 19th Hope, the RN on duty that day, came to tell us they were taking him off his oxygen!!!! YEAH!!!! WHOO HOO!!!! PRAISES!!!! They were going to keep the tube by his bedside so if he needed it for feedings he could have it---other than that---he was going to be on his own!
--Checked on him this this afternoon and he has been doing really well without his extra oxygen and he hasn't even needed it during his feedings!!!! Mommy is so proud of Colby! Such a big step toward coming home!
--We still need to work on getting him feeding every time. Right now he is taking a bottle one feeding and then they give it to him in his feeding tube the next. Then back to the bottle. He needs to be taking the bottle each time and keeping his weight on. That is another next step to coming home. Can't be feeding from the tube at home! :)
--We also need to work on coming off the medications that he is on.
We are so very excited to see all the progress that our little man has been making over the last few weeks! Mommy is trying to be patient and encouraging all at the same time. We are very thankful for all of you that are praying for our little family. Please continue to pray for healing for Colby's eyes. Pray for him to grow stronger so he can handle bottle feeding at every feeding. Please pray for him to not need the extra medicines that they are having to give him right now. And please pray for his continued growth and strength. And many praises for all the wonderful things we have seen happen these last couple of weeks. We are very blessed.
Thank you,
Brie
Nov 13--Colby was in his own room at the hospital so we were able to spend a long time with him this morning before he had to get ready for surgery. The doctor was wonderful and explained that he was going to go in and try to remove the scar tissue that was forming in Colby's right eye. The idea was that hopefully after removing the scar tissue, his retina would relax and hopefully reattach itself. He was going to look at his left eye and see if it needed more work while he was there.
Surgery in his right eye went well but it will be about 3-4 weeks before we know how well the right eye is doing. The doctor didn't do any surgery or further laser on Colby's left eye so that was an answered prayer! He had a little patch over his eye to keep his hands and fingers from hitting it. They got Colby off the ventilator (he had to be on it for the surgery) and onto the high flow cannula and then to the regular cannula very quickly.
Colby came back to Montgomery on November 15 and had a good ride home.
--We have had Aunt Kathy in town since Nov 16 so Colby has had a lot of visitors and lots of love over the last few days.
--We have been working on his bottle feeding over the last few days and he is getting better. He just needs to keep working on getting stronger. :)
--His eye patch came off on Nov 17 and it has been looking good. He is still getting drops in his eyes and Dr. Parma is coming to check on him a couple times a week still. Colby weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces on the 17th!!!
--Big sister has gotten to hold Colby again. She really likes it when she gets to hold him.
--During our visit on the 19th Hope, the RN on duty that day, came to tell us they were taking him off his oxygen!!!! YEAH!!!! WHOO HOO!!!! PRAISES!!!! They were going to keep the tube by his bedside so if he needed it for feedings he could have it---other than that---he was going to be on his own!
--Checked on him this this afternoon and he has been doing really well without his extra oxygen and he hasn't even needed it during his feedings!!!! Mommy is so proud of Colby! Such a big step toward coming home!
--We still need to work on getting him feeding every time. Right now he is taking a bottle one feeding and then they give it to him in his feeding tube the next. Then back to the bottle. He needs to be taking the bottle each time and keeping his weight on. That is another next step to coming home. Can't be feeding from the tube at home! :)
--We also need to work on coming off the medications that he is on.
We are so very excited to see all the progress that our little man has been making over the last few weeks! Mommy is trying to be patient and encouraging all at the same time. We are very thankful for all of you that are praying for our little family. Please continue to pray for healing for Colby's eyes. Pray for him to grow stronger so he can handle bottle feeding at every feeding. Please pray for him to not need the extra medicines that they are having to give him right now. And please pray for his continued growth and strength. And many praises for all the wonderful things we have seen happen these last couple of weeks. We are very blessed.
Thank you,
Brie
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Surgery Update
They are prepping Colby for surgery now. Dr. Recchia will be here around 1:00 and surgery will begin around 1:30.
Dr. Recchia is going to take a look at the left eye and if more laser is needed he will go ahead and do that. He will also perform the procedure to remove the scar tissue with the hope that the retina will relax and lay back down on the eye.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Retinal Eye Surgery
Dr. Parma called Saturday morning and informed us that the Avastan injection that he gave to Colby's right eye was not slowing down the growth of scar tissue and that the detachment of the retina was worsening. They will be transporting Colby to Nashville Monday morning and late Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Recchia, will perform surgery to try to remove the scar tissue and reattach the retina. We will find out more details once Dr. Recchia has a chance to evaluate him.
Please be in prayer for Colby's eyes. Pray for safe travel for Colby, as well as, Brie and I. Pray for wisdom and steady hands for Dr. Recchia.
It is hard to not question your faith when times are tough. Even though we do not always understand why thing happen the way they do, we can take comfort in knowing that God's plan is perfect and that He will give us the strength to endure. I found the following verses tonight and they said everything I needed to hear.
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2
Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
By His light I walked through darkness. Job 29:3
Colby sure does like his formula. He weighed in at 6 lbs 1 oz tonight. We just need to get him taking it all from a bottle so that we can get him home.
Thank you all for the love and support you have shown us. God has put so many caring people in our lives and we would not be able to make it through this without you all.
Please be in prayer for Colby's eyes. Pray for safe travel for Colby, as well as, Brie and I. Pray for wisdom and steady hands for Dr. Recchia.
It is hard to not question your faith when times are tough. Even though we do not always understand why thing happen the way they do, we can take comfort in knowing that God's plan is perfect and that He will give us the strength to endure. I found the following verses tonight and they said everything I needed to hear.
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2
Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
By His light I walked through darkness. Job 29:3
Colby sure does like his formula. He weighed in at 6 lbs 1 oz tonight. We just need to get him taking it all from a bottle so that we can get him home.
Thank you all for the love and support you have shown us. God has put so many caring people in our lives and we would not be able to make it through this without you all.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Need some eye prayers!
Jason got a call from Dr. Parma about Colby's eye check up. It looks like the injection of Avastan that Dr. Parma put into Colby's left eye has been helping and doing better! We are not seeing as much improvement in the right eye now. It has some scar tissue forming and it is starting to pull on the retina. The blood vessels inside are starting to get "angry" and not going in a positive direction. Dr. Parma wanted to inject the Avastan into the right eye to see if this stops these issues. He plans on doing that this evening when he goes over to the hospital.
Please pray that this works. If we can't get the scar tissue to stop forming/pulling then we will be looking at possible retina surgery in Vanderbilt. We pray that it doesn't get this far. Our little man has been through so much.
If you would just remember Colby in your prayers-we would be so grateful.
Thank you!
Brie
Please pray that this works. If we can't get the scar tissue to stop forming/pulling then we will be looking at possible retina surgery in Vanderbilt. We pray that it doesn't get this far. Our little man has been through so much.
If you would just remember Colby in your prayers-we would be so grateful.
Thank you!
Brie
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Finally an update! 12 days after the last!
Wow...these last few weeks have been very hectic! Since there would be so much to go over---I am going to try something a little different this time. Here are some important highlights for the last two weeks(ish):
--We were finally able to catch up with Pat and Betty so they could go and visit Colby! (10.24.12)
--Found out that day that he has a little red mark on his bottom! Little darker than a stork bite but really kinda cute! (10.24.12)
--Up to 4 pounds 11 ounces, 17 1/2 inches long, and 40 CCs of formula (30 CCs = 1 ounce)
--Up to 4 pounds 12 ounces by Oct 25
--Went to work with Colby's feeding therapist so she could show us how best to feed Colby and how we needed to work with Colby to teach him. It was very enlightening! (10.26.12)
--Up to 4 pounds 14 ounces on Oct 27 with feedings of 42 CCs
--On Colby's 3 month birthday he weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces! The nurses made him a sweet birthday balloon that is on his big boy bed!!! And there were sweet 3 month pictures take as well.
--We are having to learn to watch Colby's face durning feeding to make sure we are feeding him correctly. We area learning to watch for his breathing being consistent.
--He finally hit the 5 pound mark today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5.29.12
--Jessica came to work with him again and he had an upper GI to check his reflux. He is now getting some Prilosec to help with that. (10.30.12)
--Had a really cute Halloween outfit on! He has hit the 5 pounds 3 ounces!
-- Still working a lot of the bumps and bruises--learning out to eat, keeping the oxygen low, and learning to get the bottle for each feeding.
--Up to 5 pounds 5 ounces today! (11.22.02)
--Up to 5 pound 7 ounces! (11.3.12)
--Today---Ainsley got to hold her brother for the first time! She did such a good job and showed us what a wonderful big sister she is going to be. He weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces tonight! (12.4.12) \
--I know this is a lot of information at one time and I am sorry that it has been so much time since the last post. Thank you to all of you that have kept us in your thoughts and payers. I continue to see God's miracles each & every day while up there in the NICU--He is truly amazing.
--We were finally able to catch up with Pat and Betty so they could go and visit Colby! (10.24.12)
--Found out that day that he has a little red mark on his bottom! Little darker than a stork bite but really kinda cute! (10.24.12)
--Up to 4 pounds 11 ounces, 17 1/2 inches long, and 40 CCs of formula (30 CCs = 1 ounce)
--Up to 4 pounds 12 ounces by Oct 25
--Went to work with Colby's feeding therapist so she could show us how best to feed Colby and how we needed to work with Colby to teach him. It was very enlightening! (10.26.12)
--Up to 4 pounds 14 ounces on Oct 27 with feedings of 42 CCs
--On Colby's 3 month birthday he weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces! The nurses made him a sweet birthday balloon that is on his big boy bed!!! And there were sweet 3 month pictures take as well.
--We are having to learn to watch Colby's face durning feeding to make sure we are feeding him correctly. We area learning to watch for his breathing being consistent.
--He finally hit the 5 pound mark today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5.29.12
--Jessica came to work with him again and he had an upper GI to check his reflux. He is now getting some Prilosec to help with that. (10.30.12)
--Had a really cute Halloween outfit on! He has hit the 5 pounds 3 ounces!
-- Still working a lot of the bumps and bruises--learning out to eat, keeping the oxygen low, and learning to get the bottle for each feeding.
--Up to 5 pounds 5 ounces today! (11.22.02)
--Up to 5 pound 7 ounces! (11.3.12)
--Today---Ainsley got to hold her brother for the first time! She did such a good job and showed us what a wonderful big sister she is going to be. He weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces tonight! (12.4.12) \
--I know this is a lot of information at one time and I am sorry that it has been so much time since the last post. Thank you to all of you that have kept us in your thoughts and payers. I continue to see God's miracles each & every day while up there in the NICU--He is truly amazing.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Some Good News to Share!
Hello everyone! We have a few days to catch up on and some good news to share!
October 20
Colby has officially been moved to a big boy bed! He is able to hold his own body temperature well enough now that he is in the little plastic tubs that they bring a full-term baby to your room in!!!! Whoo Hoo!!! The nurses have been working with him at feeding time and trying to get him used to drinking from a bottle! He is doing one feeding per day (trying to get him used to it) and he drank 7 CCs today!!! PRAISES!!! He is getting to be such a big boy! He weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces!!
October 21
Mommy got to feed Colby today and he drank about 5 CCs from his bottle. (I would blame most of this on Mommy since this is a little different than with Ainsley. I am still learning how to help him figure this out!) He was opening his eyes a bit more today. Dr. Parma stopped by and checked on his eyes---the right eye is getting better and the left eye is still the same. Yeah for the right eye!!! The dr said it could take up 3-4 weeks to see results in the left eye so please keep the prayers going!!! He was up to 4 pounds 8 ounces tonight!
October 22
Had a quiet visit today---he was sleeping so we just sat and talked with him. When I checked on him that night I talked with Brandi. She had given him his first real bubble bath in the little pink tubs!!! She unhooked him from everything for a little bit!!! Whoo Hoo! He wasn't very happy about the bath and cried for most of it. But she had him off the cannula for a little while and he did pretty good without it! BIG BABY STEPS!!! He was up to 4 pounds 9 ounces and Brandi was going to try and feed him with the bottle again at midnight.
October 23
Lots of visitors today! Don and Lewies came to visit for a few minutes. Lewies sang to Colby in his native language (Lewies is from South Africa) when he started to get fussy and Colby seemed to like it! Which doesn't bode well for Colby since I can't speak the language or even sing for that matter! Talked with Billie, his nurse, and found out that Colby drank 23 CCs with his midnight bottle and this morning he drank all 35 CCs with his therapist!!! WOW!!!! What a big boy! Now they are giving him two bottles each day I think??? Will have to check on that one. Grams went up after work and Colby had another bottle at 6pm and drank almost all of it!! So excited by this progress!
I AM GOING TO ADD SOME MORE PICTURES AS WELL SO MAKE SURE TO CHECK THOSE AND SEE HOW OUR BABY BOY IS GROWING!!!!
This last week and a half has been very hectic/stressful for me and I just want to thank all of you out there for the prayers and encouraging words. Seeing the comments on Facebook and on this blog are so inspiring for us. They are the best thing for me to go back and read when I am having a rough day. Please keep the messages coming---it fuels my heart and my faith!
God Bless,
Brie
October 20
Colby has officially been moved to a big boy bed! He is able to hold his own body temperature well enough now that he is in the little plastic tubs that they bring a full-term baby to your room in!!!! Whoo Hoo!!! The nurses have been working with him at feeding time and trying to get him used to drinking from a bottle! He is doing one feeding per day (trying to get him used to it) and he drank 7 CCs today!!! PRAISES!!! He is getting to be such a big boy! He weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces!!
October 21
Mommy got to feed Colby today and he drank about 5 CCs from his bottle. (I would blame most of this on Mommy since this is a little different than with Ainsley. I am still learning how to help him figure this out!) He was opening his eyes a bit more today. Dr. Parma stopped by and checked on his eyes---the right eye is getting better and the left eye is still the same. Yeah for the right eye!!! The dr said it could take up 3-4 weeks to see results in the left eye so please keep the prayers going!!! He was up to 4 pounds 8 ounces tonight!
October 22
Had a quiet visit today---he was sleeping so we just sat and talked with him. When I checked on him that night I talked with Brandi. She had given him his first real bubble bath in the little pink tubs!!! She unhooked him from everything for a little bit!!! Whoo Hoo! He wasn't very happy about the bath and cried for most of it. But she had him off the cannula for a little while and he did pretty good without it! BIG BABY STEPS!!! He was up to 4 pounds 9 ounces and Brandi was going to try and feed him with the bottle again at midnight.
October 23
Lots of visitors today! Don and Lewies came to visit for a few minutes. Lewies sang to Colby in his native language (Lewies is from South Africa) when he started to get fussy and Colby seemed to like it! Which doesn't bode well for Colby since I can't speak the language or even sing for that matter! Talked with Billie, his nurse, and found out that Colby drank 23 CCs with his midnight bottle and this morning he drank all 35 CCs with his therapist!!! WOW!!!! What a big boy! Now they are giving him two bottles each day I think??? Will have to check on that one. Grams went up after work and Colby had another bottle at 6pm and drank almost all of it!! So excited by this progress!
I AM GOING TO ADD SOME MORE PICTURES AS WELL SO MAKE SURE TO CHECK THOSE AND SEE HOW OUR BABY BOY IS GROWING!!!!
This last week and a half has been very hectic/stressful for me and I just want to thank all of you out there for the prayers and encouraging words. Seeing the comments on Facebook and on this blog are so inspiring for us. They are the best thing for me to go back and read when I am having a rough day. Please keep the messages coming---it fuels my heart and my faith!
God Bless,
Brie
Friday, October 19, 2012
Eye Update 2
I'm sorry we have not updated sooner. This is what is going on with Colby's eyes. When Dr. Parma performed the laser surgery last Friday he had a very hard time seeing what he was supposed to burn off because of a lack of pigment in Colby's retinas. Because of this and the severity of the ROP in Colby's eyes the laser was not as effective in his left eye as it was in his right eye. The vessels were continuing to grow angrily causing them to bleed and preventing the pupil from dilating so that Dr. Parma could get a good look at what needed to be done next. It put us in a situation where our only chance at stopping the vessels from causing retinal detachment was to give an injection of a IVAV (Intravitreal anti-VEGF) drug called Avastan.
When babies are born prematurely their bodies will sometimes stop producing the blood vessels that it needs to take oxygen to the retina for proper development. When the body realizes that it is not producing these vessels it creates a chemical called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) so that it will start producing vessels. The problem is this chemical makes the vessels grow abnormal and then ROP sets in.
Depending on the severity of the ROP there are different treatments that can be done to stop the process. In Colby's since the laser surgery didn't work our next step is the injections.
The purpose of the injections is to do the same thing as the laser. It is supposed to kill of the VEGF hormone so that it will stop the blood vessels from growing out of control. Dr. Parma performed the procedure Thursday night and was successful in administering the drug. He will look again Sunday at both eyes to see if the left eye is responding to the injections and to make sure the right eye is still maintaining stability. There is still the possibility that the right eye will have the same problems as the left and require the injections. After his examination Sunday he will know a little more about the next steps, whether it be more injections or more laser surgery.
I know we have said it many times but I cannot express how grateful we are to be surrounded by so much love and support from family and friends. This journey has been so emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting and without you all we would never make it. We know God's plan is perfect and we pray everyday that His will be done.
When babies are born prematurely their bodies will sometimes stop producing the blood vessels that it needs to take oxygen to the retina for proper development. When the body realizes that it is not producing these vessels it creates a chemical called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) so that it will start producing vessels. The problem is this chemical makes the vessels grow abnormal and then ROP sets in.
Depending on the severity of the ROP there are different treatments that can be done to stop the process. In Colby's since the laser surgery didn't work our next step is the injections.
The purpose of the injections is to do the same thing as the laser. It is supposed to kill of the VEGF hormone so that it will stop the blood vessels from growing out of control. Dr. Parma performed the procedure Thursday night and was successful in administering the drug. He will look again Sunday at both eyes to see if the left eye is responding to the injections and to make sure the right eye is still maintaining stability. There is still the possibility that the right eye will have the same problems as the left and require the injections. After his examination Sunday he will know a little more about the next steps, whether it be more injections or more laser surgery.
I know we have said it many times but I cannot express how grateful we are to be surrounded by so much love and support from family and friends. This journey has been so emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting and without you all we would never make it. We know God's plan is perfect and we pray everyday that His will be done.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Eye Update
Brie and I are at Dr. Parma's office this morning. Dr. Parma has informed us that Colby's left eye has not responded to the laser therapy as it should. His left eye has some hemoraging and the pupil will not dilate enough so that he can get a good picture of the retina. It also looks like the blood vessels are continuing to grow abnormally. We are here to discuss the use of injections in that eye to stop the abnormal growth. I will post again once we have more information.
Please pray now for continued healing. Please pray for wisdom for us and the doctor. Please pray for strength.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Playing Catch Up Again...
It has been awhile since I have had a chance to update but I have some people asking so I wanted to make sure I had time tonight. :) Here are some highlights for the last few days!
October 13, 2012
-Came off his ventilator and back onto his CPAP that morning and by that evening he was off that and back on his High Flow Cannula!!! He did such a good job of getting of the ventilator quickly.
-By the afternoon he was back to eating 10 CCs. By 9pm he had moved up to 20 CCs!!
October 14, 2012
-Up to 30 CCs of formula by 9am!!!! Yeah!!!
-Daddy and Mommy took Ainsley up to see Colby today. She had to wear a mask which she thought was weird and then decided it was fun. We got to hold a sleepy Colby who de-SATed and bradyed a few times.
-By the evening time they had upped his feedings to 35 CCs!!! Whoo Hoo!
-Colby decided to misbehave and he pulled his feeding tube out!! Silly boy!
October 15, 2012
-Colby was finally deciding to really wake up---it takes a few days after surgery for all the medicine to get completely out of his system. He had a really good day with very few de-SATs and bradys!
October 16, 2012
-Daddy took Aric to visit Colby today and when they got over to his bed he had pulled out his cannula and had it in his mouth chewing on it! :)
-Mommy went up later and got to hold him for quite awhile. He decided to brady while I was holding him and of course I freaked out. I tried patting his little bottom and talking to him and Elizabeth came over (calm as can be mind you) and just rubbed his head and talked to him and he started breathing again. The second time he did it, I was a little calmer and was able to bring him around.
-He was back to weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces! Whoo Hoo!
October 17, 2012
-Jason and I had a lovely visit today. He was very active while we were holding him. He was hungry and kept gnawing on his pacifier. We had to put him back in his bed so we could go back to work and I tried to make sure that he was situated so his pacifier would stay in but I don't think I did a good job!
Thank you for all your prayers. We are amazed daily when we hear about people following Colby's journey. He is such a blessing to our family!
Brie
October 13, 2012
-Came off his ventilator and back onto his CPAP that morning and by that evening he was off that and back on his High Flow Cannula!!! He did such a good job of getting of the ventilator quickly.
-By the afternoon he was back to eating 10 CCs. By 9pm he had moved up to 20 CCs!!
October 14, 2012
-Up to 30 CCs of formula by 9am!!!! Yeah!!!
-Daddy and Mommy took Ainsley up to see Colby today. She had to wear a mask which she thought was weird and then decided it was fun. We got to hold a sleepy Colby who de-SATed and bradyed a few times.
-By the evening time they had upped his feedings to 35 CCs!!! Whoo Hoo!
-Colby decided to misbehave and he pulled his feeding tube out!! Silly boy!
October 15, 2012
-Colby was finally deciding to really wake up---it takes a few days after surgery for all the medicine to get completely out of his system. He had a really good day with very few de-SATs and bradys!
October 16, 2012
-Daddy took Aric to visit Colby today and when they got over to his bed he had pulled out his cannula and had it in his mouth chewing on it! :)
-Mommy went up later and got to hold him for quite awhile. He decided to brady while I was holding him and of course I freaked out. I tried patting his little bottom and talking to him and Elizabeth came over (calm as can be mind you) and just rubbed his head and talked to him and he started breathing again. The second time he did it, I was a little calmer and was able to bring him around.
-He was back to weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces! Whoo Hoo!
October 17, 2012
-Jason and I had a lovely visit today. He was very active while we were holding him. He was hungry and kept gnawing on his pacifier. We had to put him back in his bed so we could go back to work and I tried to make sure that he was situated so his pacifier would stay in but I don't think I did a good job!
Thank you for all your prayers. We are amazed daily when we hear about people following Colby's journey. He is such a blessing to our family!
Brie
Friday, October 12, 2012
Post Surgery Report
Colby is doing well after the surgery. I only talked with Dr. Parma briefly after the surgery and got a quick explanation of the surgery and what will take place in the next few weeks.
To give a little background, all premature babies are at risk for ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). ROP is the abnormal blood vessel development in the retina of the eye in a premature infant. There are several stages of ROP ranging from mild abnormal growth to total retinal detachment. There are many other terms like "Plus Disease" and "Threshold Disease" which are factors in the severity of the ROP. When ROP is considered the eye is broken into three zones and depending on which zone the blood vessels get to before they begin to grow abnormally will help determine the severity of the vision loss.
In Colby's case his blood vessels got in to zone two of the eye and stalled. The stalling of growth is generally a good indicator that ROP is present and that some treatment will have to be done. That is when Dr. Parma started looking at Colby's eyes more regularly. This week Colby's eye rapidly moved into stage three ROP, which concerned Dr. Parma, and ultimately caused him to come to the conclusion that laser surgery was necessary. The laser surgery is used to stop the overgrowth of unhealthy vessels on the retina by making small burns on the parts of the retina that are affected by ROP. In order to preserve central vision, some periferal vision may be lost as a result of the laser surgery.
Colby went in to surgery today at 4:30 and it took more than an hour per eye to get the laser treatment completed. The surgery is normally a 20 to 30 min process but along with all the other things working against him, he has what is called a blonde fundus which made the surgery that much more difficult. Blonde fundus means the retina has less pigment than others making it much harder for the doctor to see what he needs to burn with the laser. At close to 7:00 tonight Dr. Parma called to say that the surgery was complete and that he believes that he got everything that he needed. He believes that after looking at Colby this week that he did the surgery at the perfect time for the best end result. When I talked to Dr. Parma it was one of those moments where all your are waiting for is him to say everything is OK. He did a good bit of explaining that I didn't fully grasp because I was waiting for the results. We will be talking to him further in the next few days so I will get a better explanation of everything later.
While we were visiting tonight we had the task of trying to wake him up from his sedation. We got to play with his hands and feet trying to get him to wake up. They had to put him back on the ventilator for the surgery and they want to get him back off as soon as possible so he doesn't get attached to it.
We give all the praise to God that Colby has come through this surgery with success. I want to thank Dr. Parma for taking great care of Colby. He is truly a man of God who cares deeply for the babies that he treats. I want to thank all the Baptist South NICU nurses who helped with the surgery and who take care of him everyday. We are truly blessed to have you all in our lives. I also want to thank all of our family and friends. The support we receive from you all lifts us up every day and keeps us going.
To give a little background, all premature babies are at risk for ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). ROP is the abnormal blood vessel development in the retina of the eye in a premature infant. There are several stages of ROP ranging from mild abnormal growth to total retinal detachment. There are many other terms like "Plus Disease" and "Threshold Disease" which are factors in the severity of the ROP. When ROP is considered the eye is broken into three zones and depending on which zone the blood vessels get to before they begin to grow abnormally will help determine the severity of the vision loss.
In Colby's case his blood vessels got in to zone two of the eye and stalled. The stalling of growth is generally a good indicator that ROP is present and that some treatment will have to be done. That is when Dr. Parma started looking at Colby's eyes more regularly. This week Colby's eye rapidly moved into stage three ROP, which concerned Dr. Parma, and ultimately caused him to come to the conclusion that laser surgery was necessary. The laser surgery is used to stop the overgrowth of unhealthy vessels on the retina by making small burns on the parts of the retina that are affected by ROP. In order to preserve central vision, some periferal vision may be lost as a result of the laser surgery.
Colby went in to surgery today at 4:30 and it took more than an hour per eye to get the laser treatment completed. The surgery is normally a 20 to 30 min process but along with all the other things working against him, he has what is called a blonde fundus which made the surgery that much more difficult. Blonde fundus means the retina has less pigment than others making it much harder for the doctor to see what he needs to burn with the laser. At close to 7:00 tonight Dr. Parma called to say that the surgery was complete and that he believes that he got everything that he needed. He believes that after looking at Colby this week that he did the surgery at the perfect time for the best end result. When I talked to Dr. Parma it was one of those moments where all your are waiting for is him to say everything is OK. He did a good bit of explaining that I didn't fully grasp because I was waiting for the results. We will be talking to him further in the next few days so I will get a better explanation of everything later.
While we were visiting tonight we had the task of trying to wake him up from his sedation. We got to play with his hands and feet trying to get him to wake up. They had to put him back on the ventilator for the surgery and they want to get him back off as soon as possible so he doesn't get attached to it.
We give all the praise to God that Colby has come through this surgery with success. I want to thank Dr. Parma for taking great care of Colby. He is truly a man of God who cares deeply for the babies that he treats. I want to thank all the Baptist South NICU nurses who helped with the surgery and who take care of him everyday. We are truly blessed to have you all in our lives. I also want to thank all of our family and friends. The support we receive from you all lifts us up every day and keeps us going.
Eye Surgery in Progress
The nurse called about 4:30 to let us know they were taking Colby back to start the surgery. Please pray that Colby behaves for Dr. Parma. Please pray for wisdom and focus for Dr. Parma and the nurses.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Please pray-Eye Surgery scheduled
Dr. Parma called me just a little while ago and informed me that he has seen a little growth in Colby's eyes (Praises!!!!! for even the little bit of growth that he saw) but that it was the time to do surgery. He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow between 12 and 5:30...not sure when exactly. They will put him back on the ventilator for a short period of time and he will be put to sleep for about an hour to an hour and a half. The laser surgery itself will only take about 20 minutes but prepping and such will take a little longer.
Dr. Parma will actually be doing one surgery now and leaving some area untouched in the hopes that Colby's eyes will continue to grow a little bit more. Every little bit of growth helps with his peripheral vision and it is very important to give him as much of a chance as possible to see more.
We feel very comfortable with Dr. Parma and trust his decisions. Please pray for Colby---especially his eyes---over the next few days. We need our prayer warriors!!! :)
God Bless each and every one of you!
Brie
Dr. Parma will actually be doing one surgery now and leaving some area untouched in the hopes that Colby's eyes will continue to grow a little bit more. Every little bit of growth helps with his peripheral vision and it is very important to give him as much of a chance as possible to see more.
We feel very comfortable with Dr. Parma and trust his decisions. Please pray for Colby---especially his eyes---over the next few days. We need our prayer warriors!!! :)
God Bless each and every one of you!
Brie
Monday, October 8, 2012
Eye Update
October 5, 2012
-Took Grandma to see Colby and she got to hold him
-Dr. Parma had been there and so Karis filled me in on what was going on
---He has an infection in his right eye
---There was some bleeding in his eyes
---They were starting him on antibiotics and doing cultures to see if it is anywhere else as well
-Colby weighed 3 pounds 9 ounces
-He was having a few de-SATs and bradys but they were around feeding time and seems to be able to bring them up on his own
-Nighttime check had him at 3 pounds 10 ounces and they upped his feeding from 26 CCs to 28 CCs
October 6, 2012
-Called to check in and found that they had moved him to room #1 because of staffing
-Daddy went in to see Colby and met with Dr. Parma for a few minutes
-Dr. Parma isn't seeing what he wants to be seeing and he wanted to meet us at his office Monday morning
-Still going steady with 26% oxygen and de-SATing just a little
October 7, 2012
-Colby was holding steady at 3 pounds 10 ounces, 28 CCs of formula, and some de-SATs during feeding
-Took Ainsley up to visit with him for a few minutes
-Angela told us they were going to up his feedings to 30 CCs!!!! We finally hit 1 ounce of food at feeding time!
-Dr. Parma stopped by and then called us to set up an appointment for Monday morning
October 8, 2012
-Met with Dr. Parma this morning and he is going to be visiting Colby every two days from now on
-Dr. Parma thinks we will probably need to do surgery within the week---maybe next week
-He is trying to wait as long as possible so Colby will have the best chance to have the most periphial vision
-I am going to try and explain this: There are three stages that the nerves need to grow through. He has passed through stage one and has started into stage 2. This is a very important step. However, his nerves haven't grown as far into stage 2 as they should have by this age. The further out they grow---the better the periphial vision is. One of the main reasons why his nerves haven't grown like they should have---other than he was very early---is that your body grows those nerves to get oxygen to the eyes. Colby was on a ventilator so that oxygen was getting there much easier and so the nerves havent' grown. Now that he is off---there will be a time when his little body tries to catch up and so the nerves will grow fast. This is what Dr. Parma is looking for. He wants to let the nerves grow as much as possible but it they grow out of control they could block his vision so he wants to go in and do surgery right before that happens. Depending on how the surgery goes, Dr. Parma has been in contact with a specialist from Vanderbilt University about a procedure that he performs. Right now they both believe laser surgery is the first step that should be taken. Another thing that Dr. Parma mentioned is that Colby will probably need to be taken to Birmingham down the road to a pediatric optamologist to see if he needs glasses.
-We had a lovely visit with him this morning---got to hold him for a few minutes and then he got his breakfast. He was wide awake and just looking around!
-Jason called in this evening to check in and he was sleeping away! They have taken him down to 3 liters of flow! Another step in the right direction!
I am much calmer after meeting with Dr. Parma---I really have a peace about his love for these babies and trust that he will know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. PRAYER!!!PLEASE---pray for Colby's eyes to grow and mature in the right way and pray for wisdom for Dr. Parma and all the other doctors and nurses that take care of these sweet babies! We just love them!
-Took Grandma to see Colby and she got to hold him
-Dr. Parma had been there and so Karis filled me in on what was going on
---He has an infection in his right eye
---There was some bleeding in his eyes
---They were starting him on antibiotics and doing cultures to see if it is anywhere else as well
-Colby weighed 3 pounds 9 ounces
-He was having a few de-SATs and bradys but they were around feeding time and seems to be able to bring them up on his own
-Nighttime check had him at 3 pounds 10 ounces and they upped his feeding from 26 CCs to 28 CCs
October 6, 2012
-Called to check in and found that they had moved him to room #1 because of staffing
-Daddy went in to see Colby and met with Dr. Parma for a few minutes
-Dr. Parma isn't seeing what he wants to be seeing and he wanted to meet us at his office Monday morning
-Still going steady with 26% oxygen and de-SATing just a little
October 7, 2012
-Colby was holding steady at 3 pounds 10 ounces, 28 CCs of formula, and some de-SATs during feeding
-Took Ainsley up to visit with him for a few minutes
-Angela told us they were going to up his feedings to 30 CCs!!!! We finally hit 1 ounce of food at feeding time!
-Dr. Parma stopped by and then called us to set up an appointment for Monday morning
October 8, 2012
-Met with Dr. Parma this morning and he is going to be visiting Colby every two days from now on
-Dr. Parma thinks we will probably need to do surgery within the week---maybe next week
-He is trying to wait as long as possible so Colby will have the best chance to have the most periphial vision
-I am going to try and explain this: There are three stages that the nerves need to grow through. He has passed through stage one and has started into stage 2. This is a very important step. However, his nerves haven't grown as far into stage 2 as they should have by this age. The further out they grow---the better the periphial vision is. One of the main reasons why his nerves haven't grown like they should have---other than he was very early---is that your body grows those nerves to get oxygen to the eyes. Colby was on a ventilator so that oxygen was getting there much easier and so the nerves havent' grown. Now that he is off---there will be a time when his little body tries to catch up and so the nerves will grow fast. This is what Dr. Parma is looking for. He wants to let the nerves grow as much as possible but it they grow out of control they could block his vision so he wants to go in and do surgery right before that happens. Depending on how the surgery goes, Dr. Parma has been in contact with a specialist from Vanderbilt University about a procedure that he performs. Right now they both believe laser surgery is the first step that should be taken. Another thing that Dr. Parma mentioned is that Colby will probably need to be taken to Birmingham down the road to a pediatric optamologist to see if he needs glasses.
-We had a lovely visit with him this morning---got to hold him for a few minutes and then he got his breakfast. He was wide awake and just looking around!
-Jason called in this evening to check in and he was sleeping away! They have taken him down to 3 liters of flow! Another step in the right direction!
I am much calmer after meeting with Dr. Parma---I really have a peace about his love for these babies and trust that he will know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. PRAYER!!!PLEASE---pray for Colby's eyes to grow and mature in the right way and pray for wisdom for Dr. Parma and all the other doctors and nurses that take care of these sweet babies! We just love them!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Need Prayer and Give Praise!
October 3, 2012
Daddy had a luncheon to attend today so Mommy took Ms. Krissy and Ms. Chelsey to see Colby at lunch. He was wide awake when Krissy and I went in. Ms. Rosa was giving him his lunch. He sneezed 8 times in a row! By the time Ms. Chelsey came in, he had a full belly and was sleeping away. He didn't want to open his eyes for Chelsey at all!
Dr. Parma (Colby's eye doctor) called me later that evening. Colby's eyes are not developing the way that Dr. Parma would like to see by this point. He is going to start visiting Colby twice a week to keep a closer look at his eyes. Colby has a greater chance at this point of having the eye surgery...so Dr. Parma will be watching to see when/if that needs to happen. PRAYER---Please pray that Colby's eye continue to develop in the correct way and that his eyes do not need to have they surgery. (I know how far laser surgery has come---I have even decided that I want to get laser surgery---but there is something about my baby having it that takes it to a whole different level). IF Colby has to have surgery---please pray that it goes well and he is able to see as much as possible!
October 4, 2012
Mommy took Ms. Jill up to visit Colby today while we were waiting for Daddy to get there. His nurse, Carol, asked if I wanted to hold him and of course I said yes! I got to hold him while he ate his lunch. Then I let Jill hold him and then Daddy came in and he got to hold him while Colby finished his formula.
HIS NURSE INFORMED ME THAT HE ROLLED OVER!!! WHAT A WIGGLE-WORM!!! She had laid him on his front (or his back) and the next time she came back to check on him he had turned himself over the opposite way! PRAISE!!! My little one is already learning big boy tricks! What a way to bring a smile to this proud Mommy! I just hate that I missed it!
Grams went for a visit today and she said he was just a wiggling around and wouldn't settle down. He had moved himself out of the little bean roll that Carol had around him.
I called and talked to the night nurse and she said he hadn't held still--he was just moving everywhere. So she swaddled him and he has settled right on down. He apparently likes to have his head toward the back of the bed...silly boy! He was up to 3 pounds 9 ounces and was doing well with his formula. He was behaving for the most part. He had a couple of de-SATs but he brought himself out of those pretty quickly.
Thank you for all the continued prayers and good wishes from everyone. I was worried that after the initial "excitement" of his early arrival and him getting settled in that people would stop reading and sending encouraging thoughts our way on a regular basis. I know that it is a little selfishness on my part but your words help me get through these rough days. The sweet and kind words from a stranger remind me that God has a special plan for Colby and we just have to trust in that. The love from our friends reminds me that we don't have to do this alone. I know that Colby is in wonderful hands---I can truly say that these nurses and doctors make it much easier to be able to sleep at night, go to work each day, take care of my older baby, and keep going each day because I know they are there taking care of him. I ache to bring him home but I also know he isn't quite ready (and neither are we!) but I am so thankful for all his progress and I am so thankful that I have prayer warriors that we can count on to help us each and every day.
God Bless,
Brie
Daddy had a luncheon to attend today so Mommy took Ms. Krissy and Ms. Chelsey to see Colby at lunch. He was wide awake when Krissy and I went in. Ms. Rosa was giving him his lunch. He sneezed 8 times in a row! By the time Ms. Chelsey came in, he had a full belly and was sleeping away. He didn't want to open his eyes for Chelsey at all!
Dr. Parma (Colby's eye doctor) called me later that evening. Colby's eyes are not developing the way that Dr. Parma would like to see by this point. He is going to start visiting Colby twice a week to keep a closer look at his eyes. Colby has a greater chance at this point of having the eye surgery...so Dr. Parma will be watching to see when/if that needs to happen. PRAYER---Please pray that Colby's eye continue to develop in the correct way and that his eyes do not need to have they surgery. (I know how far laser surgery has come---I have even decided that I want to get laser surgery---but there is something about my baby having it that takes it to a whole different level). IF Colby has to have surgery---please pray that it goes well and he is able to see as much as possible!
October 4, 2012
Mommy took Ms. Jill up to visit Colby today while we were waiting for Daddy to get there. His nurse, Carol, asked if I wanted to hold him and of course I said yes! I got to hold him while he ate his lunch. Then I let Jill hold him and then Daddy came in and he got to hold him while Colby finished his formula.
HIS NURSE INFORMED ME THAT HE ROLLED OVER!!! WHAT A WIGGLE-WORM!!! She had laid him on his front (or his back) and the next time she came back to check on him he had turned himself over the opposite way! PRAISE!!! My little one is already learning big boy tricks! What a way to bring a smile to this proud Mommy! I just hate that I missed it!
Grams went for a visit today and she said he was just a wiggling around and wouldn't settle down. He had moved himself out of the little bean roll that Carol had around him.
I called and talked to the night nurse and she said he hadn't held still--he was just moving everywhere. So she swaddled him and he has settled right on down. He apparently likes to have his head toward the back of the bed...silly boy! He was up to 3 pounds 9 ounces and was doing well with his formula. He was behaving for the most part. He had a couple of de-SATs but he brought himself out of those pretty quickly.
Thank you for all the continued prayers and good wishes from everyone. I was worried that after the initial "excitement" of his early arrival and him getting settled in that people would stop reading and sending encouraging thoughts our way on a regular basis. I know that it is a little selfishness on my part but your words help me get through these rough days. The sweet and kind words from a stranger remind me that God has a special plan for Colby and we just have to trust in that. The love from our friends reminds me that we don't have to do this alone. I know that Colby is in wonderful hands---I can truly say that these nurses and doctors make it much easier to be able to sleep at night, go to work each day, take care of my older baby, and keep going each day because I know they are there taking care of him. I ache to bring him home but I also know he isn't quite ready (and neither are we!) but I am so thankful for all his progress and I am so thankful that I have prayer warriors that we can count on to help us each and every day.
God Bless,
Brie
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
More big news today!!!
AM Check-In:
Daddy called in the morning and our pumpkin was off the CPAP and on the high flow cannula!!!! PRAISES!!!!! Mommy has been looking forward to this---I missed seeing his hair and his face! He had gotten his shots last night and seemed to be doing well with that---no fever. They were going to do another gas at 4pm and if that looked, they would only be checking them once a day.
Visit
Our little man was doing good when we got there...just sleeping peacefully. Until we started talking to him :) but it was time to have a diaper change and eat so it was ok. Our nurse let us lift up the lid to his bed, turn him over, and change his diaper! He was a little fussy (he sounds like a little goat when he cries!) but I am sure that is because he wanted to eat. JoAnn told me to get a chair and she let me hold him while he ate! We worked on him sucking on the pacifier during lunch time. He does a really good job at sucking on the pacifier and seems to like it so we are hoping he is able to learn how to suck, swallow, and breathe in the right order when it comes time to bottle feeding.
PM Check-In:
***OUR BABY GRADUATED TO ROOM 3*** I am so excited!!!! ***HE HAS ALSO BEEN MOVED TO A BIG BOY BED!!!!*** So many wonderful things going on today!!! He is getting 26 CCs of 27 calorie formula now and they are going to be adding some rice cereal to it to thicken it up and they are going to put it on a pump so it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to get in him. He had a couple of de-SATs and bradys during feeding time. He weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces tonight!!!
PRAISES today! Your prayers are working---thank you for all you do for our family!
Brie
Daddy called in the morning and our pumpkin was off the CPAP and on the high flow cannula!!!! PRAISES!!!!! Mommy has been looking forward to this---I missed seeing his hair and his face! He had gotten his shots last night and seemed to be doing well with that---no fever. They were going to do another gas at 4pm and if that looked, they would only be checking them once a day.
Visit
Our little man was doing good when we got there...just sleeping peacefully. Until we started talking to him :) but it was time to have a diaper change and eat so it was ok. Our nurse let us lift up the lid to his bed, turn him over, and change his diaper! He was a little fussy (he sounds like a little goat when he cries!) but I am sure that is because he wanted to eat. JoAnn told me to get a chair and she let me hold him while he ate! We worked on him sucking on the pacifier during lunch time. He does a really good job at sucking on the pacifier and seems to like it so we are hoping he is able to learn how to suck, swallow, and breathe in the right order when it comes time to bottle feeding.
PM Check-In:
***OUR BABY GRADUATED TO ROOM 3*** I am so excited!!!! ***HE HAS ALSO BEEN MOVED TO A BIG BOY BED!!!!*** So many wonderful things going on today!!! He is getting 26 CCs of 27 calorie formula now and they are going to be adding some rice cereal to it to thicken it up and they are going to put it on a pump so it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to get in him. He had a couple of de-SATs and bradys during feeding time. He weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces tonight!!!
PRAISES today! Your prayers are working---thank you for all you do for our family!
Brie
Monday, October 1, 2012
October 1st already!!!
Wow...October is already here! Time is going by quicker than I thought it would! Only 44 more days until my due date! I am trying my best to be patient but I am so excited to see Colby making progress in all his different areas and I get eager to bring him home! I know that he still has a lot of progress to make and things to learn but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger and brighter!
Noontime Visit:
We went to see him this afternoon and he was fit to be tied! He was just a fussing (which I have to admit that I still love to hear! Sorry to all our fabulous NICU nurses! ) when we got there. He is still at 0 bump rate!!!! Since 4pm on September 30th!!! He is doing such a good job of breathing on his own. There are times when he de-SATs or bradys but he turns it around on his own without help from his nurses---which is good. He still tries to pull his tube out of his nose and put it into his mouth...he doesn't understand that it won't help him breath that way. :)
Evening Check-In:
-Back to 3 pounds 5 ounces
-Doing well with his 24 CCs of 27 calorie formula still
-His nurse had to give him tylenol tonight at 8pm because she was going to be giving him his first round of shots! :( Normally a baby gets 5 medicines at 6 weeks old and they combine them into 2 or 3 shots..our pumpkin has to get them all individually. He will get two right before his midnight feeding, 2 before his 3am feeding and the last one before his 6am feeding.
-He has been a good baby tonight--no bradys or de-SATs.
-He is 16 1/4" long---shrunk a little from last week! HA! Babies are hard to measure.
-Head circumference was 27
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers---we need them!
Brie
Noontime Visit:
We went to see him this afternoon and he was fit to be tied! He was just a fussing (which I have to admit that I still love to hear! Sorry to all our fabulous NICU nurses! ) when we got there. He is still at 0 bump rate!!!! Since 4pm on September 30th!!! He is doing such a good job of breathing on his own. There are times when he de-SATs or bradys but he turns it around on his own without help from his nurses---which is good. He still tries to pull his tube out of his nose and put it into his mouth...he doesn't understand that it won't help him breath that way. :)
Evening Check-In:
-Back to 3 pounds 5 ounces
-Doing well with his 24 CCs of 27 calorie formula still
-His nurse had to give him tylenol tonight at 8pm because she was going to be giving him his first round of shots! :( Normally a baby gets 5 medicines at 6 weeks old and they combine them into 2 or 3 shots..our pumpkin has to get them all individually. He will get two right before his midnight feeding, 2 before his 3am feeding and the last one before his 6am feeding.
-He has been a good baby tonight--no bradys or de-SATs.
-He is 16 1/4" long---shrunk a little from last week! HA! Babies are hard to measure.
-Head circumference was 27
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers---we need them!
Brie
Sunday, September 30, 2012
TWO Months old and other good news!
September 28, 2012
-TWO MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!! I can't believe how far Colby has come! Our pumpkin hit 3 pounds 5 ounces (again)! Still doing 24 CCs of 27 calorie formula. His oxygen was at 26%, his pressure was at 6 and his bump rate was at 10.
September 29, 2012
-Ainsley, Grams, and I went to visit Colby after Grandma and Grandpa did. Lots of visitors today! Mommy brought him an Alabama onesie for him to wear during the Ole Miss game! It was a little big (it was really a lot big) but his nurse, Michelle, fixed that by flipping Colby over and taping the excess together! Then she let Ainsley hold him for the first time on the edge of the bed so Mommy could get some wonderful pictures! What a wonderful day!
-Daddy called and checked in on him later and his nurse for the evening, Brandi, said she had been trying to teach him to say "War Eagle!" Brandi didn't give Colby a chance to get into trouble tonight---she went ahead and bundled him up good so he couldn't grab his CPAP and pull it out. :)
September 30, 2012
-Mommy and Daddy took Ainsley to visit after lunch and he was doing good. Had just gotten a diaper change and was getting some food. He fussed a little bit and pulled his CPAP out once. His bump rate was at 5 and they were going to be lowering that to see how he did.
-When Daddy called to check in tonight and our pumpkin is AT 0 BUMP RATE!!!!! They took it to 0 at 4pm tonight (it is now 10:30pm) and he is doing well without it! This means that there is no longer a puff of air reminding him to breath on his own! There is still oxygen coming out of the tubes---but it is just a slow and steady stream for when he needs it!!!!! WOW! PRAYER!!!! Please pray that my baby boy does well with this and keeps taking more steps in the right direction!
Please allow me a few minutes of something other than an update to Colby... Our church had a Night of Praise this evening. (An evening of singing songs of praise and worship) I am in charge of the nursery and Kid Central (our school age children's ministry) and I usually find myself in one of the two rooms so I am not always able to sit in church each week. These evenings are very special to me and I really look forward to them---especially with everything going on in life right now. As the night is unfolding---I am being lifted up by the song choices and the messages I am hearing. And then they play one song (at this point I can't even tell you which one it was) and it just hits home. I have to sit down and let it out. Luckily I had friends all around me. Then I get to thinking about things---I am not crying because I am sad. I am crying because I am so blessed!!!!! I have the most wonderful and thoughtful husband. We have a beautiful little girl that has been such a joy for us. Our little man---who has had a rough start---has made such tremendous progress. We have our health. We have fabulous family and friends. All because of God's great love.
Thank you to our praise team that led us tonight! LOVED IT! And thank you SO MUCH to my ladies that worked the nursery so that I could relax and know all those babies were taken care of with much love! I am so thankful to have you guys on our volunteer team! You are the best!
God Bless all of you!
Brie
-TWO MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!! I can't believe how far Colby has come! Our pumpkin hit 3 pounds 5 ounces (again)! Still doing 24 CCs of 27 calorie formula. His oxygen was at 26%, his pressure was at 6 and his bump rate was at 10.
September 29, 2012
-Ainsley, Grams, and I went to visit Colby after Grandma and Grandpa did. Lots of visitors today! Mommy brought him an Alabama onesie for him to wear during the Ole Miss game! It was a little big (it was really a lot big) but his nurse, Michelle, fixed that by flipping Colby over and taping the excess together! Then she let Ainsley hold him for the first time on the edge of the bed so Mommy could get some wonderful pictures! What a wonderful day!
-Daddy called and checked in on him later and his nurse for the evening, Brandi, said she had been trying to teach him to say "War Eagle!" Brandi didn't give Colby a chance to get into trouble tonight---she went ahead and bundled him up good so he couldn't grab his CPAP and pull it out. :)
September 30, 2012
-Mommy and Daddy took Ainsley to visit after lunch and he was doing good. Had just gotten a diaper change and was getting some food. He fussed a little bit and pulled his CPAP out once. His bump rate was at 5 and they were going to be lowering that to see how he did.
-When Daddy called to check in tonight and our pumpkin is AT 0 BUMP RATE!!!!! They took it to 0 at 4pm tonight (it is now 10:30pm) and he is doing well without it! This means that there is no longer a puff of air reminding him to breath on his own! There is still oxygen coming out of the tubes---but it is just a slow and steady stream for when he needs it!!!!! WOW! PRAYER!!!! Please pray that my baby boy does well with this and keeps taking more steps in the right direction!
Please allow me a few minutes of something other than an update to Colby... Our church had a Night of Praise this evening. (An evening of singing songs of praise and worship) I am in charge of the nursery and Kid Central (our school age children's ministry) and I usually find myself in one of the two rooms so I am not always able to sit in church each week. These evenings are very special to me and I really look forward to them---especially with everything going on in life right now. As the night is unfolding---I am being lifted up by the song choices and the messages I am hearing. And then they play one song (at this point I can't even tell you which one it was) and it just hits home. I have to sit down and let it out. Luckily I had friends all around me. Then I get to thinking about things---I am not crying because I am sad. I am crying because I am so blessed!!!!! I have the most wonderful and thoughtful husband. We have a beautiful little girl that has been such a joy for us. Our little man---who has had a rough start---has made such tremendous progress. We have our health. We have fabulous family and friends. All because of God's great love.
Thank you to our praise team that led us tonight! LOVED IT! And thank you SO MUCH to my ladies that worked the nursery so that I could relax and know all those babies were taken care of with much love! I am so thankful to have you guys on our volunteer team! You are the best!
God Bless all of you!
Brie
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sept 25 - Sept 27 Update
Sept 25th
-Colby was doing good today!
-We visited him around lunch and he had been off his ventillator for 24 hours!!! Big Boy!
-Right before we went up to see Colby my mother sent me a picture of my new neice! My sister, Ali, had her baby girl today! Abrielle was 8 pounds even and 21 inches long.
-We checked in with Stephanie that night and she told us that he was doing well. He fussed a little around dinner time until he got fed. :)
Sept 26th
-Colby had lots of visitors today---both Grams and Grandma were off so they stopped by. He slept right through Mommy and Daddy's visit.
-Nightly check-in with Stephanie and here is the update I got:
---Oxygen: 30%
---Rate of 15 (this is the number of puffs it gives him per minute) The rest he breathes on his own!
---They want to work on this getting down to 0
---They were going to take his rate down to 10 2 hours before his gases to see how he was doing
---Pressure of 7
---They would like to get this closer to 5 if possible
---Still at 24 CCs but they are mixing 24 calorie formula with 30 calorie formula to get 27 calorie
Sept 27th
-Checked in with Elizabeth this morning and Colby was doing good.
---3 pounds 3 ounces
---Doing well with his feedings and he was having some tummy time
-Daddy and I went up for our lunch time visit and our little man was wearing clothes!!! LOVED IT!
-Elizabeth asked if wanted to hold him for a few minutes and of course we said "YES!!"
-Called to check in with Debbie tonight and he was doing well. His rate was down to 5 and she was going to take it to 0 two hours before his gases and see how those came back. PRAYER--Please pray that his gases continue to be good and that his little body continues to learn how to do all the things that they are starting to work with him on.
-Colby had 1 brady while being with Debbie tonight. A brady is a drastic drop in his heart rate. There are two types---an apnea brady is when his heart rate drops because they stop breathing. The other is when he still breathes but his heart rate drops which is what he did this time. Ms. Debbie just had to prod him a bit to get that back up.
We want to say thank you for all the continued prayers and thoughts!
Brie
-Colby was doing good today!
-We visited him around lunch and he had been off his ventillator for 24 hours!!! Big Boy!
-Right before we went up to see Colby my mother sent me a picture of my new neice! My sister, Ali, had her baby girl today! Abrielle was 8 pounds even and 21 inches long.
-We checked in with Stephanie that night and she told us that he was doing well. He fussed a little around dinner time until he got fed. :)
Sept 26th
-Colby had lots of visitors today---both Grams and Grandma were off so they stopped by. He slept right through Mommy and Daddy's visit.
-Nightly check-in with Stephanie and here is the update I got:
---Oxygen: 30%
---Rate of 15 (this is the number of puffs it gives him per minute) The rest he breathes on his own!
---They want to work on this getting down to 0
---They were going to take his rate down to 10 2 hours before his gases to see how he was doing
---Pressure of 7
---They would like to get this closer to 5 if possible
---Still at 24 CCs but they are mixing 24 calorie formula with 30 calorie formula to get 27 calorie
Sept 27th
-Checked in with Elizabeth this morning and Colby was doing good.
---3 pounds 3 ounces
---Doing well with his feedings and he was having some tummy time
-Daddy and I went up for our lunch time visit and our little man was wearing clothes!!! LOVED IT!
-Elizabeth asked if wanted to hold him for a few minutes and of course we said "YES!!"
-Called to check in with Debbie tonight and he was doing well. His rate was down to 5 and she was going to take it to 0 two hours before his gases and see how those came back. PRAYER--Please pray that his gases continue to be good and that his little body continues to learn how to do all the things that they are starting to work with him on.
-Colby had 1 brady while being with Debbie tonight. A brady is a drastic drop in his heart rate. There are two types---an apnea brady is when his heart rate drops because they stop breathing. The other is when he still breathes but his heart rate drops which is what he did this time. Ms. Debbie just had to prod him a bit to get that back up.
We want to say thank you for all the continued prayers and thoughts!
Brie
Monday, September 24, 2012
No ventillator!!!!
Jason called this morning and everything was going well. They had moved Colby's rate down and he had been doing well!
Afternoon Visit:
Jason and I got there around lunch to find Colby OFF his ventilator and on the CPAP machine (has the little tubes that go in his nose a bit and it has a contraption that goes over his head to hold it in place)!!!! My big boy!!!! I was so excited! Jason and I were talking to him and he started crying!!! I know that probably isn't the normal thing a parent gets excited about but that is the first time we have heard our baby able to use his lungs to cry and it was music to our ears! What a blessing! It made my day. I cried right along with him!!! They would be watching him to see how he did this time off the vent but the doctor seemed like they were going to try and make him be a big boy tonight. PRAYERS---Please pray that he does well with being off his ventilator!!!
Evening Check-Up:
Jason called around 8 to see how he was doing and Colby's gases still weren't where they would like for them to be but they had some things to try still.
Sandra called around 9pm to let us know that his pH level was up (which is good) but his carbon dioxide was still a bit too high. They tried bumping his rate up to see if that helped.
11:00 Call:
Doing another gas at midnight but he was holding steady. His oxygen is was at 25% and his rate is at 20 breaths per minute.
Afternoon Visit:
Jason and I got there around lunch to find Colby OFF his ventilator and on the CPAP machine (has the little tubes that go in his nose a bit and it has a contraption that goes over his head to hold it in place)!!!! My big boy!!!! I was so excited! Jason and I were talking to him and he started crying!!! I know that probably isn't the normal thing a parent gets excited about but that is the first time we have heard our baby able to use his lungs to cry and it was music to our ears! What a blessing! It made my day. I cried right along with him!!! They would be watching him to see how he did this time off the vent but the doctor seemed like they were going to try and make him be a big boy tonight. PRAYERS---Please pray that he does well with being off his ventilator!!!
Evening Check-Up:
Jason called around 8 to see how he was doing and Colby's gases still weren't where they would like for them to be but they had some things to try still.
Sandra called around 9pm to let us know that his pH level was up (which is good) but his carbon dioxide was still a bit too high. They tried bumping his rate up to see if that helped.
11:00 Call:
Doing another gas at midnight but he was holding steady. His oxygen is was at 25% and his rate is at 20 breaths per minute.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Took the big camera to the hospital today!
AM Check-in:
-Called this morning before church and Wendy said he was doing well
-3 pounds 3 ounces
-Rate still at 25 and oxygen at 35%
-They had to give him another IV (this is the third one in two days) because he decided he wanted to kick this last one out!!!! Really?!?!?! He only has a couple more days of antibiotics but obviously he feels better! :)
Evening Visit:
-The three of us went up after dinner and visited for a little bit. Ainsley got to feed him a little "sucker" which she thought was very funny. (It was actually a big Q-tip like swab that was dipped in something (don't remember the name of the stuff) that babies liked to suck on and helped them learn to suck for bottle time)
-They are only measuring his head circumference once a week on Mondays now.
-They had his rate down to 15!!!! PRAISE!!! Whoo Hoo! Trying to get him ready to try and come off the ventilator again. I imagine they will try again in the next few days. PRAYER---Please pray that he does better with this attempt. He may not be able to stay off of it for good but the time he can spend off of it is really good for him! He needs to learn to be a big boy! ;) Of course, I keep thinking they are going to call me one day and say he pulled the cord out on his own! He is always playing with it.
-His nurse had him all swaddled tonight and he seemed to like it. He was very awake when we got there...he just looked so sweet. :)
Putting up lots of pictures tonight! Thank you for all your prayers. We have so much to be thankful for, there are so many blessings in our lives, there are so many miracles we see on a daily basis---I am just so humbled. We have a very loving God and I am in such awe of the work He does. AMAZING!!!
Brie
-Called this morning before church and Wendy said he was doing well
-3 pounds 3 ounces
-Rate still at 25 and oxygen at 35%
-They had to give him another IV (this is the third one in two days) because he decided he wanted to kick this last one out!!!! Really?!?!?! He only has a couple more days of antibiotics but obviously he feels better! :)
Evening Visit:
-The three of us went up after dinner and visited for a little bit. Ainsley got to feed him a little "sucker" which she thought was very funny. (It was actually a big Q-tip like swab that was dipped in something (don't remember the name of the stuff) that babies liked to suck on and helped them learn to suck for bottle time)
-They are only measuring his head circumference once a week on Mondays now.
-They had his rate down to 15!!!! PRAISE!!! Whoo Hoo! Trying to get him ready to try and come off the ventilator again. I imagine they will try again in the next few days. PRAYER---Please pray that he does better with this attempt. He may not be able to stay off of it for good but the time he can spend off of it is really good for him! He needs to learn to be a big boy! ;) Of course, I keep thinking they are going to call me one day and say he pulled the cord out on his own! He is always playing with it.
-His nurse had him all swaddled tonight and he seemed to like it. He was very awake when we got there...he just looked so sweet. :)
Putting up lots of pictures tonight! Thank you for all your prayers. We have so much to be thankful for, there are so many blessings in our lives, there are so many miracles we see on a daily basis---I am just so humbled. We have a very loving God and I am in such awe of the work He does. AMAZING!!!
Brie
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Catching Up Again
September 19th---Picture Day Today!!!!
-Mommy and Daddy met up at the hospital with Ms. Kim from Footprints Ministry and the photographer from Journey magazine! Journey magazine is doing an article on Footprints Ministry in their October edition and Ms. Kim suggested our little man as a NICU baby to talk about. :)
-Colby was going to have to get blood that day so they had to stop his feeding for a little while.
-Mommy didn't have a very long visit so we went back for a night visit but the nurses were having a meeting when we got there so we had to wait for about 30 minutes to see our little man. We did get to catch up with Logan's Mommy though (one of the other little babies in the NICU that we have met)
September 20th---Hit 3 pound mark!
-Ms. Debbie and Ms. Stephanie had him today/tonight and Colby was good for them. Still doing well with your feedings (22 CCs of the high protein formula)
-Ms. Debbie told me he hit the 3 pound mark!!!!! Whoo Hoo!! So excited to see him gaining weight and getting bigger! He doesn't look puffy so that seems more like it is good weight. :)
September 21st---Spit up today (first time for Mommy)
-Ms. Wendy and Ms. Jean had Colby today/tonight and he was just hanging out (not like he could do much of anything else!)
-He did have a few gases that were high on his carbon dioxide so they were watching that
-Colby spit up some of his lunch while we were there...I am sure he has done this but it was the first time for Mommy. I got to pick him up for a minute while Ms. Wendy changed his blanket under his head.
-Jean said he weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces!!!!
September 22nd---BAMA BOY!
-Doing well when we went up to see him. We took Ainsley with us and I was able to video her reading to Colby. It was very sweet! She finished washing up and went right over to open his bed and touch him! We have to watch her close to make sure she is careful---she just wants to hold him so bad!
-We went to the Alabama game and then stopped by on the way home. It was a little quieter so I was hoping that I could hold him.
-Ms. Kandy was his nurse this evening and she let me hold him.
-Weighed 3 pounds 3 ounces and Kandy told us they were feeding him 28 CCs!!!
-Still on his antibiotics for a few more days.
-Then Ms. Kandy went and got the sweetest looking BAMA cap!!! Hoping to get new pictures up tomorrow!
So excited about all of Colby's progresses lately! PRAISES!!!! Please keep praying for his infection and that these antibiotics will help it go away.
-Mommy and Daddy met up at the hospital with Ms. Kim from Footprints Ministry and the photographer from Journey magazine! Journey magazine is doing an article on Footprints Ministry in their October edition and Ms. Kim suggested our little man as a NICU baby to talk about. :)
-Colby was going to have to get blood that day so they had to stop his feeding for a little while.
-Mommy didn't have a very long visit so we went back for a night visit but the nurses were having a meeting when we got there so we had to wait for about 30 minutes to see our little man. We did get to catch up with Logan's Mommy though (one of the other little babies in the NICU that we have met)
September 20th---Hit 3 pound mark!
-Ms. Debbie and Ms. Stephanie had him today/tonight and Colby was good for them. Still doing well with your feedings (22 CCs of the high protein formula)
-Ms. Debbie told me he hit the 3 pound mark!!!!! Whoo Hoo!! So excited to see him gaining weight and getting bigger! He doesn't look puffy so that seems more like it is good weight. :)
September 21st---Spit up today (first time for Mommy)
-Ms. Wendy and Ms. Jean had Colby today/tonight and he was just hanging out (not like he could do much of anything else!)
-He did have a few gases that were high on his carbon dioxide so they were watching that
-Colby spit up some of his lunch while we were there...I am sure he has done this but it was the first time for Mommy. I got to pick him up for a minute while Ms. Wendy changed his blanket under his head.
-Jean said he weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces!!!!
September 22nd---BAMA BOY!
-Doing well when we went up to see him. We took Ainsley with us and I was able to video her reading to Colby. It was very sweet! She finished washing up and went right over to open his bed and touch him! We have to watch her close to make sure she is careful---she just wants to hold him so bad!
-We went to the Alabama game and then stopped by on the way home. It was a little quieter so I was hoping that I could hold him.
-Ms. Kandy was his nurse this evening and she let me hold him.
-Weighed 3 pounds 3 ounces and Kandy told us they were feeding him 28 CCs!!!
-Still on his antibiotics for a few more days.
-Then Ms. Kandy went and got the sweetest looking BAMA cap!!! Hoping to get new pictures up tomorrow!
So excited about all of Colby's progresses lately! PRAISES!!!! Please keep praying for his infection and that these antibiotics will help it go away.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Another BIG MILESTONE!!!
Today was a good day! Last night he weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces and was still eating well. His rate was at 28 and his oxygen was at 34% when Jason checked in this morning.
We went to visit him around lunch today. Mary Elizabeth was changing him and then feeding him. He was very antsy and wouldn't stay still! His SATs lowered of course because of it and he kept making faces like he was gagging on his lunch! He started kicking and moving his arm around and almost knocked his formula off the holder and onto himself! :) It was cute to watch but he just wouldn't settle down!
Mommy called back tonight to check on him and he WEIGHED 3 POUNDS!!!!! WHOO HOO!!! How exciting!!! What a big milestone for our pumpkin to reach! His oxygen was the same and they had come down to 26 on his rate. They have also moved him up to 22 CCs of formula and he is doing well with that! Stephanie gave me his run down because his evening nurse, Carol, was finishing up with him. She gave him a little bath tonight!!! Got ourselves a clean little 3 pound pumpkin!!!! :)
Mommy is so excited! We are so blessed with all the positive things going on with Colby right now! We just continue to pray that this infection goes away and that he is able to try and come off the ventilator again soon and that he lasts a little longer off of it than the last time!
Thank you for all of your prayers!
Brie
We went to visit him around lunch today. Mary Elizabeth was changing him and then feeding him. He was very antsy and wouldn't stay still! His SATs lowered of course because of it and he kept making faces like he was gagging on his lunch! He started kicking and moving his arm around and almost knocked his formula off the holder and onto himself! :) It was cute to watch but he just wouldn't settle down!
Mommy called back tonight to check on him and he WEIGHED 3 POUNDS!!!!! WHOO HOO!!! How exciting!!! What a big milestone for our pumpkin to reach! His oxygen was the same and they had come down to 26 on his rate. They have also moved him up to 22 CCs of formula and he is doing well with that! Stephanie gave me his run down because his evening nurse, Carol, was finishing up with him. She gave him a little bath tonight!!! Got ourselves a clean little 3 pound pumpkin!!!! :)
Mommy is so excited! We are so blessed with all the positive things going on with Colby right now! We just continue to pray that this infection goes away and that he is able to try and come off the ventilator again soon and that he lasts a little longer off of it than the last time!
Thank you for all of your prayers!
Brie
Monday, September 17, 2012
Mommy redeems herself with another diaper change!
(This was supposed to have posted a week or so ago and I forgot to hit the "Publish" button so...it is posting it a little out of date!
Ms Debbie had Colby today and he was giving her a little trouble today. :)
-He was at 16 CCs and they were set to move him up 1 CC every 6 hours if he was doing well
-At his 9am feeding his oxygen SAT dropped and he bradied (which means his heart rate dropped considerably and then went back up) which is not a normal thing for him. He also seemed to have a little spit-up.
-Ms. Debbie tried to slow the formula at his 12 noon feeding to see if that helped...his heart rate didn't seem affected but his oxygen SAT did drop during that feeding as well.
-Mommy got to redeam herself by changing a diaper! It was still a little difficult with the wires and the fact that the diaper was on upside down but he didn't poo-poo or tee-tee on me this time! Whoo Hoo!
PM Check-In with Shelby:
-Rate at 15
-Oxygen at 33%
-
Ms Debbie had Colby today and he was giving her a little trouble today. :)
-He was at 16 CCs and they were set to move him up 1 CC every 6 hours if he was doing well
-At his 9am feeding his oxygen SAT dropped and he bradied (which means his heart rate dropped considerably and then went back up) which is not a normal thing for him. He also seemed to have a little spit-up.
-Ms. Debbie tried to slow the formula at his 12 noon feeding to see if that helped...his heart rate didn't seem affected but his oxygen SAT did drop during that feeding as well.
-Mommy got to redeam herself by changing a diaper! It was still a little difficult with the wires and the fact that the diaper was on upside down but he didn't poo-poo or tee-tee on me this time! Whoo Hoo!
PM Check-In with Shelby:
-Rate at 15
-Oxygen at 33%
-
Catching Up...
So sorry that it has been awhile since we posted...life back at work has been much busier! I will do quick highlights of the days that I have missed! :)
Sept 14
-Having a good day--they were still trying to wean him off the ventilator so they were working on getting his settings down
-Had a short visit with lunch and they were going to start multi-vitamins later that evening
-Mommy came back after work and got to hold him for a little bit!!! We had some skin to skin time where Ms. Debbie put him up on my chest/neck area. It was so sweet! She took some pictures for me. I couldn't see him and he was moving around a little bit...he would move his head and I would ask Ms. Debbie if his ventilator was still sitting right, he would make a noise and I would look at her with big eyes and she would have to tell me he was fine. He monitor would go off but I couldn't see it to tell what was beeping so I would start thinking I was doing something wrong! It was the most wonderful yet nerve-wracking thing!
Sept 15
-Doing good when we checked on him that morning and he weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces! Just keeps gaining weight! Must like his food!
-Went up for an evening visit and took Nana, Grams, and Ainsley with us. When we got up there we found out that they had taken Colby off his ventilator for a few hours that morning! He lasted almost 3 hours before having to go back on. He was really tuckered out and didn't even open his eyes!
Sept 16
-Doing good! Weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces!!! Just keeps going! PRAISES!
-Daddy and Ainsley visited little brother and he was being a wiggleworm! It was near feeding time so he probably needed a diaper change. Ainsley sang to him and told him some nursery rhymes.
Sept 17
-When Jason checked in this morning Colby had a high band count which could mean an infection. When that test comes back high they run another one (CRP) and if it is high---that usually means an infection. Colby's CRP was low so we are waiting on the cultures to see what is going on but they went ahead and started him on antibiotics just in case. That meant they had to put an IV back in his little arm. :( But hopefully this will help. If I understood the doctor right...this could be part of why Colby only lasted a few hours off the ventilator on Saturday. PRAYER--that we have caught this right at the beginning and it won't bother him for too long.
-He weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces (looks like an entire ounce but it was only a loss of 10 grams)
-He was 16 3/4" long!!! My pumpkin is growing so much! (That is 3 3/4" in 7 weeks!) PRAISES!
-His eye exam last Wednesday was looking good so far---PRAYER--Please continue to pray that his eyes develop fully and correctly.
Thank you to everyone that has kept our family in your thoughts and prayers. It continues to humble me when I hear stories of how people are praying for us. We are so appreciative of your love for our family! Please feel free to leave a comment on here...I am hoping to print this and make a book for Colby to have one day so he can see how many people cared and prayed for him. He can see how he affected others...even at such young age and with all that he was going through.
Brie
Sept 14
-Having a good day--they were still trying to wean him off the ventilator so they were working on getting his settings down
-Had a short visit with lunch and they were going to start multi-vitamins later that evening
-Mommy came back after work and got to hold him for a little bit!!! We had some skin to skin time where Ms. Debbie put him up on my chest/neck area. It was so sweet! She took some pictures for me. I couldn't see him and he was moving around a little bit...he would move his head and I would ask Ms. Debbie if his ventilator was still sitting right, he would make a noise and I would look at her with big eyes and she would have to tell me he was fine. He monitor would go off but I couldn't see it to tell what was beeping so I would start thinking I was doing something wrong! It was the most wonderful yet nerve-wracking thing!
Sept 15
-Doing good when we checked on him that morning and he weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces! Just keeps gaining weight! Must like his food!
-Went up for an evening visit and took Nana, Grams, and Ainsley with us. When we got up there we found out that they had taken Colby off his ventilator for a few hours that morning! He lasted almost 3 hours before having to go back on. He was really tuckered out and didn't even open his eyes!
Sept 16
-Doing good! Weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces!!! Just keeps going! PRAISES!
-Daddy and Ainsley visited little brother and he was being a wiggleworm! It was near feeding time so he probably needed a diaper change. Ainsley sang to him and told him some nursery rhymes.
Sept 17
-When Jason checked in this morning Colby had a high band count which could mean an infection. When that test comes back high they run another one (CRP) and if it is high---that usually means an infection. Colby's CRP was low so we are waiting on the cultures to see what is going on but they went ahead and started him on antibiotics just in case. That meant they had to put an IV back in his little arm. :( But hopefully this will help. If I understood the doctor right...this could be part of why Colby only lasted a few hours off the ventilator on Saturday. PRAYER--that we have caught this right at the beginning and it won't bother him for too long.
-He weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces (looks like an entire ounce but it was only a loss of 10 grams)
-He was 16 3/4" long!!! My pumpkin is growing so much! (That is 3 3/4" in 7 weeks!) PRAISES!
-His eye exam last Wednesday was looking good so far---PRAYER--Please continue to pray that his eyes develop fully and correctly.
Thank you to everyone that has kept our family in your thoughts and prayers. It continues to humble me when I hear stories of how people are praying for us. We are so appreciative of your love for our family! Please feel free to leave a comment on here...I am hoping to print this and make a book for Colby to have one day so he can see how many people cared and prayed for him. He can see how he affected others...even at such young age and with all that he was going through.
Brie
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Colby making big boy steps today!
Ms Debbie had Colby today and he was giving her a little trouble today. :)
-He was at 16 CCs and they were set to move him up 1 CC every 6 hours if he was doing well
-At his 9am feeding his oxygen SAT dropped and he set off the brady alarm(which means his heart rate dropped considerably and then went back up) which is not a normal thing for him. He also seemed to have a little spit-up.
-Ms. Debbie tried to slow the formula at his 12 noon feeding to see if that helped...his heart rate didn't seem affected but his oxygen SAT did drop during that feeding as well.
-Mommy got to redeem herself by changing a diaper! It was still a little difficult with the wires and the fact that the diaper was on upside down but he didn't poo-poo or tee-tee on me this time! Whoo Hoo!
-BIG NEWS for today---They took out his PICC line (but again...didn't want him to know about it so he wouldn't act up! ) this morning so when we got there the machine that has been holding his fluids was gone! I got so excited! He doesn't have anything poking him now! Just his oxygen monitor around his foot and his monitors that are stuck on his chest! PRAISES!!!
PM Check-In with Shelby:
-Rate at 15
-Oxygen at 33%
-Pressure is 20 over 5 (which is down from 21 over 5!!!)
-He weighed 2 pounds 11 ounces (gained enough grams to put him over into the next ounce!)
-His next blood gas is at 10pm but he seemed to be doing good so far
-Doing good on his feedings still. He is up to 17 CCs and this time Shelby tried giving him his dinner with the pump. (Pumps are used to put in medicine, blood, or platelets and you can set the amount of time you want it to take to put the amount in.) So--Shelby set it to give him his dinner over a 30 minute period so it wouldn't go in too fast and that seems to have helped the issues he was having earlier.
-They are still moving up 1 CC every 6 hours so at midnight he will go to 18 CCs and at 6 am he will go 19 CCs. Noon he should be at 20 CCs and at midnight Friday night he should be at 21 CCs where they have maxed him out at if he gets that far and is still tolerating his food ok.
-Shelby has him hanging out on his side right now. He wasn't happy at first but seems to like it now.
-His head circumference is still 25 1/4 " so that is good news.
Good day today---we are so blessed to have so many of these! Our God is so good and we are so amazed each day by the miracles we are seeing in Colby and all the other babies in this NICU!!! Please say an extra prayer for these wonderful nurses and doctors tonight...I just don't know how I would have been able to handle this without their obvious love for these babies, all the support they give the parents, how sweet they are to the siblings. To all of you that read this blog---you are the best!
Brie
-He was at 16 CCs and they were set to move him up 1 CC every 6 hours if he was doing well
-At his 9am feeding his oxygen SAT dropped and he set off the brady alarm(which means his heart rate dropped considerably and then went back up) which is not a normal thing for him. He also seemed to have a little spit-up.
-Ms. Debbie tried to slow the formula at his 12 noon feeding to see if that helped...his heart rate didn't seem affected but his oxygen SAT did drop during that feeding as well.
-Mommy got to redeem herself by changing a diaper! It was still a little difficult with the wires and the fact that the diaper was on upside down but he didn't poo-poo or tee-tee on me this time! Whoo Hoo!
-BIG NEWS for today---They took out his PICC line (but again...didn't want him to know about it so he wouldn't act up! ) this morning so when we got there the machine that has been holding his fluids was gone! I got so excited! He doesn't have anything poking him now! Just his oxygen monitor around his foot and his monitors that are stuck on his chest! PRAISES!!!
PM Check-In with Shelby:
-Rate at 15
-Oxygen at 33%
-Pressure is 20 over 5 (which is down from 21 over 5!!!)
-He weighed 2 pounds 11 ounces (gained enough grams to put him over into the next ounce!)
-His next blood gas is at 10pm but he seemed to be doing good so far
-Doing good on his feedings still. He is up to 17 CCs and this time Shelby tried giving him his dinner with the pump. (Pumps are used to put in medicine, blood, or platelets and you can set the amount of time you want it to take to put the amount in.) So--Shelby set it to give him his dinner over a 30 minute period so it wouldn't go in too fast and that seems to have helped the issues he was having earlier.
-They are still moving up 1 CC every 6 hours so at midnight he will go to 18 CCs and at 6 am he will go 19 CCs. Noon he should be at 20 CCs and at midnight Friday night he should be at 21 CCs where they have maxed him out at if he gets that far and is still tolerating his food ok.
-Shelby has him hanging out on his side right now. He wasn't happy at first but seems to like it now.
-His head circumference is still 25 1/4 " so that is good news.
Good day today---we are so blessed to have so many of these! Our God is so good and we are so amazed each day by the miracles we are seeing in Colby and all the other babies in this NICU!!! Please say an extra prayer for these wonderful nurses and doctors tonight...I just don't know how I would have been able to handle this without their obvious love for these babies, all the support they give the parents, how sweet they are to the siblings. To all of you that read this blog---you are the best!
Brie
Starting work has me behind! :) 9-12-12
AM Check-In: Angela
-Gases were looking good
-Rate was at 15
-Pressure was at 23 over 5 (I think that is right)
-Oxygen was at 30%
-He weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces (he had gained 10 grams but it didn't change the ounce amount)
-His head circumference was still at 25 1/4 so that is looking good
-He was tolerating his food well
Lunch-time visit:
-Mommy started back to work today so we had a short but nice visit.
-He was doing well
-Angela had his swaddled and on his side for his lunch and he seemed to like it
PM Check-In: Stephanie
-Being a wiggle worm tonight! Lifting head a little and his arm
-Stephanie said he seemed like he was trying to crawl off the bed so she had to give him some ativan
-They had moved his feedings to 18 CCs but he spit up a little bit so they were back down to 15 CCs for the next feeding
-Stephanie had him at room air but she didn't tell him that because she didn't want him to know and start acting up :)
-His rate was at 15 and his pressure was at 21
-Gases were looking good
-Rate was at 15
-Pressure was at 23 over 5 (I think that is right)
-Oxygen was at 30%
-He weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces (he had gained 10 grams but it didn't change the ounce amount)
-His head circumference was still at 25 1/4 so that is looking good
-He was tolerating his food well
Lunch-time visit:
-Mommy started back to work today so we had a short but nice visit.
-He was doing well
-Angela had his swaddled and on his side for his lunch and he seemed to like it
PM Check-In: Stephanie
-Being a wiggle worm tonight! Lifting head a little and his arm
-Stephanie said he seemed like he was trying to crawl off the bed so she had to give him some ativan
-They had moved his feedings to 18 CCs but he spit up a little bit so they were back down to 15 CCs for the next feeding
-Stephanie had him at room air but she didn't tell him that because she didn't want him to know and start acting up :)
-His rate was at 15 and his pressure was at 21
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Back on the ventilator...
Got a call from the hospital this morning around 7:30 and they let us know that Colby had been put back on his ventilator around 7am. He lasted about 10 hours breathing on his own which is a big deal at this stage. He was doing good at the beginning and holding his own. As the night progressed and the morning came---he carbon dioxide percentages were going up a little higher than they would have liked. (He was breathing in ok and getting a good amount of oxygen but he wasn't able to breathe hard enough to get all the carbon dioxide out. Even after being but back on the ventilator for just an hour and a half---his blood gases were looking good again. They are hoping to try to take him off again in a few days and see how he does this time.
Afternoon Visit
Jason and I stopped by around lunch and he was out like a light! He didn't wake up the entire time we were there...he barely moved! That is very odd for our child---he is always moving! Last night tuckered him out a lot! All his SATs were doing really well and his blood gases were as well.
Phone Call with Dr. Whittington
Got a call from the doctor after we left with an update of the changes they were going to be working on today.
-They were switching all his meds over from IV meds to oral meds---this means that the medications will be mixed in with his formula instead of going in through his IV. They are adding Vitamin D to his list of meds to help strengthen his bones. They are also adding some extra sodium to his diet since one of his meds tends to have an affect on his sodium amounts. They were also switching his formula from a 20 calorie to a 24 calorie and he had gone up to 15 CCs yesterday. If he can tolerate all these new things---change in formula and the meds in his formula instead of in his IV---without it upsetting his tummy, they will probably take the IV out of his little arm!!!! YEAH!!! PRAISES!! PRAYER---that he will be able to tolerate all these changes like a big boy and they will be able to remove his IV so he will have one less thing sticking in him!
-He had an eye exam on the 5th and it was normal and looking good so far. He has another one tomorrow with Dr. Parma. PRAYER---Please pray that he eyes continue to grow correctly and that he will not have any eye issues!
-He had an ultrasound on his kidneys a little while ago and they were a little swollen. They will do another ultrasound tomorrow to check on them but Dr. Whittington said this was normal for preemies and it can go away on it's own. PRAYER---please pray that when they do the next ultrasound that they find his kidneys are getting back to a normal size.
-His head growth is normal so that is good. His bleed is still dissipating so that is going in the right direction. PRAISES!!! PRAYER---pray that this bleed continues to be absorbed and that there are no complications.
Thank you to all our prayer warriors who also prayed for Cadence. I have found out that she has pneumonia and has had a fever for quite some time. Please pray that for wisdom for the doctors and nurses so that they will know what to do to help this precious little girl. Pray for comfort and peace for her parents and family. Thank you so much!
Hope to have an update later this evening on Colby...
Afternoon Visit
Jason and I stopped by around lunch and he was out like a light! He didn't wake up the entire time we were there...he barely moved! That is very odd for our child---he is always moving! Last night tuckered him out a lot! All his SATs were doing really well and his blood gases were as well.
Phone Call with Dr. Whittington
Got a call from the doctor after we left with an update of the changes they were going to be working on today.
-They were switching all his meds over from IV meds to oral meds---this means that the medications will be mixed in with his formula instead of going in through his IV. They are adding Vitamin D to his list of meds to help strengthen his bones. They are also adding some extra sodium to his diet since one of his meds tends to have an affect on his sodium amounts. They were also switching his formula from a 20 calorie to a 24 calorie and he had gone up to 15 CCs yesterday. If he can tolerate all these new things---change in formula and the meds in his formula instead of in his IV---without it upsetting his tummy, they will probably take the IV out of his little arm!!!! YEAH!!! PRAISES!! PRAYER---that he will be able to tolerate all these changes like a big boy and they will be able to remove his IV so he will have one less thing sticking in him!
-He had an eye exam on the 5th and it was normal and looking good so far. He has another one tomorrow with Dr. Parma. PRAYER---Please pray that he eyes continue to grow correctly and that he will not have any eye issues!
-He had an ultrasound on his kidneys a little while ago and they were a little swollen. They will do another ultrasound tomorrow to check on them but Dr. Whittington said this was normal for preemies and it can go away on it's own. PRAYER---please pray that when they do the next ultrasound that they find his kidneys are getting back to a normal size.
-His head growth is normal so that is good. His bleed is still dissipating so that is going in the right direction. PRAISES!!! PRAYER---pray that this bleed continues to be absorbed and that there are no complications.
Thank you to all our prayer warriors who also prayed for Cadence. I have found out that she has pneumonia and has had a fever for quite some time. Please pray that for wisdom for the doctors and nurses so that they will know what to do to help this precious little girl. Pray for comfort and peace for her parents and family. Thank you so much!
Hope to have an update later this evening on Colby...
Monday, September 10, 2012
We have a BIG BOY on our hands now!
AM Check-In
Having a good day with Heather so far. His rate was at 20, his oxygen was at 50%, and his pressure was at 24 over 5 (down from 26 over 5). He weighed 2 pounds 9 ounces and was doing good on his feedings. The nurse practitioner was going to be talking to the doctor about removing the ventilator.
Evening Visit
-Had his rate down to 10!!!
-Oxygen and pressure still the same
-He was very mad when Heather had to get blood for his blood gas check and you could hear him squeak a bit because he got very mad! We took the big camera in tonight and got some good pictures---will try and get those up tomorrow! Were hoping to take him off the ventilator in a few hours (after his food had time to digest).
PM Check-In
Talked with Stephanie and our little man is breathing on his own!!!! He is on a CPAP and it has two little pieces of plastic that go in his nose and puff air in. It is there to help remind him to breathe. It has rates and pressures and other numbers very similar to the other machine. PRAISES---So excited our little man is being such a big boy and breathing on his own!!!
Sometimes babies will have an issue with feeding when they are switched over because of the extra air in their tummy. PRAYER---Please pray our Colby doesn't have any issues with his feeding. He needs his formula to keep growing strong!
His heart rate never dropped and although he can cry now, he has to learn to do that. Stephanie did hear a little whimper tonight though. :) It isn't a usual thing for parents to want to hear but my baby crying means good things!!!
They will do a gas tonight around midnight to see how his little body is doing with the changes. PRAYER---pray that he is tolerating the changes well and they can continue to move down on his rates and pressures.
Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers! Please continue to pray for our little man!
Also---please pray for Cadence Doster, the two year old daughter of a co-worker and friend of mine and she has been taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Not sure what is going on...hope to have more details from Meredith soon. On top of that, Meredith (the Mommy) just gave birth to Cadence's little sister---Ellie---a few days ago.
Having a good day with Heather so far. His rate was at 20, his oxygen was at 50%, and his pressure was at 24 over 5 (down from 26 over 5). He weighed 2 pounds 9 ounces and was doing good on his feedings. The nurse practitioner was going to be talking to the doctor about removing the ventilator.
Evening Visit
-Had his rate down to 10!!!
-Oxygen and pressure still the same
-He was very mad when Heather had to get blood for his blood gas check and you could hear him squeak a bit because he got very mad! We took the big camera in tonight and got some good pictures---will try and get those up tomorrow! Were hoping to take him off the ventilator in a few hours (after his food had time to digest).
PM Check-In
Talked with Stephanie and our little man is breathing on his own!!!! He is on a CPAP and it has two little pieces of plastic that go in his nose and puff air in. It is there to help remind him to breathe. It has rates and pressures and other numbers very similar to the other machine. PRAISES---So excited our little man is being such a big boy and breathing on his own!!!
Sometimes babies will have an issue with feeding when they are switched over because of the extra air in their tummy. PRAYER---Please pray our Colby doesn't have any issues with his feeding. He needs his formula to keep growing strong!
His heart rate never dropped and although he can cry now, he has to learn to do that. Stephanie did hear a little whimper tonight though. :) It isn't a usual thing for parents to want to hear but my baby crying means good things!!!
They will do a gas tonight around midnight to see how his little body is doing with the changes. PRAYER---pray that he is tolerating the changes well and they can continue to move down on his rates and pressures.
Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers! Please continue to pray for our little man!
Also---please pray for Cadence Doster, the two year old daughter of a co-worker and friend of mine and she has been taken to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Not sure what is going on...hope to have more details from Meredith soon. On top of that, Meredith (the Mommy) just gave birth to Cadence's little sister---Ellie---a few days ago.
Tonight's the night
Just a quick update to get all of our prayer warriors going.
Colby is going to get to be a big boy tonight and try to breathe without the ventilator. They had the machine down to 10 breaths per minute for part of the day and he has done well so his doctors and nurses agree that it is time to try. Sometime in the next hour they are going to take the tube out of his lungs and put him on a CPAP machine. It will still help him along but he will be breathing all on his own.
Please pray that his little lungs will do what they are supposed to do and he will start breathing on his own.
Our GOD is an AWESOME GOD!!!
Colby is going to get to be a big boy tonight and try to breathe without the ventilator. They had the machine down to 10 breaths per minute for part of the day and he has done well so his doctors and nurses agree that it is time to try. Sometime in the next hour they are going to take the tube out of his lungs and put him on a CPAP machine. It will still help him along but he will be breathing all on his own.
Please pray that his little lungs will do what they are supposed to do and he will start breathing on his own.
Our GOD is an AWESOME GOD!!!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
BEST DAY EVER! (So far)
AM Check-In
Jason called in and checked on Colby this morning with Brooke and he was doing good. His oxygen was at 50% and his rate was still at 20. Brooke had swaddled him a bit this morning and he was liking it so far! They had to remove his arterial line because his vein gave out and they decided to spread out his gases a little so they don't have to prick his heel as often.
Evening Visit with Mommy, Daddy, and Ainsley
-We took Ainsley to see Colby this evening and she sat next to his bed and sang him songs and told him some nursery rhymes. It was so sweet! That lasted for about 5-10 minutes and then she wanted to play with my phone. :)
-Brooke was telling us that she really thought Colby was ready to try and come off the ventilator! He is breathing over the machine a bit now and his rate has been doing well. She was going to talk with the nurse practitioner and see what her thoughts were. His blood gases looked good and they both agreed to try but when the nurse practitioner looked at his pressure she decided to try and lower it a bit before taking him off the ventilator. So, that is our plan for the next few days and hopefully we will be able to try coming off the ventilator this week sometime! PRAYER---Please pray that our little man is up for the challenge of breathing on his own and that he puts on his big boy diapers this week! :)
-Mommy was talking with Colby while Brooke was changing him (Mommy passed on trying to redeem myself tonight!). He poo-poo'd some more after Brooke took off his diaper but she is more used to working around those wires and she did much better than mommy would have! :)
-Brooke finished up with Colby and went to do something else...then she came back with some gowns and said, "Ok, let's do this!"! It took me a minute to figure out she meant we were going to get to hold Colby! Of course I almost started crying but she said I wasn't going to be able to hold him if I started crying so I stopped! :) I put on my gown while she got all his wires straightened out and got him all swaddled up for me. I sat down while she handed him to me and Jason had to hold the oxygen tubes for me. Ainsley got moved over in her chair and wanted to touch him everywhere! She touched his head and then his hand. She was so sweet with him---what a GREAT BIG SISTER!!! She did get upset that she couldn't hold him though. :)
-Then it was Daddy's turn to hold his little boy for the first time! I held his oxygen tubes for him and Sheila and Brooke did such a wonderful things and helped to keep Ainsley's attention so we could have a few minutes with our boy! They were soooo sweet with her! Brooke got her some paper and a pencil so she could draw.
Sheila mentioned on our way out that Brooke must be our favorite nurse now since she let us hold Colby for the first time. To any of our nurses that read this---we love you all! We are so blessed to have each of you taking care of our pumpkin. We feel so comfortable with him in your hands and can't begin to express our appreciation for the love and attention you have shown our little man. Our hearts are in your hands and God has placed all of you in our lives for a reason and I am forever grateful! God Bless you for what you do each day!
This has been such a wonderful day---our God is amazing and I am humbled by the blessings He is placing on us. PRAISES for all the fantastic news today! I just can't say it enough! PRAYERS--that our little man has a good week and that if they are able to try and take him off the ventilator that it goes well!!!! It would be such a big move for him and we hope he is up for it!
Please keep praying---God hears us!
Brie
Jason called in and checked on Colby this morning with Brooke and he was doing good. His oxygen was at 50% and his rate was still at 20. Brooke had swaddled him a bit this morning and he was liking it so far! They had to remove his arterial line because his vein gave out and they decided to spread out his gases a little so they don't have to prick his heel as often.
Evening Visit with Mommy, Daddy, and Ainsley
-We took Ainsley to see Colby this evening and she sat next to his bed and sang him songs and told him some nursery rhymes. It was so sweet! That lasted for about 5-10 minutes and then she wanted to play with my phone. :)
-Brooke was telling us that she really thought Colby was ready to try and come off the ventilator! He is breathing over the machine a bit now and his rate has been doing well. She was going to talk with the nurse practitioner and see what her thoughts were. His blood gases looked good and they both agreed to try but when the nurse practitioner looked at his pressure she decided to try and lower it a bit before taking him off the ventilator. So, that is our plan for the next few days and hopefully we will be able to try coming off the ventilator this week sometime! PRAYER---Please pray that our little man is up for the challenge of breathing on his own and that he puts on his big boy diapers this week! :)
-Mommy was talking with Colby while Brooke was changing him (Mommy passed on trying to redeem myself tonight!). He poo-poo'd some more after Brooke took off his diaper but she is more used to working around those wires and she did much better than mommy would have! :)
-Brooke finished up with Colby and went to do something else...then she came back with some gowns and said, "Ok, let's do this!"! It took me a minute to figure out she meant we were going to get to hold Colby! Of course I almost started crying but she said I wasn't going to be able to hold him if I started crying so I stopped! :) I put on my gown while she got all his wires straightened out and got him all swaddled up for me. I sat down while she handed him to me and Jason had to hold the oxygen tubes for me. Ainsley got moved over in her chair and wanted to touch him everywhere! She touched his head and then his hand. She was so sweet with him---what a GREAT BIG SISTER!!! She did get upset that she couldn't hold him though. :)
-Then it was Daddy's turn to hold his little boy for the first time! I held his oxygen tubes for him and Sheila and Brooke did such a wonderful things and helped to keep Ainsley's attention so we could have a few minutes with our boy! They were soooo sweet with her! Brooke got her some paper and a pencil so she could draw.
Sheila mentioned on our way out that Brooke must be our favorite nurse now since she let us hold Colby for the first time. To any of our nurses that read this---we love you all! We are so blessed to have each of you taking care of our pumpkin. We feel so comfortable with him in your hands and can't begin to express our appreciation for the love and attention you have shown our little man. Our hearts are in your hands and God has placed all of you in our lives for a reason and I am forever grateful! God Bless you for what you do each day!
This has been such a wonderful day---our God is amazing and I am humbled by the blessings He is placing on us. PRAISES for all the fantastic news today! I just can't say it enough! PRAYERS--that our little man has a good week and that if they are able to try and take him off the ventilator that it goes well!!!! It would be such a big move for him and we hope he is up for it!
Please keep praying---God hears us!
Brie
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Making Mommy look like an amateur!
Morning Check-In
Talked with his nurse, Brooke, this morning and Colby was having a good morning. His rate was at 20 and his oxygen was at 70%. He weighed 2 pounds and 9 ounces---lost an ounce which isn't always bad. He had just eaten and was sleeping when I called.
Morning Visit
-Jason and I went to visit this morning and Brooke had placed one of the bean bag things that they wrap around him on his head and over his eyes so it blocked out a little more light. He seemed to like that and was sleeping well.
-Of course Mommy had to move it off his face so I could watch him and I ended up waking him up!
-A few minutes later his SATs went down a bit so I tried talking to him and tried to hold him hand...he didn't want anything to do with me. He started to get agitated and was squirming and pushing himself up a little with his arms and then he tried to turn his face into the bed---which of course he can't do because he is attached to a ventilator!! I freaked out a bit for messing with him so I put the bean bag thing back over his eyes!
-It was almost time to change his diaper so I was able to do it. I got him cleaned and went to put the new diaper on and he started to poo-poo! I got the diaper under him and waited for him to finish, then went to clean him again and he started poo-pooing again! At this point the diaper is actually turned sideways and then Colby starts to tee-tee!!!! Brooke had to step to the other side of the bed to help me finish getting him clean and put a fresh diaper on him!!! It was so sweet of Colby to make Mommy look like an amateur at changing diapers!!!
-I also got to suction his mouth out and wash out his little mouth and face!
-Colby's potassium was still a touch low so they were giving him a little bit more with his formula.
-He was still at 70% oxygen and his rate was 20.
PM Check-In
-Called and talked with Brandon to see how Colby was doing and we are having a good night!
-He had a good blood gas at 8pm so they went down on his pressure by 1!! PRAISES!!
-His rate is still at 20 but his oxygen is down to 50%!!!! PRAISES!!!
-His feeding is still going well and they are adding potassium to his feedings because he is still a little low on it. His potassium is now at 3.3
-He weighs 2 pounds 8 ounces tonight.
We have been so blessed to be able to do these little "normal" parent things over the last few days! Such an amazing feeling to finally be doing some of these things for our little man! God is so wonderful and I am humbled at the miracles I am witnessing with Colby and these other NICU babies! Thank you for all the prayers and please keep them coming!
Brie
Talked with his nurse, Brooke, this morning and Colby was having a good morning. His rate was at 20 and his oxygen was at 70%. He weighed 2 pounds and 9 ounces---lost an ounce which isn't always bad. He had just eaten and was sleeping when I called.
Morning Visit
-Jason and I went to visit this morning and Brooke had placed one of the bean bag things that they wrap around him on his head and over his eyes so it blocked out a little more light. He seemed to like that and was sleeping well.
-Of course Mommy had to move it off his face so I could watch him and I ended up waking him up!
-A few minutes later his SATs went down a bit so I tried talking to him and tried to hold him hand...he didn't want anything to do with me. He started to get agitated and was squirming and pushing himself up a little with his arms and then he tried to turn his face into the bed---which of course he can't do because he is attached to a ventilator!! I freaked out a bit for messing with him so I put the bean bag thing back over his eyes!
-It was almost time to change his diaper so I was able to do it. I got him cleaned and went to put the new diaper on and he started to poo-poo! I got the diaper under him and waited for him to finish, then went to clean him again and he started poo-pooing again! At this point the diaper is actually turned sideways and then Colby starts to tee-tee!!!! Brooke had to step to the other side of the bed to help me finish getting him clean and put a fresh diaper on him!!! It was so sweet of Colby to make Mommy look like an amateur at changing diapers!!!
-I also got to suction his mouth out and wash out his little mouth and face!
-Colby's potassium was still a touch low so they were giving him a little bit more with his formula.
-He was still at 70% oxygen and his rate was 20.
PM Check-In
-Called and talked with Brandon to see how Colby was doing and we are having a good night!
-He had a good blood gas at 8pm so they went down on his pressure by 1!! PRAISES!!
-His rate is still at 20 but his oxygen is down to 50%!!!! PRAISES!!!
-His feeding is still going well and they are adding potassium to his feedings because he is still a little low on it. His potassium is now at 3.3
-He weighs 2 pounds 8 ounces tonight.
We have been so blessed to be able to do these little "normal" parent things over the last few days! Such an amazing feeling to finally be doing some of these things for our little man! God is so wonderful and I am humbled at the miracles I am witnessing with Colby and these other NICU babies! Thank you for all the prayers and please keep them coming!
Brie
Sept 7th---BIG NEWS!!!!
Good Morning! Had a great day yesterday!
AM Check-In:
-Colby's nurse, Emily, told us that he weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces
-His oxygen was at 60%
-His rate was at 20
-His potassium was a little low so they were going to give him some---either in an IV or orally
-He was also going to get a heart echo graph to check on his PDA
Noon-Time Visits---with Mommy, Grandma, and Grams
-Rate and oxygen still holding steady
-Colby's feeding got upped to 14 CCs today!
-They were giving him his potassium through an IV
-Mommy got to change his diaper and he was very wet
-Emily sat him up a little bit for a visit with us!!! He opened his eyes and looked around while we talked to him!
-I also got to "hold" Colby for the first time!!! PRAISES!!!! WHOO HOO!!! It was the sweetest thing! Got pictures that I am putting up today!
PM Check-In:
-Rate at 20
-Oxygen at 70%
-His potassium was rising---it went from 2.9 to 3.2 and they like for it to be between 3.5-5.0 so he was getting closer
-He was squirming around so Brandon had given him some sedation and was hoping to get his oxygen down a bit
AM Check-In:
-Colby's nurse, Emily, told us that he weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces
-His oxygen was at 60%
-His rate was at 20
-His potassium was a little low so they were going to give him some---either in an IV or orally
-He was also going to get a heart echo graph to check on his PDA
Noon-Time Visits---with Mommy, Grandma, and Grams
-Rate and oxygen still holding steady
-Colby's feeding got upped to 14 CCs today!
-They were giving him his potassium through an IV
-Mommy got to change his diaper and he was very wet
-Emily sat him up a little bit for a visit with us!!! He opened his eyes and looked around while we talked to him!
-I also got to "hold" Colby for the first time!!! PRAISES!!!! WHOO HOO!!! It was the sweetest thing! Got pictures that I am putting up today!
PM Check-In:
-Rate at 20
-Oxygen at 70%
-His potassium was rising---it went from 2.9 to 3.2 and they like for it to be between 3.5-5.0 so he was getting closer
-He was squirming around so Brandon had given him some sedation and was hoping to get his oxygen down a bit
Friday, September 7, 2012
Sept 6th Update
Good Morning Everyone! We checked in with his nurse pretty late last night so I didn't have a chance to update the blog before I went to bed. We had a pretty good day yesterday!!!
AM Check-In with Elizabeth:
-75% oxygen
-32 rate---this is doing well! Making progress on moving this down!
-He weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces
-Overall he was having a good morning!
Mommy and Emily's visit:
-Colby's oxygen SAT was in the high 90s so Elizabeth took his oxygen down 2% (down to 70%) which was good. He kept his oxygen SAT steady after that too so Mommy was happy.
-He had just eaten lunch so he was a little sleepy
-He did peek an eye open a time or two to play peek-a-boo!
-He was moving around a good amount at one point...he was pushing himself off his tummy!
Daddy's visit:
-Making good progress on his ventilator today
--65% oxygen
--28 rate
-Colby got very mad at one point and was moving around a lot and pushing himself up with his legs again! One of the nurses stepped over and suctioned his little mouth a little and that seemed to settle him down again.
PM Check-In:
Talked with Debbie last night and his settings were still the same from Daddy's visit. He was doing good with his antibiotics and formula. She hadn't weighed him when we talked so I will find that out this morning! She said he was being a sweet baby last night! Yeah!
So many things to be thankful for over these last few days! Thank you for all your prayers! Our God is wonderful and can do amazing things!
AM Check-In with Elizabeth:
-75% oxygen
-32 rate---this is doing well! Making progress on moving this down!
-He weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces
-Overall he was having a good morning!
Mommy and Emily's visit:
-Colby's oxygen SAT was in the high 90s so Elizabeth took his oxygen down 2% (down to 70%) which was good. He kept his oxygen SAT steady after that too so Mommy was happy.
-He had just eaten lunch so he was a little sleepy
-He did peek an eye open a time or two to play peek-a-boo!
-He was moving around a good amount at one point...he was pushing himself off his tummy!
Daddy's visit:
-Making good progress on his ventilator today
--65% oxygen
--28 rate
-Colby got very mad at one point and was moving around a lot and pushing himself up with his legs again! One of the nurses stepped over and suctioned his little mouth a little and that seemed to settle him down again.
PM Check-In:
Talked with Debbie last night and his settings were still the same from Daddy's visit. He was doing good with his antibiotics and formula. She hadn't weighed him when we talked so I will find that out this morning! She said he was being a sweet baby last night! Yeah!
So many things to be thankful for over these last few days! Thank you for all your prayers! Our God is wonderful and can do amazing things!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Sept 5th Update
Before I get started I wanted to mention again another NICU family---The Green's---that we are following along with. You can check out their Facebook page "Caring for Cara Green" to see this miracle that God has given this family. Cara was born at 29 weeks and was due the day before Colby. She weighed 1 pound at birth but is already breathing on her own!!!! WOW!!! PRAISE!!! To hear her cry is the sweetest thing! PRAYER---I am asking that everyone also say a prayer for Cara today---The Green's found out after Cara had her head ultrasound that she has a level 4 bleed. Please pray for this to bleed to be absorbed and not have any lasting affects on this sweet girl. Thank you so much!!!!
AM Update
Jason checked in with Wendy Wednesday morning and here are the highlights:
-Colby weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces
-44 rate (This means the machine breaths for him 44 times in a minute)
-65% oxygen
-He is still doing good on his feedings
Noon-time Visit
-When we went in, Colby was getting his eye drops for Dr. Parma's (his eye doctor) visit
----This did not make him very happy at all!!!! :) PRAYER---Please pray that the doctor continues to see Colby's eyes growing the way they are supposed to.
-Colby was on his back when we got there and his SATs were doing ok
-He was tolerating his feeding still and we are now at full feedings. This means he is no longer getting Lipids and TPN in his IV---he is just getting the nutrients from the formula and seems to be doing well with this!!! PRAISE!!!!!
-He was still tee-teeing well
-Wendy was going to give him some tummy time as soon as Dr. Parma made his rounds and visited with Colby.
-Colby isn't looking swollen anywhere so it looks like that 2 pounds 9 ounces might actually be him! He is getting so big!
Evening Update
I called to check on him last night and his nurse said he was being a really sweet boy!
-70% oxygen
-40 rate
-His blood gases were looking good so she was going to ween him a little bit more from those numbers
-Still doing well with his formula feeding!!! PRAISE!!! This is what will help him keep growing and getting stronger! PRAYER--that this keeps doing well for him.
-There weren't any notes in his book from Dr. Parma. the nurse said they usually only call/leave notes if something isn't going the way they want it to. So---no news is good news for now.
Very proud of my little man!
Brie
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Need Prayers Please!!!!
AM Check-In
When Jason called to check in this morning our pumpkin and he was doing good. He had gained 70 grams so he weighed 2 pounds 8 ounces. His oxygen was at 60%---down just a little bit. His rate was at 50. He was doing well with his 13 CCs of formula and he had started his antibiotics.
Mommy Late Morning Visit
Mommy and Grandma went to visit Colby around lunch time and he was doing well. He was sleeping when we got there. He had started getting some breathing treatments to help his lungs as well---albuteral and flowvent.
Daddy After Work Visit
Daddy went to visit after work and found out Colby had an interesting afternoon after mommy left. It seems that he felt he wasn't getting enough attention lately so when the doctor was making his rounds---Colby decided it would be fun for all if he spiked his heart rate to 238 beats per minute (keep in mind he is usually around the 150s-160s)!!! To make it even more interesting---he kept this up for about an hour! The doctors and nurses were all fussing over him trying to figure out what was going on.
They did x-rays, an EEG, took blood for some cultures, along with a couple other tests to see if they could figure out a reason for this. They were also about to start an EKG when he decided to return to more normal numbers. He missed his 3 o'clock feeding due to this "spell" but they are prepared to do more tests if it should happen again. They have also stopped the breathing treatment for now.
Due to this---his ventilator got some adjustments to help him. They are still confused as to what could be the cause. PRAYER---Please pray that this was a one time thing and that if there is something that needs to be "fixed" that God gives these doctors and nurses the wisdom to find the trigger to this rapid heart rate.
PM Check-In
Daddy just called to check in and they were feeding Colby again. His rate was at 48 and she was adjusting his oxygen percentage down to 60%! Moving in the right direction again with that! He was tee-teeing well so that is good! Back to feeding again---still at 13 CCs. Ms. Debbie says he was having a good night and she wasn't anticipating any other issue but that they were ready with the tests in case he decided to misbehave again! :)
Our little man is so special to us and we are awed by his group of prayer warriors and so thankful to all of you for your continued support and love!
Brie
When Jason called to check in this morning our pumpkin and he was doing good. He had gained 70 grams so he weighed 2 pounds 8 ounces. His oxygen was at 60%---down just a little bit. His rate was at 50. He was doing well with his 13 CCs of formula and he had started his antibiotics.
Mommy Late Morning Visit
Mommy and Grandma went to visit Colby around lunch time and he was doing well. He was sleeping when we got there. He had started getting some breathing treatments to help his lungs as well---albuteral and flowvent.
Daddy After Work Visit
Daddy went to visit after work and found out Colby had an interesting afternoon after mommy left. It seems that he felt he wasn't getting enough attention lately so when the doctor was making his rounds---Colby decided it would be fun for all if he spiked his heart rate to 238 beats per minute (keep in mind he is usually around the 150s-160s)!!! To make it even more interesting---he kept this up for about an hour! The doctors and nurses were all fussing over him trying to figure out what was going on.
They did x-rays, an EEG, took blood for some cultures, along with a couple other tests to see if they could figure out a reason for this. They were also about to start an EKG when he decided to return to more normal numbers. He missed his 3 o'clock feeding due to this "spell" but they are prepared to do more tests if it should happen again. They have also stopped the breathing treatment for now.
Due to this---his ventilator got some adjustments to help him. They are still confused as to what could be the cause. PRAYER---Please pray that this was a one time thing and that if there is something that needs to be "fixed" that God gives these doctors and nurses the wisdom to find the trigger to this rapid heart rate.
PM Check-In
Daddy just called to check in and they were feeding Colby again. His rate was at 48 and she was adjusting his oxygen percentage down to 60%! Moving in the right direction again with that! He was tee-teeing well so that is good! Back to feeding again---still at 13 CCs. Ms. Debbie says he was having a good night and she wasn't anticipating any other issue but that they were ready with the tests in case he decided to misbehave again! :)
Our little man is so special to us and we are awed by his group of prayer warriors and so thankful to all of you for your continued support and love!
Brie
Monday, September 3, 2012
Fantastic News today!!!
It never ceases to amaze me how we have a rough day and we ask for prayers from our friends and family and within a few days---those prayers are answered. Our God is wonderful and I just have to remind myself daily to give Him those things I worry over...I know He will take care of everything.
AM Check-In
Jason checked in with his nurse this morning, Kim, and she told us Colby was having a good morning. His rate was still at 50 and his oxygen was at 62%. His head circumference was almost 25---we are a little concerned about this getting too big too soon. And he was going to be going to 12 CCs of formula at noon!!!!
Afternoon Visit
We were able to visit with Dr. Whittington (hope I spelled that right!) and here are the highlights:
-Dr. showed Jason where Colby's head was charting on the growth chart and said we should expect some growth and he thought Colby was doing ok at this point.
-Colby had an ultrasound of his head this morning and the notes said "Level 3 bleed resolving"!!!! PRAISE!!!! PRAISE!!! This is fantastic news and definitely answered prayers! We need the bleed to keep being absorbed!
---There was no note about the shadow or cyst but the doctor said Colby would have to have an MRI before he came home to check that issue out. An MRI sees a little deeper in but they can't do that right now.
-At 9pm tonight Colby will be going to 13 CCs of formula and that will be the most right now. They will be switching his formula to one with more calories soon. The one he is on now is 20 calories. :) Mommy is very excited about this! PRAISE!!!
-His blood test came back a little suspicious so they are starting him on antibiotics and doing a blood culture to make sure there isn't an infection. The doctor doesn't really think there is but wants to check to make sure. They will also do another spinal tap to check his spinal fluids for an infection. PRAYER---Please pray that the results come back negative on both cultures!
-They are also going to do another heart ultrasound to check on his PDA...they want to make sure this is doing ok. There is some concern that this has opened up again. PRAYER---Please pray that this closes on it's own very soon!
We took Ainsley up for a visit today and Colby waived to her, opened his eyes to see her, and Ainsley sang a few songs for him. His oxygen SAT hit 100 while she was singing! SO SWEET!!!! Then she wanted to leave! :)
We are going to be recording our voices for him---Jason and I will be reading books/talking and we are going to have Ainsley sing to him or tell him some nursery rhymes! I am really excited about this!
Thank you to everyone out there that reads our blogs and thinks about and prays for our family. We really appreciate all you do!
Brie
AM Check-In
Jason checked in with his nurse this morning, Kim, and she told us Colby was having a good morning. His rate was still at 50 and his oxygen was at 62%. His head circumference was almost 25---we are a little concerned about this getting too big too soon. And he was going to be going to 12 CCs of formula at noon!!!!
Afternoon Visit
We were able to visit with Dr. Whittington (hope I spelled that right!) and here are the highlights:
-Dr. showed Jason where Colby's head was charting on the growth chart and said we should expect some growth and he thought Colby was doing ok at this point.
-Colby had an ultrasound of his head this morning and the notes said "Level 3 bleed resolving"!!!! PRAISE!!!! PRAISE!!! This is fantastic news and definitely answered prayers! We need the bleed to keep being absorbed!
---There was no note about the shadow or cyst but the doctor said Colby would have to have an MRI before he came home to check that issue out. An MRI sees a little deeper in but they can't do that right now.
-At 9pm tonight Colby will be going to 13 CCs of formula and that will be the most right now. They will be switching his formula to one with more calories soon. The one he is on now is 20 calories. :) Mommy is very excited about this! PRAISE!!!
-His blood test came back a little suspicious so they are starting him on antibiotics and doing a blood culture to make sure there isn't an infection. The doctor doesn't really think there is but wants to check to make sure. They will also do another spinal tap to check his spinal fluids for an infection. PRAYER---Please pray that the results come back negative on both cultures!
-They are also going to do another heart ultrasound to check on his PDA...they want to make sure this is doing ok. There is some concern that this has opened up again. PRAYER---Please pray that this closes on it's own very soon!
We took Ainsley up for a visit today and Colby waived to her, opened his eyes to see her, and Ainsley sang a few songs for him. His oxygen SAT hit 100 while she was singing! SO SWEET!!!! Then she wanted to leave! :)
We are going to be recording our voices for him---Jason and I will be reading books/talking and we are going to have Ainsley sing to him or tell him some nursery rhymes! I am really excited about this!
Thank you to everyone out there that reads our blogs and thinks about and prays for our family. We really appreciate all you do!
Brie
Sunday's Info--Colby likes football :)
Sorry about the delay in getting you Sunday's info. Here are the highlights:
AM Check-In
-When we checked in he was having a good morning and holding steady at a rate of 50 and is oxygen at 75%
-Rhonda told us that after we left on Saturday (during our visit he was very wiggly and wouldn't settle down) she changed his diaper (which was very full) and turned him over on his back and he got happy! His SATs stayed more level and he relaxed and went to sleep! :)
Afternoon Visit
-He got 10 CCs of formula at 6pm! Doing so well with his feedings!!!
-Mommy got to change his diaper---very full at 18 CCs!
-He had both of his eyes open for most of our visit.
-His oxygen SAT was all over the place so Mommy tried talking to Colby to get it to rise and it didn't work this time. I was so sad. Then Daddy started talking to him and telling him all about the Alabama football game and Colby's SAT went right up!!!
PM Check-In
-He was down to 68% oxygen!!!
-Gases were good but not good enough to adjust the ventilator
-He will go up to 11 CCs at 3am!!!
-He weighed 2 pounds 5 ounces!
-He was tee-teeing very well and having a good night overall!
We are so blessed to see all the little baby steps that we are seeing! I know that we have a long road ahead of us but we are so excited for all the positives!
Brie
AM Check-In
-When we checked in he was having a good morning and holding steady at a rate of 50 and is oxygen at 75%
-Rhonda told us that after we left on Saturday (during our visit he was very wiggly and wouldn't settle down) she changed his diaper (which was very full) and turned him over on his back and he got happy! His SATs stayed more level and he relaxed and went to sleep! :)
Afternoon Visit
-He got 10 CCs of formula at 6pm! Doing so well with his feedings!!!
-Mommy got to change his diaper---very full at 18 CCs!
-He had both of his eyes open for most of our visit.
-His oxygen SAT was all over the place so Mommy tried talking to Colby to get it to rise and it didn't work this time. I was so sad. Then Daddy started talking to him and telling him all about the Alabama football game and Colby's SAT went right up!!!
PM Check-In
-He was down to 68% oxygen!!!
-Gases were good but not good enough to adjust the ventilator
-He will go up to 11 CCs at 3am!!!
-He weighed 2 pounds 5 ounces!
-He was tee-teeing very well and having a good night overall!
We are so blessed to see all the little baby steps that we are seeing! I know that we have a long road ahead of us but we are so excited for all the positives!
Brie
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Already the first of September!
Wow...it seems that it was just yesterday that I was in the hospital but our little man is 5 weeks old today!
First I would like to ask all our prayer warriors to also include a new born named Cara in your prayers. She was born at 29 weeks and weighs 1 pound!!! Her story can followed on Facebook (look for "Caring for Cara Green"). We met her parents Kristy and Jason today and were able to talk with them for a little bit. Cara is already showing signs that she is a tough cookie! :)
Our pumpkin had a pretty steady day today. Here are some of the bullets:
AM Check-In
When we checked in this morning with Rhonda, he was having a pretty good morning. All his SATs were holding steady and they hadn't made any adjustments to his oxygen or rate.
Afternoon Visit
-Rate still at 48
-Oxygen at 78%
-Colby had gained a little bit of weight so they wanted to make sure he gets rid of any water weight--they upped his diuretic just a little bit ( .9cc to 1.1cc) and he was having good diapers so that will help.
-He had his eyes open most of the time we were there and was squirmy, too.
-They are also going up on his feeding every 9 hours instead of every 12 hours!!!! PRAISES!!! Mommy is so excited! At 3pm Colby got 7 CCs and at midnight he will be getting 8 CCs!!!! This is back to where we were with feeding before the infection set in---8 CCs will be the highest amount yet!!! Whoo Hoo! PRAISE!!!! PRAISE!!!!
Evening Check-In
Talked with Sheila tonight and got an update on our little man! He is have a good night. His rate and oxygen % are holding stead. His blood gases have looked good but not strong enough to make any adjustments on the ventilator. He seemed to be moving/jerking around a little tonight so she gave him some meds to calm him down a bit. I pray my baby has a quiet night and gets some good rest!
Thank you to everyone for their continued prayers and support!
Brie
First I would like to ask all our prayer warriors to also include a new born named Cara in your prayers. She was born at 29 weeks and weighs 1 pound!!! Her story can followed on Facebook (look for "Caring for Cara Green"). We met her parents Kristy and Jason today and were able to talk with them for a little bit. Cara is already showing signs that she is a tough cookie! :)
Our pumpkin had a pretty steady day today. Here are some of the bullets:
AM Check-In
When we checked in this morning with Rhonda, he was having a pretty good morning. All his SATs were holding steady and they hadn't made any adjustments to his oxygen or rate.
Afternoon Visit
-Rate still at 48
-Oxygen at 78%
-Colby had gained a little bit of weight so they wanted to make sure he gets rid of any water weight--they upped his diuretic just a little bit ( .9cc to 1.1cc) and he was having good diapers so that will help.
-He had his eyes open most of the time we were there and was squirmy, too.
-They are also going up on his feeding every 9 hours instead of every 12 hours!!!! PRAISES!!! Mommy is so excited! At 3pm Colby got 7 CCs and at midnight he will be getting 8 CCs!!!! This is back to where we were with feeding before the infection set in---8 CCs will be the highest amount yet!!! Whoo Hoo! PRAISE!!!! PRAISE!!!!
Evening Check-In
Talked with Sheila tonight and got an update on our little man! He is have a good night. His rate and oxygen % are holding stead. His blood gases have looked good but not strong enough to make any adjustments on the ventilator. He seemed to be moving/jerking around a little tonight so she gave him some meds to calm him down a bit. I pray my baby has a quiet night and gets some good rest!
Thank you to everyone for their continued prayers and support!
Brie
Friday, August 31, 2012
Nightly Check-In
Jason called and got the evening check-up:
-They have discontinued all antibiotics at this time---please pray the next cultures come back negative
-They dropped his rate to 48
-His oxygen is at 75%
-He weighed 2 pounds 7 ounces (gained 80 grams)
-They have upped his feeding to 5 CCs every 3 hours!!!! PRAISE!!!!! This makes mommy so happy! They will start increasing his feeding amount 1 CC every 12 hours. In addition to this they will reduce his IV fluids by .3 so that way he isn't getting too much fluid.
-They did a complete blood count (CBC) at 6pm and it looked ok.
-His head circumfrence is still at 24.5---pray that this stays within a good measurement.
-His next ultrasound is scheduled for September 3 so please pray for good results from this!!!
We appreciate all the prayers that everyone is sending!
Thank you!
Brie
-They have discontinued all antibiotics at this time---please pray the next cultures come back negative
-They dropped his rate to 48
-His oxygen is at 75%
-He weighed 2 pounds 7 ounces (gained 80 grams)
-They have upped his feeding to 5 CCs every 3 hours!!!! PRAISE!!!!! This makes mommy so happy! They will start increasing his feeding amount 1 CC every 12 hours. In addition to this they will reduce his IV fluids by .3 so that way he isn't getting too much fluid.
-They did a complete blood count (CBC) at 6pm and it looked ok.
-His head circumfrence is still at 24.5---pray that this stays within a good measurement.
-His next ultrasound is scheduled for September 3 so please pray for good results from this!!!
We appreciate all the prayers that everyone is sending!
Thank you!
Brie
Prayers Needed Please!
Morning Check-In
-His rate was at 50...down a little from last night which is great! PRAISE!
-His oxygen was at 70% which is up a little from last night but when they adjust the rate and other readings...it can have an affect on his oxygen.
-Still doing well on his feedings---we are actually having 4 CCs every 3 hours...NOT every 4 hours.
-Overall---he was having a good morning! PRAISE!!
Daddy's Visit
-Daddy took Aric to visit Colby at lunch and Colby's SATs were not doing very well so they had to bump his oxygen up to 80%.
Mommy's Visit
-Mommy took Laura to visit Colby later in the afternoon.
-Talked with the doctor and here were some updates that she went over with me:
-His spinal fluid test that came back positive was checked again twice since that first result and both of those were negative so the doctor wanted to continue with the original plan of ceasing the
antibiotics. So the two they started last night and the two he was already on have been stopped.
They will do another spinal tap and test the fluid in two days---if it is positive then they will put
him back on the antibiotics but at least they will know for sure. But the doctor seemed to feel that
the test will come back negative. PRAYER---Please pray that the test they do in two days comes
back negative for infection.
-They are concerned about his head growth right now. They have been measuring his head circumference each day and are now a little worried about what they are seeing. They don't want his head growing more than 1 cm in a 7 day period and Colby's has done this. A possible reason for this would be that his head bleed is blocking the spinal fluid from draining out correctly. If that is the case we would be looking at a trip to Children's Hospital and Colby would have a shunt put in. From what I understand---this is a tube that goes from his head through his body down to empty in his stomach. They are also concerned about the shadow/cyst that has been showing up on his ultrasound. PRAYER---That Colby's head slows down with it's growth to a normal rate, that the bleed he has is not blocking any of the spinal fluid from being moved around the body like it is supposed to. Please pray that God heals Colby's little head so he won't have to have surgery and there won't be any long term damage.
-Another issue was his blood hematocrit---Colby's was a little low and so was his blood pressure so they decided to give him some blood a couple days ago. This has helped his blood pressure wonderfully but his hematocrit isn't rising as well. The doctor wants to keep an eye on this because she isn't sure where the blood would be going. We want to make sure he isn't bleeding somewhere.
PRAYER--that his levels look right on this next test and that Colby isn't bleeding anywhere.
-The doctor told us that she only comes in every 2 weeks so she was able to see some good progress from the last time she was in. Last time she was there he was having skin issues, he was still on the oscillating ventilator, and he didn't have near as much hair as he does now! :) She also mentioned that she would like to get his numbers on his ventilator down a little but since we still had some wiggle room if we needed to move up. She was pleased at seeing these baby steps and did encourage us to celebrate those! PRAISE---We celebrate each of these wonderful baby steps we have come across! They keep our spirits high!
-While Mommy and Laura were there---Colby got his oxygen SATs in the high 90s---even reaching 100 a few times! Colby sure does love his Mommy!
We will be calling to check on him in about an hour and we will add another update to see how things are going for this evening.
We have been so fortunate to have had such really good days for the last couple of weeks. There is no doubt that God has blessed us. Please join us in praying for these specific things along with overall health and strength for our baby boy. We have been so blessed to have all of you as prayer warriors and we just ask that you continue your prayers!
Thank you and God Bless!
Brie
-His rate was at 50...down a little from last night which is great! PRAISE!
-His oxygen was at 70% which is up a little from last night but when they adjust the rate and other readings...it can have an affect on his oxygen.
-Still doing well on his feedings---we are actually having 4 CCs every 3 hours...NOT every 4 hours.
-Overall---he was having a good morning! PRAISE!!
Daddy's Visit
-Daddy took Aric to visit Colby at lunch and Colby's SATs were not doing very well so they had to bump his oxygen up to 80%.
Mommy's Visit
-Mommy took Laura to visit Colby later in the afternoon.
-Talked with the doctor and here were some updates that she went over with me:
-His spinal fluid test that came back positive was checked again twice since that first result and both of those were negative so the doctor wanted to continue with the original plan of ceasing the
antibiotics. So the two they started last night and the two he was already on have been stopped.
They will do another spinal tap and test the fluid in two days---if it is positive then they will put
him back on the antibiotics but at least they will know for sure. But the doctor seemed to feel that
the test will come back negative. PRAYER---Please pray that the test they do in two days comes
back negative for infection.
-They are concerned about his head growth right now. They have been measuring his head circumference each day and are now a little worried about what they are seeing. They don't want his head growing more than 1 cm in a 7 day period and Colby's has done this. A possible reason for this would be that his head bleed is blocking the spinal fluid from draining out correctly. If that is the case we would be looking at a trip to Children's Hospital and Colby would have a shunt put in. From what I understand---this is a tube that goes from his head through his body down to empty in his stomach. They are also concerned about the shadow/cyst that has been showing up on his ultrasound. PRAYER---That Colby's head slows down with it's growth to a normal rate, that the bleed he has is not blocking any of the spinal fluid from being moved around the body like it is supposed to. Please pray that God heals Colby's little head so he won't have to have surgery and there won't be any long term damage.
-Another issue was his blood hematocrit---Colby's was a little low and so was his blood pressure so they decided to give him some blood a couple days ago. This has helped his blood pressure wonderfully but his hematocrit isn't rising as well. The doctor wants to keep an eye on this because she isn't sure where the blood would be going. We want to make sure he isn't bleeding somewhere.
PRAYER--that his levels look right on this next test and that Colby isn't bleeding anywhere.
-The doctor told us that she only comes in every 2 weeks so she was able to see some good progress from the last time she was in. Last time she was there he was having skin issues, he was still on the oscillating ventilator, and he didn't have near as much hair as he does now! :) She also mentioned that she would like to get his numbers on his ventilator down a little but since we still had some wiggle room if we needed to move up. She was pleased at seeing these baby steps and did encourage us to celebrate those! PRAISE---We celebrate each of these wonderful baby steps we have come across! They keep our spirits high!
-While Mommy and Laura were there---Colby got his oxygen SATs in the high 90s---even reaching 100 a few times! Colby sure does love his Mommy!
We will be calling to check on him in about an hour and we will add another update to see how things are going for this evening.
We have been so fortunate to have had such really good days for the last couple of weeks. There is no doubt that God has blessed us. Please join us in praying for these specific things along with overall health and strength for our baby boy. We have been so blessed to have all of you as prayer warriors and we just ask that you continue your prayers!
Thank you and God Bless!
Brie
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