Almost exactly two weeks ago, Christopher was born. It’s hard to believe that he has been here only 14 days, because we’ve been through so much in that short time.
He is doing pretty good this morning. He had a bit of a cranky night, which I suspect was mostly because he was hungry. Having a feeding tube going through his mouth is a lot of oral stimulation for a little baby, and I think every time it hit his tongue, it triggered his reflex to root for food. Of course, then he would get frustrated when he couldn’t find any. Poor little guy.
The good news on that front is that they started feeding him breastmilk through the feeding tube last night and they are gradually increasing the amount until he gets up to the full amount that he would normally be receiving. He is much more settled today and I’m convinced that it’s because of that yummy Mommy milk! I am pumping milk every three hours around the clock and have built up quite a stash in the freezer, so there will be lots available when he needs it.
They kept him on the CPAP overnight and his oxygen levels were excellent. It was taken off at 7 a.m. today but they had to put it back on about three hours later because he was starting to work much harder to breathe. He looks much more comfortable now that the CPAP is back on. He and Daddy have been snuggled up in the rocking chair for the past hour and a half. It’s hard to say who’s enjoying it more.
His left lung is looking better again today. I had the impression yesterday morning that it was completely back to normal but in fact, he still had a bit of collapse and/or fluid in the lung cavity, almost certainly as a result of manipulating that lung during the surgery. However, they have reassured us that this is very common and it will likely resolve on its own. I got to see the x-rays this morning and I certainly see big improvement since yesterday morning, although I have to say that I am far from expert in reading pediatric chest x-rays!
Christopher’s blood pressure is the other issue that they’re continuing to work on. He is still needing IV medication to keep it controlled. They did warn us before the surgery that a certain percentage of babies who have this surgery will require oral blood pressure medication for the first few months post-surgery, and it’s entirely possible that he will be one of them. Only time will tell. However, the doctors keep reassuring us that virtually all of them can be weaned off the medication after a few months, which is good.
Thank you for all of the love and support being sent our way. We are feeling tired but buoyed by all of the positive energy that is coming at is from all over the world.
Enjoying snuggles with Daddy this morning.
So sorry to hear of newest development. Will keep watching and praying for you guys all, the surgeons and you guys or strength as you go through this. God will bring you through this, he brought you to it!
Posted by: Teresa Ghent | 07/05/2011 at 11:18 AM