Hospital bag is packed and we are having a baby! ! Lol or that's what it feels like! We are headed down now to spend the next two days with Henry. They were putting us in the NICU private room but since H is still on o2 we will be stayng in one of the post partum rooms since they have o2 hook ups there.
SO you know what that means????I am going to get my family picture in the hospital bed that I wanted to badly...maybe I'll even slip on one of those awful hospital gowns! :) I wish Bella could be in the picture but the hospital is closed to anyone under 18 due to
Flu season. :(
The plan is to take Henry home on Thursday. .aka New Years Eve!!!!!
He was supposed to have his eye exam yesterday but the specialist cancelled... H
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Day 99: OMG!!!!!
Sorry for not posting, things have been really busy. The better Henry has gotten the more time we have been spending at the hospital, feeding him, bathing him and just really getting comfortable with him.
About 2 weeks ago they decided to start weaning him off CPAP, cutting it by an hour each night. They stopped when he was at 3 hours, it was actually annoying him more than it was worth at that point. So they left at if he needed it, he would be put back on but otherwise leave him on just o2. I think it's been a week now, and he is going great.
Last week they started using the word "soon" in reference to him going home, but with no commitment to a date. They also had us start getting ready. We are in the process of setting up at home nursing assistance since he will be on oxygen. We don't know how long he will need it but we'll only have the overnight nursing for about 2-3 weeks, just to help us adjust and make sure we are comfortable.
His eye exam last monday went great! The left eye was the same and the right eye had gotten better so the Retina Specialist said the chances of surgery were low.
He might have a hernia, we'll find out more about this this week. If he does require surgery for that, it will be at a later date when he is more stable.
So now for the good news...he is coming home this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I talked to the dr today and she said as long as the eye exam goes well tomorrow he will be home by Friday!!!! If not sooner!
Jamie and I are going to spend the night at the hospital Tuesday and Wednesday. They have a special room for babies and parents to stay in right before they go home. The dr said we could start tomorrow but we are honestly not ready at home!LOL This is earlier than we expected, so we're going a little crazy!
We are so excited, can not believe that after all this time Henry will be coming home. As of last night he weighed 6lbs 14oz, they haven't weighed him yet tonight.
Gotta go, lots to do. OMG, we're having a baby!! LOL ;)
About 2 weeks ago they decided to start weaning him off CPAP, cutting it by an hour each night. They stopped when he was at 3 hours, it was actually annoying him more than it was worth at that point. So they left at if he needed it, he would be put back on but otherwise leave him on just o2. I think it's been a week now, and he is going great.
Last week they started using the word "soon" in reference to him going home, but with no commitment to a date. They also had us start getting ready. We are in the process of setting up at home nursing assistance since he will be on oxygen. We don't know how long he will need it but we'll only have the overnight nursing for about 2-3 weeks, just to help us adjust and make sure we are comfortable.
His eye exam last monday went great! The left eye was the same and the right eye had gotten better so the Retina Specialist said the chances of surgery were low.
He might have a hernia, we'll find out more about this this week. If he does require surgery for that, it will be at a later date when he is more stable.
So now for the good news...he is coming home this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I talked to the dr today and she said as long as the eye exam goes well tomorrow he will be home by Friday!!!! If not sooner!
Jamie and I are going to spend the night at the hospital Tuesday and Wednesday. They have a special room for babies and parents to stay in right before they go home. The dr said we could start tomorrow but we are honestly not ready at home!LOL This is earlier than we expected, so we're going a little crazy!
We are so excited, can not believe that after all this time Henry will be coming home. As of last night he weighed 6lbs 14oz, they haven't weighed him yet tonight.
Gotta go, lots to do. OMG, we're having a baby!! LOL ;)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day 88
The dr's most recent orders for Henry were nasal cannula during the day and CPAP at night...do not wake him to switch back and forth..he needs his sleep. Soo last night, not sure what happened or who decided what but someone other than the Dr decided to keep him on the nasal cannula for the night because he was doing so well. That's great that he was doing so well, but he was doing great a couple of weeks ago too when they tried that and he went backwards. Now they are trying to slowly wean him instead of just stopping. The nasal cannula just provides him with a little o2, the CPAP is pressurized oxygen that can actually aid in the repair of his lungs.
So i was pretty pissed when I went in this morning. I asked the dr if he changed the orders, he said no, i told him what happened last night. I said I want my son home, so do whatever he needs to make him better..and make sure the nurses are following your orders.
And then Henry is supposed to have physical therapy every M,W,F...no one could tell me if he was getting it. The nurse called the PT office and no one called her back and no therapist showed up.
I'm at the hospital alot. I guess I need to be there more, because I do want him home and I want to make sure everyone else is on that same page. I'm tired, enough of this.
He had another eye exam tonight and the Retina Specialist is starting to see a possible problem. He has been coming once a week but he said he'd be back before monday to check on it again. It's called Retinopathy of Prematuriy, it's not a huge deal since it is being watch so closely but if it gets worse he will have to have laser surgery. Prematurity and massive amounts of o2 for the last 3 months are the cause of it. Hopefully his eyes will be fine though :)
So i was pretty pissed when I went in this morning. I asked the dr if he changed the orders, he said no, i told him what happened last night. I said I want my son home, so do whatever he needs to make him better..and make sure the nurses are following your orders.
And then Henry is supposed to have physical therapy every M,W,F...no one could tell me if he was getting it. The nurse called the PT office and no one called her back and no therapist showed up.
I'm at the hospital alot. I guess I need to be there more, because I do want him home and I want to make sure everyone else is on that same page. I'm tired, enough of this.
He had another eye exam tonight and the Retina Specialist is starting to see a possible problem. He has been coming once a week but he said he'd be back before monday to check on it again. It's called Retinopathy of Prematuriy, it's not a huge deal since it is being watch so closely but if it gets worse he will have to have laser surgery. Prematurity and massive amounts of o2 for the last 3 months are the cause of it. Hopefully his eyes will be fine though :)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Day 87
Henry is doing great. He has been off the feeding tube for a full week and drinking like a champ. He drinks anywhere from 2-3oz. He is still on CPAP. They were alternating between that and the nasal cannula every 1.5hrs but it was actually wearing him out waking him up so often..."don't wake a sleeping baby..." so he was not doing so great for a few days. They decided to keep him on the cannula during the day, CPAP at night and just let him sleep. When he wakes up, he eats..no more waking him up. This seems to be working really well, he seems very happy. He looks great when he doesn't have all the tubes and crap on his face. I'm so happy that during the day I get to stare at his face..makes things a little easier.
He officially hit the 6lbs mark this weekend..so awesome. Eating and growing are 2 things that can be a problem with preemies..not this kid!
Yesterday was my official due date. I didn't write because i didn't really want to think about it. I don't honestly know what to think about it. I was supposed to have a baby yesterday, but he came 3 months early, he was supposed to be home yesterday but we're being told he still has "weeks" to go. So I just keep focusing on the fact that although he is sick, he is here, he will be coming home and he WILL get better.
We went to an information session yesterday on Early Intervention it was very informative. They are saying based on the fact of his size, being a micropreemie, he is guarenteed to have some kind of issues, but there are no telling what they will be and to what extent. One plus is that babies who have feeding issues are at higher risk for speech issues...he defintely does not have feeding issues so that is one thing we hopefully do not have to worry about.
Since his due was yesterday, his adjusted age is now 1 day old. That is the guideline we will be using for eating, walking, talking etc. Hopefully soon we'll start to see some smiles!!
He officially hit the 6lbs mark this weekend..so awesome. Eating and growing are 2 things that can be a problem with preemies..not this kid!
Yesterday was my official due date. I didn't write because i didn't really want to think about it. I don't honestly know what to think about it. I was supposed to have a baby yesterday, but he came 3 months early, he was supposed to be home yesterday but we're being told he still has "weeks" to go. So I just keep focusing on the fact that although he is sick, he is here, he will be coming home and he WILL get better.
We went to an information session yesterday on Early Intervention it was very informative. They are saying based on the fact of his size, being a micropreemie, he is guarenteed to have some kind of issues, but there are no telling what they will be and to what extent. One plus is that babies who have feeding issues are at higher risk for speech issues...he defintely does not have feeding issues so that is one thing we hopefully do not have to worry about.
Since his due was yesterday, his adjusted age is now 1 day old. That is the guideline we will be using for eating, walking, talking etc. Hopefully soon we'll start to see some smiles!!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day 80: Awesome Day
Henry has been feeding tube free for over 30 hours!!! He just decided he wants to drink all his bottles..more like chug them. It's so awesome! One more thing accomplished that we can check off the list. Today he drank 60cc's (2oz) in 20 minutes..a couple of weeks ago he was getting a fraction of that.
The Dr that was on today was saying that they are really hoping NOT to send him home on oxygen. They have only done it a few times in the past and they'd prefer not too. She said that might mean he is in the hospital a little longer but atleast when he came home we wouldn't have to deal with that! We would be so happy.
The Dr that was on today was saying that they are really hoping NOT to send him home on oxygen. They have only done it a few times in the past and they'd prefer not too. She said that might mean he is in the hospital a little longer but atleast when he came home we wouldn't have to deal with that! We would be so happy.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 79: Lots of cuddling!
I spent 6 hours at the hospital today snuggled up with Henry. He is doing really well, he drank 3 straight bottles today no tube feeding while I was there!
Last week was long so I didn't have to much to write because nothing really good was going on. Henry went back on CPAP and then the Dr confirmed what we were thinking...Henry will not be home by his due date on the 14th. That was something I was not prepared to hear. In the begining when we were running on a adrenaline (and fear) and received bad news or a set back we just kept going. Well now we are running on fumes and it took a lot to bounce back from that news. I just want him home. So I spent today telling him that he needs to be home by Christmas.
We are starting to understand that when he comes home it is not like bringing a newborn home...he is coming home on Oxygen, and will need Early Intervention services (occupational, physical and speech therapies). It's amazing how they have been telling us this for weeks but we are just starting to wrap our heads around it now. We have no idea to what level he will need these services, we'll see as he grows how much help he needs.
We also just found out we might qualify for nursing services...like OVERNIGHT nursering services. THat is the only good thing to come out of all this crap. We might actually get to sleep at night knowing a professional is taking care of our son. That will be a huge relief if we qualify because otherwise there is no way I am leaving him alone, which means I will not be leaving the housee all winter since he is not allowed to with exception to his Dr's appointments...and sleep? i highly doubt either one of us would get much sleep when we are checking every 2 seconds to make sure he is breathing. I kind of wish we could bring all the monitors home with us!!!
Last week was long so I didn't have to much to write because nothing really good was going on. Henry went back on CPAP and then the Dr confirmed what we were thinking...Henry will not be home by his due date on the 14th. That was something I was not prepared to hear. In the begining when we were running on a adrenaline (and fear) and received bad news or a set back we just kept going. Well now we are running on fumes and it took a lot to bounce back from that news. I just want him home. So I spent today telling him that he needs to be home by Christmas.
We are starting to understand that when he comes home it is not like bringing a newborn home...he is coming home on Oxygen, and will need Early Intervention services (occupational, physical and speech therapies). It's amazing how they have been telling us this for weeks but we are just starting to wrap our heads around it now. We have no idea to what level he will need these services, we'll see as he grows how much help he needs.
We also just found out we might qualify for nursing services...like OVERNIGHT nursering services. THat is the only good thing to come out of all this crap. We might actually get to sleep at night knowing a professional is taking care of our son. That will be a huge relief if we qualify because otherwise there is no way I am leaving him alone, which means I will not be leaving the housee all winter since he is not allowed to with exception to his Dr's appointments...and sleep? i highly doubt either one of us would get much sleep when we are checking every 2 seconds to make sure he is breathing. I kind of wish we could bring all the monitors home with us!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)