July 31, 2008 Night

Stu and I just got back from our visit with Brandon. Kate is his nurse tonight. Stu got to kangaroo with Brandon. Brandon had a good night. He put back on some of the weight he lost from last night. It is common to lose a little weight after going from the vent to the IMV since he is working harder to breathe. Brandon was awake a good part of our visit tonight.

Quick Update

I was at the hospital this afternoon visiting Brandon for a few hours. He is up to 19 cc's of milk (breast milk only again because I had so much frozen in the freezer) and it still on the nasal IMV. Dr. Alemany said he looks good, sounds great, and there is an 80%-90% chance that he will stay off the vent. I got to kangaroo with Brandon for two hours this afternoon.

Still Off the Vent

As of 9:20 this morning Brandon is still off the vent and on the nasal IMV. He has had some desats but it seems like less than he did the first time he was off the vent. Plus he was having desats on the vent so maybe they will keep him on the IMV. Stu and I went to the hospital yesterday when he got off of work and Dr. Alemany came to talk to us. He said there was a 70%-80% chance that Brandon would stay off the vent this time. It will depend on how hard he is working and also on his blood gases that he gets throughout the day. It seems the majority of desats are still during his cares when he is touched more than he wants. He also has been very particular about what position he is put in. He definitely likes being on his stomach much more than any other position.

Nasal IMV

I went to the hospital this afternoon around 12:30 and stayed until 2:30. When I got there I saw that Brandon was off the vent and on nasal IMV. Nasal IMV looks like CPAP but gives Brandon a little more support than CPAP does. It gives him puffs of air. The rate was set at 60 which means he is getting 60 puffs a minute and the amount of oxygen was anywhere from 26%-30%. Dr. Alemany came over to talk to me and said they are trying him on it but that if he is working too hard and gets too tired he will go back on the vent. He said he is hopeful that he will stay off this time. When I was there it started looking like Brandon was taking really deep breaths so his nurse, Kelsey, had Dr. Alemany come take a look at Brandon but he said everything seemed okay for now.

Another good visit

Stu and I had another good visit with Brandon. Only one desat and it was right after his oxygen had been turned down when we were kangarooing. I kangarooed for 2 1/2 hours tonight. Brandon's vent rate was lowered again. He was at 30 tonight and his oxygen percentage from the vent was 24% which is low saince room air is 21%. He had a new nurse tonight. Her name is Lisa. I like her but I did miss Sue.

July 29, 2008 afternoon

Brandon had a good afternoon when I was visiting today. His vent rate was lowered to 35 and he was on 24% oxygen. He was turned down to 21% which is room air for a little while when we were kangarooing. I kangarooed with Brandon for almost 1 1/2 hours and then had to put him back because another baby was being admitted and they would be x-raying the other baby. They did not want Brandon out when they were using the x-ray machine. Sue called out sick for tonight. I am really upset that she will not be with Brandon. She will be back sometime next week. I think on Tuesday. Dr. Alemany came over to talk to me when I was at the hospital. He said he will probably take Brandon off of the vent either tomorrow or Thursday since he is doing so well and try the CPAP again.

Pictures

July 28, 2008 afternoon and evening

Stu and I went to see Brandon when Stu got home from work. Brandon's vent rate was down to 40. Stu kangarooed with Brandon for 1 1/2 hours. I went back to see Brandon tonight and kangarooed for almost 3 1/2 hours. Brandon did really well both times. I will post pictures from the last few days tomorrow. Brandon now officially weighs 2 pounds 4 ounces.

Dr. Alemany update

Dr. Alemany called a few minutes ago. I was at the hospital for an hour after lunch but I did not see him then so he called to update me on Brandon. He said that he lowered Brandon's rate on the ventilator. It was set at 50 yesterday (gives him 50 breaths a minute) and today it is at 45. He said Brandon was doing great on his feedings. He is up to 17 cc's today. I spoke to Sue last night when I was there and told her that I had brought some of the frozen breast milk with me. I mentioned that now that he is eating as much as he is I am going to have a hard time keeping up with him pumping since most of the time I only get 15 cc's which is a half ounce. She suggested starting to mix the breast milk with formula so that Brandon tolerates the formula easier when he is on 100% formula which will probably be a few more weeks and also so that the breast milk lasts a little longer. She tried it last night at his midnight feeding by mixing 1/3 formula with 2/3 breast milk and he tolerated it well. He also did well with the 3:00 am feeding so at the 6:00 am feeding she did half breast milk and half formula and he did well with that too. So he will stay at half of each until I am out of breast milk. I will continue to pump until I am out of the frozen. Dr. Alemany also said that over the next week they are going to start lowering Brandon's support on the ventilator and that by this weekend or next week they will probably try him off the ventilator and see how he does. He said Brandon looks so good that he is hopeful he will do well off.

July 27, 2008

Brandon had a really good day today. He only had a few desats and pulled himself up from them on his own and quickly each time. Mark was his nurse this afternoon and Sue was his nurse tonight. I got to kangaroo for 2 hours this afternoon and 3 hours tonight. He did great both times and was so content. Brandon had 16 cc's every 3 hours today.

Part of the kilo club

Brandon hit the 1000 gram mark last night so he is now part of the kilo club. Sue , who was his nurse last night, said he will have a certificate waiting for him today when we go to the hospital. Stu came back from Baltimore yesterday so he came with me to the hospital last night. His brother and sister in law also came with us to see Brandon for the first time. We had a nice visit with Brandon last night. His numbers stayed up the whole time for the most part. Stu got to kangaroo with Brandon for 1 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the 1 1/2 hours Brandon had a lot of mucus in his lungs so he had to be suctioned so he was desatting a little because of that. As soon as Sue suctioned him he was fine.

3 weeks old

Brandon is 3 weeks old today. I was there visiting this afternoon but it was very busy since there were 4 babies being admitted so I did not get to kangaroo. One of the babies that was about to be admitted is a 26 weeker so Brandon is not the youngest anymore. Brandon managed to extubate (pull his vent tube out) this morning before I got there so he had a new tube in. The new tube is a little thicker than his old tube which Dr. Rekedal seems to think will help with keeping his oxygen level up. He has a higher rate today on the vent and a lower pressure setting. Brandon is up to 15 cc's of milk today which is a half ounce every 3 hours. His iv is completely removed so he is only getting milk now. He weighs 990 grams. 992 grams is 2 pounds, 3 ounces so he is almost there. Stu came home today so he will go with me tonight to see Brandon.

29 weeks corrected

If I was still pregnant with Brandon I would have been 29 weeks pregnant today. When I mentioned that to Mark, Brandon's nurse today, he said it is called 29 weeks corrected. Dr. Alemany called when I was on the way to the hospital today to tell me that everything was fine with Brandon. He told me that he is up to 13 cc's and mentioned that they would be adding something to his milk at the 6:00 feeding. When I asked Mark what they were adding when I got to the hospital he said they are adding sodium. Dr. Alemany also said Brandon is done with the iv today. He also said they changed the settings on the ventilator slightly so that Brandon won't have as many desats. In another week or so he said he will start to make it so Brandon is breathing more on his own on the vent and then try him off to see how he does. He said he may be fine or he may need a few more weeks on. I was able to kangaroo with Brandon for 1 1/2 hours and then he had a desat like last night so he was put back in his isolette and then he was fine.

July 24, 2008 evening

I had a pretty good visit with Brandon tonight. My parents came with me to see Brandon and were there for about an hour with me. Kate was his nurse again which I was happy about. I got to kangaroo with Brandon for 45 minutes and then he started to desat. He was not going back up so Kate wanted to put him back in his isolette so that she could suction him. As soon as she put him back he went up to 100 without being suctioned. He was on his back when he was put back so maybe he just wanted to change position. He did really well for the 45 minutes that we did kangaroo before he had his desat. Kate measured Brandon to see how long he is since I was curious. He is now 15 inches long so he has grown 2 inches already since I had him. He was still 2 pounds, 2 ounces.

July 24, 2008 afternoon

Brandon is up to 11 cc's every 3 hours. He is still doing really well with his feedings. I spoke to Dr. Alemany and Dr. Hudom. They both seem happy with how well Brandon is doing. Brandon had a few desats when I was at the hospital this afternoon but nothing that anyone is concerned about. I mentioned to his nurse, Chris, that I would be happy once he outgrows the desats and she said that will happen eventually but he will continue to have them for several weeks since this is what preemies do. Brandon was surrounded by his stuffed animals today. It reminded me of the movie ET when ET is in the closet surrounded by stuffed animals.

July 23, 2008 evening

I just got back from the hospital. I was there for a little over 3 hours. My friend Sommer came with me since Stu is away until Saturday. Kate was back! I was very happy to see her. She is so good with Brandon. I got to kangaroo with Brandon for 1 1/2 hours. He was wide awake in the beginning when we were kangarooing. He had a good night tonight.

July 23, 2008 afternoon

I went to the hospital this afternoon for 1 1/2 hours. Brandon had a desat when I first got there since he had to be suctioned but he was good the rest of the time. Chris was his nurse today. It was busy today so I am waiting until tonight to kangaroo. Dr. Alemany came to talk to me and again said he was upset that Brandon needed the vent because he is doing so great. He is going to stop the iv either tomorrow or Thursday and continue with the milk. Brandon is up to 9 cc's today. He said again that in a week or two he will try him off the vent. He will make it so Brandon is doing a lot more breathing on his own on the vent in about a week.

On my way out of the hospital I saw one of the nurses that I had after I had Brandon when I was on the mother/ baby floor. She was asking how Brandon is doing. I also saw one of the kids that I had in my class this year and her mom and sister. It was really nice seeing her.

July 22, 2008 evening

Stu and I went to the hospital last night from 7:45-9:30. We originally thought Stu would get to kangaroo with Brandon but he was not able to since I did in the day. We didn't realize that he is only supposed to kangaroo once a day for now. Brandon was okay for most of our visit. The only desat he had was when he had to be suctioned.

July 22, 2008 afternoon

I went to the hospital at 12:00 today and stayed for almost 4 hours. I was able to kangaroo with Brandon for 1 1/2 hours and then he had a desat so they decided to put him back in his isolette since he had been out for awhile. After he was back in I decided to go pump. I came back and Brandon was doing fine and then all of a sudden he started to have another desat. Dr. Alemany came over and listened to his chest and thought that the tube was out. A respiratory therapist came over and a bunch of other people and I had to go wait in the Michael's Feat room. The Michael's Feat room is a room for parents to wait in when things are being done with the babies. There is a tv, computer, couches, and coffee machine. It turned out it was not the tube. It was just Brandon being Brandon. Mark had just suctioned him a little while before he had the desat and Brandon tends to desat after he is suctioned.

While I was kangarooing with Brandon Dr. Alemany came over to talk to me. He said he hates that Brandon needs to be on the ventilator because his lungs sound so great and he is looking so great. Also, he is on minimal settings. He said in another week or two they will try him off again. This way his lungs will have some time to develop so that hopefully the next time he comes off he will be okay.

A Good Visit

We had a good visit with Brandon last night. He was very alert for a lot of the visit. Our friend Chris came with us to meet Brandon. Brandon was very wiggly and seemed like he was trying to poop. I got to kangaroo with him for an hour. He did really well the whole time. I could have held him for hours but we had to go home because Stu had to be up early to work today and it was already almost 11:00 by the time we left.

I talked to Sue this morning and she said he had a good night. He finally managed to poop too so I am sure he is feeling so much better. It was the first poop that he has had.

July 21, 2008 afternoon

I was at the hospital for a little over 2 hours this afternoon. Brandon was okay most of the time. He only had one desat when I was there and it was after the nurse put his glasses back on (he needs to wear the glasses since he is under the bilirubin light again). Dr. Alemany came over to talk to me when I was there. He said that Brandon sounds great and looks great and that he had to try him off the vent a few days ago to at least give him a chance to try the CPAP. He said he will probably be back on for a week before they try him off again.

Brandon is back up to 5 cc's of milk every 3 hours today. He is tolerating it well still which is great. His nurse today, Lisa, told me that he weighed 970 grams this morning which is a little heavier than 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Dr. Alemany mentioned that in a few days they would start to cut back on the iv fluids that he is getting.

July 20, 2008 evening

Stu and I were at the hospital tonight from 7:45-8:45. We had a nice visit with Brandon. He was good most of the time. He only had one desat and it was when he had to be suctioned. After he was suctioned he was fine. Stu took Brandon's temperature and I changed his diaper. We decided not to kangaroo with him tonight because we wanted to give him a chance to relax. Sue is his nurse tomorrow night so I will kangaroo with him then.

July 20, 2008 Afternoon

Stu and I went to the hospital around 11:45 and stayed for an hour. We talked to Dr. Hudom for awhile. She said that Brandon's blood gas was not bad but that he was really getting tired from trying to breathe on the CPAP which is why they put him back on the ventilator. She said they tried a few things including the blood transfusion before putting him back on. She said it only would have been a matter of time before he went back on. Brandon definitely seemed much more comfortable today. She said they are going to really focus on feedings. He is being fed again today. He is getting 3 cc's of milk every 3 hours. They did not feed him yesterday incase he was put back on the ventilator. She thinks he will probably be on the vent for a week or two and then they will try the CPAP again. Dr. Hudom said that we can kangaroo with Brandon again. She also said that he is average to above average of where a 26 weeker is.

Brandon is back under the bilirubin light again too.

Back on the Ventilator

I just talked to Brandon's nurse, Michelle. He is back on the ventilator. I can't say that I am surprised. I saw how much he was struggling yesterday and today. He was on such low settings on the ventilator yesterday morning that they wanted to take him off but I guess he was just working too hard. This way his lungs can have some more time to develop and they can work on nutrition with him. Hopefully they will be able to start feeding him again tomorrow.

Brandon had a blood transfusion earlier today too.

Not a Great Visit

I came to the hospital a little before 12:00 today. When I got to the hospital I talked to Dr. Hudom. She told me that Brandon had four apnea episodes in the morning. They did a chest x-ray and his lungs were a little hazy but not any more than they had been. She told me there was a good chance that he would be put back on the ventilator. His blood gas was good though. She said they had taken him off because he was at such low levels on the ventilator but that he is working too hard on CPAP. She also said that if he is put back on the ventilator they would keep him on longer this time to really work on nutrition. She also told me that he was not going to be fed today incase he needs to be put back on the ventilator. They will resume his feeding either later today or tomorrow depending on what happens. Mark, his nurse, also said they were not going to remove him from the isolette for kangaroo time today because they want to leave him alone as much as possible.

Kangaroo Care With Daddy

Stu and I went to the hospital last night. When we got there Lynn, Brandon's nurse, was finishing his care so we didn't get to help. Stu did kangaroo care with Brandon last night. To do kangaroo care you wear a button down shirt. Brandon gets tucked into the shirt like a baby kangaroo would be tucked into it's mother's pouch. Brandon's oxygen level was great when he did the kangaroo care with Stu. He really enjoys doing kangaroo care.

I called Lynn this morning to see how Brandon was. He was still on CPAP and the amount of oxygen he was receiving was down to 32%. She said he was good last night. The only time his oxygen levels went down and he had a desat were when she did his cares. Hopefully he will eventually get over that. She said he was tolerating 5 cc's of milk fine.

Off the Ventilator

I went to the hospital at 12:00 today. Dr. Alemany came up to me a little after I got there and told me that Brandon was the lowest that he could be on the ventilator and that his lungs sounded great so he was going to extubate him (remove him from the ventilator) sometime today. Brandon was wide awake when I got to the hospital so I spent some time looking at him and talking to him. I went to pump a little after 1:30. When I came back Brandon's nurse Lisa and the respiratory therapist had finished removing the ventilator tube and were putting him back on CPAP. When I left the hospital a little after 2:30 Brandon was on high oxygen on the CPAP. Dr. Alemany said he was going to give him a few hours to settle but if he is still requiring high oxygen in a few hours he will have to go back on the ventilator.

Brandon's food was increased to 5 cc's today.

Stu and I are going to go back to the hospital after dinner.

Like Father, Like Son

Stu fell asleep on the couch earlier. I took a picture of him because I had seen Brandon sleeping with his arms in the same positions as Stu had his arms several times. I got to the hospital tonight and Brandon had his arms in the same position as Stu had earlier.

First Kangaroo Care

I went to the hospital tonight from 7:45-10:30. Brandon had a good night again. I got to do kangaroo care with Brandon for 45 minutes. It was supposed to be for 30 minutes but he was doing so well with it that Sue let me do it a little longer. His oxygen level was great the whole time (between 98 and 100) and his heart rate was great too. He really seemed to enjoy it. With kangaroo care his head is where my heart is so he gets to hear my heartbeat like he did when I was pregnant with him.

Good News from the Doctor

I called Sue this morning to see how Brandon was over night. She said he did not have any problems. He stayed pretty much the same. He still tolerated his feedings and was down to 23 oxygen.

I went to my doctor at 10:15 for my two week appointment. Dr. Rogers asked about Brandon and how he was doing and told us he got the pathology report back and that the two placentas had fused together. He said that if he had not done the c section when he did Brandon would have not made it. So it is a good thing he did the c section when he did it.

Dr. Alemany called when we got home from the doctor. He told us he had lowered the settings on the ventilator and that he thought Brandon would be on the ventilator for a shorter amount and that maybe next week he would take him off. He also said that he was increasing Brandon's feedings to 3cc's every 3 hours. He said that Brandon was responding very well to the feedings.

Stu took the day off of work to go to my doctor appointment with me so we went to the hospital this afternoon at 1:45. Our friend Stephanie came with us. Brandon was good the whole time we were there. The only time he had a desat is when he got his shot and when he was moved to his back from his stomach. He had to get a vitamin a shot which he did not like. He gets a vitamin a shot three times a week to help with his lung development. I changed Brandon's diaper and took his temperature when we were visiting.

Two More Good Visits

Stu and I went to see Brandon around 4:45 and then I went to see Brandon and my friend Sommer came with me at 7:45. Brandon was really good both times. At the 4:45 visit I got to hold the tube for the milk again. At the 7:45 visit I got to do all of the care and hold the tube for the milk. Sue was his nurse tonight. She said since he is stable I can kangaroo tomorrow. Hopefully he will continue to be okay tonight so I can. I was so excited to hear that.

July 16, 2008 afternoon

Brandon did such a good job with 1 cc of milk yesterday that the doctor increased the amount of milk he gets to 2 cc's every four hours today.

I was at the hospital this afternoon from 11:45-2:00. Brandon only had one desat the entire time and it was when he was moving around a lot. He was down to 24 oxygen when I got there. Dr. Alimony came over to talk to me and said since he was doing so well he was thinking Brandon would be off of the ventilator on the shorter end rather than the longer end. Chris, his nurse, let me take his temperature and change his diaper. I also held the tube again while the milk went in.

Stu and I are going to go back to the hospital when he gets home from work and then a friend of mine is coming with me at 7:30.

Open Eyes

Stu and I were with Brandon tonight from 7:45-8:45. We arrived to find him back under the bilirubin light since his levels (jaundice) were a little elevated. We had a great visit with Brandon. He did not desat at all the whole time we were there even though we did his care. He was fed again when we were there. I held the top of the feeding tube while the milk went in. Not quite the same as giving a bottle but it is a start. Brandon had his eyes open a lot when we were there. We were SO happy to see them. We have the same nurse as last night but she was a little better tonight so I left feeling better than I did last night.

I drove today for the first time since May 18th. It was so nice to be able to drive. I drove myself to the hospital this afternoon when I went to visit Brandon.

July 15, 2008 morning/ afternoon

I called the hospital twice this morning. Once at 6:00 am and talked to Brandon's night nurse and once at 8:45 am and talked to Mark, Brandon's day nurse. Both told me he was fine until they did his care each time and then he had desats. Incase I forgot to mention what a desat was in an earlier message it is when Brandon's oxygen level drops. Anything higher than 82 for oxygen is good. When it drops below that it is a desat. Once the nurses finished doing what they needed to with Brandon his oxygen went back up to where it should be each time. I am off to call the hospital to see if Brandon is getting fed today.

I just got back from the hospital. I was there from 12:15-2:45. The time really goes by so fast. I am not sure how since I just sit there staring at Brandon. Brandon had a pretty good afternoon. The only times he had desats were when he was touched. Other than that his levels were good. Brandon finally got to eat! He had 1 cc of milk when I was there. I got to help by holding up the end of the tube while the milk went in. Brandon now has a feeding tube through his nose. I also finally saw Brandon's eyes. He opened them a few times for a second when I was there.

July 14, 2008 afternoon/ evening

I was at the hospital this afternoon for a few hours. My mom and aunt came with me. Brandon had a desat when I first got there because he had to be suctioned and did not enjoy it. He seemed to be okay the rest of the time. I finally talked to Dr. Hudom who had not been there for the past few days and asked her how long she thinks he will have to be on the ventilator. She seems to think that it should only be for a few weeks but it could be a little longer. Brandon is on two antibiotics for something that he tested positive for. They may try to feed him tomorrow. I guess they can't while he tests positive for something but hopefully he will test negative after being on the antibiotics and then he can start to get some milk. Brandon also got another blood transfusion today.

When I was at the NICU this afternoon, Chris, Brandon's nurse introduced me to another NICU nurse who had a baby born at 25 weeks. He is now 6 years old and doing well. It was very promising to hear that. Chris also told me that I need to look at the positive things he has accomplished so far. I guess the whole NICU experience is baby steps.

Stu and I went to the hospital tonight from 7:30-9:15. Brandon had a new night nurse who I did not really feel as comfortable with. I am sure she is great at what she does but I did not get the warm fuzzy feeling from her that I get from the rest of the nurses. I feel like the rest of the nurses really love Brandon but I did not feel that way tonight. It was really hard leaving the hospital. Brandon desatted a few times when we were doing the diaper changes, temperature, etc. He was settled by the time we left though.

July 14, 2008 morning

Stu and I had a good visit with Brandon last night. He didn't desat at all when we were there last night. He managed to untape one side of his diaper from kicking so much before we got to the hospital. I got to change his diaper, clean his eyes and mouth, and lift him to weigh him. He was 880 grams (1 pound 15 ounces) so he didn't lose any weight from the day before. We also got to put eucerin cream on Brandon. We put it on his legs, arms, stomach, and back. The cream helps with his dry skin. Stu lifted him when I changed his bedding. We bought our own receiving blankets for his isolette so his isolette is styling.

I called Sue before I went to sleep and she said that everything was still good. When I called her this morning she said that he had a really good night. No problems and his oxygen was at 26 which is still minimal. She also said he finally got one eye open. Hopefully he will have it open sometime today when I am there. I can't wait to see what he looks like with them open.

One thing that Sue said last night when we were talking to her is preemies are very susceptible in their first year of life to something called RSV. A common cold in a baby can turn into pneumonia in a preemie. So they suggest not going to the mall or school settings in the first year but especially from October- April. Sue suggested looking for someone to come into our house to babysit Brandon the first year after I go back to work. We are going to have to see if we can find someone.

July 13, 2008 afternoon

I called to talk to Mark around 11:30 and Dr. Alimony got on the phone. He said that Brandon had a few desats so they changed the settings on the ventilator to give him more oxygen. When I talked to Mark, his nurse, he said that the desats happened after they were messing with him. He had a chest x-ray as well as an ultrasound from the cardiologist. It seems that Brandon does not like to be messed with and has desats when he is. When I called Mark at 1:30 he said that Brandon had been fine after he settled and Mark had turned down the oxygen level. Dr. Alimony said he would not get feedings today but he said they are hopeful to try tomorrow. I feel like we have been hearing that everyday for the last 3 or 4 days. Hopefully soon they really can start to feed him.

We were at the hospital this afternoon from 2:45-4:45. Brandon was fine most of the time we were there. The only time his numbers got wacky were when Mark flipped him over, took his temperature, and changed his diaper. Mark had to turn up the oxygen for that. Mark assured us that any baby would get angry at getting these things done. We talked to Dr. Alimony as well when we were at the hospital. He seemed pretty hopeful about trying to feed Brandon tomorrow. He will be fed milk into a feeding tube that will go down Brandon's mouth and into his stomach when he does get fed. Brandon is on an antibiotic but it seems to be more preventative. He will probably wind up being off of it tomorrow.

July 13, 2008 morning

I know I have said it in earlier posts but I want to say it again. Thank you to all of you who have been emailing us, calling us, and posting comments. It really means so much to us.

I talked to Sue this morning. Overall Brandon had a good night. At about 4:00 this morning they put his levels down on the ventilator and then Sue was suctioning Brandon which he did not like so he had a few desats. They wound up having to put the rate back up to 40. I am going to ask later but I think the 40 means how much it breathes for him. I think he is doing a little breathing on his own. She said the oxygen level was down to 23...room air is 21 so he is not requiring a high level of oxygen. I am going to call Mark, his day nurse, around 11:30 to see how he is doing and to see if they are going to try to feed him today.

My aunt and uncle are coming to visit today so we are going to take them to see Brandon this afternoon sometime and then we will go back tonight for a little while so that we can do the night time routines with Brandon.

Great Night Visit

Stu and I were with Brandon tonight from 7:45-9:45. We had a great visit with him tonight. I wasn't sure if we would be able to help with taking his temperature, weighing him, and changing his diaper since he is on the ventilator but we were able to do all of the things we did before. He was doing so well that Sue, his nurse again tonight, let us take a bunch of pictures with different things (Brandon's stuffed dog that we bought him, Stu's fire patch, Stu's wedding band around his foot) and let us leave the top of his isolette up for awhile. Brandon's oxygen level on the ventilator has been lowered twice since he went on so he is actually breathing a little on his own. The oxygen level is set at 24, room air is 21. So he is on very minimal oxygen. Sue believes he will only be on for a short time since they are still giving him caffeine. She said when they plan on leaving them on for awhile they stop the caffeine. Sue said she is happy to see him on the ventilator for a little while to give him a break. It seems like Brandon will probably get some milk tomorrow. The doctors will decide for sure on their rounds tomorrow and Sue said if they do decide that it is okay he will get his first feeding at 12:00. Brandon gained weight again tonight. He was 870 grams which is 1 pound, 15 ounces so he is an ounce more than when he was born.

July 12, 2008 afternoon

Dr. Alimony called around 11:30 this morning to tell me that Brandon had been put on a ventilator. He was having too many desats so they wanted to give him a chance to rest. We knew there was a good chance of him going back on the ventilator but it was still upsetting to hear. We went to the hospital a little after the call to see Brandon. Mark, his nurse, reassured us that he is doing well and that we knew there was a chance of him going back on. He said it is great that he made it a week without going back on. He said this will give him a chance to grow and hopefully start eating. As long as he remains stable he will probably start eating tomorrow. Mark also told us that Brandon is on the lowest level of oxygen. So I felt better hearing that. Hopefully this little guy of ours will continue to be a fighter.

July 12, 2008 Morning

When I called the hospital last night Sue said Brandon was going well. She was going to weigh him again at some point during the night since he had such a big weight gain to confirm that it was correct. She said she was going to put him on another scale and see if it said the same thing as the isolette scale. When I called this morning she said that it was the same so he nows weighs 820 grams which she says is almost his birth weight. She said that Brandon had a few desats during the night but pulled himself back up. She said it is just what Brandon does. The doctors make their rounds every day from 9:30-11:30 am so if Stu and I don't get to the hospital around lunch time I will call to see how he was. Stu and I are hoping they can start trying to feed him today.

July 11, 2008 night

Stu and I were at the hospital from 7:30 tonight until 9:30. Brandon had a pretty good night. Sue, the nurse from last night, was there again. It was nice to finally meet her. I love her. She talked to us a lot and really helped to put me at ease. Stu took Brandon's temperature and lifted him to weigh him. Sue actually had Stu weigh him twice since it was such a big gain. But both times it had him weighing 820 ounces. I got to lift Brandon when Stu and Sue put the blankets that Stu and I bought on Brandon's mattress and make a nest out of the blankets. I also got to put a new diaper on Brandon. Brandon's levels were pretty good. It took a little while for them to settle after he was weighed, changed, etc. but they finally did. The best thing is when we were there radiology called to say that Brandon's brain scan came out normal. So one less thing to worry about. I am going to call Sue in a few minutes to see how Brandon is and then I am going to go to sleep.