Bare Buns & Another Birthday Celebration

The nurse and I got a good laugh this afternoon when we found Wyatt diaper-less in his incubator.  He had wiggled it off and, the nurse decided it was too small.  Really?  A one pound, 11 ounce baby already needs a bigger diaper?  Cause for celebration!  'Course we celebrate most everything around here :)  

And by the way, you're 2 WEEKS OLD, Wy Guy!  We can't believe it either.  We made it!  All of us!  Happy birthday to you, buddy.  Since last week was cake, this week we toasted with sparkling cider in your honor.  Mom and Dad (and MANY others) love you, champ!

And for those of you following the medical advances in Wyatt's life, he was up 10 grams today and has had 2 negative blood cultures showing that a) the infection is waning and b) the antibiotics are doing their job.  Wyatt also has increased calories added to his breast milk feedings each day.  He's a busy guy who loves to move which is great in the grand scheme but in the right now, he's sacrificing too many calories!)

Romy Blue

In our room, there is a "family space" section where we can hang things that might encourage us and Wyatt while in the NICU.  (We'd love to receive something from you to add to the wall!)  My 2nd graders all made notes for me and I chose a few to put up there along with a note from the (AMAZING) doctor who delivered Wyatt, a photo of Wyatt, a banner made by my sister-in-law, Melissa, and a picture drawn by our niece Romy.  

If you don't know, Romy and I are pretty close.  I'll never forget the squeals, screams, and tears I let out the day she was born in the same hospital Wyatt was born in.  She was a welcomed surprise, my first niece, and made me an aunt for the first time.  (Some might say she brought my sister and I closer to each other than we've ever been, too.  I've enjoyed that, JB!)

She has filled my life with more joy than I ever thought possible.  And now I want to share my greatest joy with her.  Kids under 16 aren't allowed in the NICU unless they are siblings.  I'm sure she'll treat Wyatt like a sibling but that doesn't count.

I look forward to the day when they can meet.  She has many questions right now: "Did the breathing tube make his throat hurt?  Why does he have so many band-aids?  Why isn't he at Sasa's house?" She's been a little uncertain when seeing pictures of him and a recent photo I gave my sister she kept from Romy, worried it might upset her to see Wyatt connected to all he's connected to.  She found it and received it well, noting how tiny he was...and not all the "cords" he had.

We are Grateful for Right Now

Everyone asks us how we're dealing with "this", how we're coping, how we're managing life in the NICU.  Don't get me wrong, it's hard.  We cry.  We aren't home much.  We wish we were home lots and with our boy but we aren't. 

That said, we truly are grateful for right now.  We are surrounded by all of you who read this blog and follow our story.  And you love on us, pray for us, email us, text us, visit us, give us gifts, make us food.  

And, we have a beautiful baby boy whom we love more than we ever thought possible.  And every single day there is something else to be grateful for.  He is a centimeter longer today than he was when he was born.  His feedings continue to increase because he is tolerating them.  The meningitis scare we had is no more.  The heart murmur the doctors detected a few days ago was nearly impossible to hear yesterday.  Wyatt is receiving less oxygen support today than he did yesterday.  Tomorrow, he'll be TWO WEEKS old!  Today, I got to hold him.  Again!  

Call me Susie Sunshine, Pollyanna, or Glass Half Full.  This is life and we have to make the best of it.  I am so grateful for right now.

All IS Well

The preliminary results from Wyatt's spinal tap gave the doctor no cause for concern.  We feel so blessed to have such protection over Wyatt.

Daddy's Turn!

Matthew got his (first) chance today to hold baby Wyatt.  Wyatt loved this special time with his daddy :)

(Too hard to choose just one...or 2...or 3 pictures!)

12 Days in the NICU

This is what we see from the viewing deck (a bench a few feet across the room :)  He "lives" in his Giraffe OmniBed (isolette, incubator) most of the day.  They change him here, weigh him here, feed him, do spinal taps, and almost everything from this bed.  The top comes off for things like spinal taps.  The sides have hand holes where we (as parents) can reach in and touch him (with clean hands) any time we'd like.

These are the monitors we stare at all day long.  They tell us his heart rate (top), how many breaths he takes per minute (middle), and the bottom shows us how well he is using his oxygen.  That is the number we watch the most.  If it dips below 88 for 3 seconds or more, an alarm sounds.  If it continues dropping, the nurse will usually come in, tap his foot, make him mad, and basically remind him to breathe again. This often happens when he's in a deep sleep.  The great news is, in 12 days, these numbers have continually stabilized more and more with each day.  Yes, there are the ups and downs but overall, he continues to stabilize (based on these stats).

And this is his feeding station.  I should have taken a picture long ago because the number of apparatuses has decreased every few days.  He is on a continuous feed of breast milk with human milk fortifier in it as well as a fluid drip that contains a few nutrients.  Here they call it his "two thousand dollar gatorade." :)

Spinal Tap

Wyatt is still above his birth weight, slightly more than 1 pound, 11 ounces (up 20 grams to 770!)  The nurse proclaimed today, "Isn't that great?  He's above his birth weight and he's not even 2 weeks ok!"  We took that as a REALLY GOOD SIGN!

He had his first (and last, we hope) spinal tap today.  The poor little guy was a trooper.  Given the positive blood cultures (not just in the petrie dish, we learned), the infection is and will continue to be monitored and treated.  We don't know how it got into his bloodstream but it was likely through the PICC line, the doctors say.  Unlike kids and adults, neonates don't localize their infections so there was concern that the infection could (or has) spread to his brain (meningitis...yikes!).  Therefore, a spinal tap was done.  The good news is, the preliminary results are back and already look great.  When I spoke to the NICU nurse tonight, her response was, "the preliminary results gave the doctor no reason to be concerned."  The biggest difference is that they treat it for 5-7 days this way.  If they had concern about it spreading, they would treat for 14-21 days.  So, 5-7 days it is!

In other news, he's moved to the next version of oxygen, skipping the CPAP altogether!  He is now connected to a high flow nasal cannula, assisting him as needed.  

He has taken a liking to the binky (for short periods of time) which is GREAT for a preemie so they get some time to toy with the sucking motion.  Suck, swallow, breathe is a difficult sequence for preemies.

We saw the slits of his little, adorable, baby blue eyes.

First spinal tap! :( 

Blood draw from his hand 

Heart Murmur

A slight heart murmur was detected yesterday during a routine exam.  An echocardiogram was done yesterday afternoon, the results were sent to Children's Hospital, and soon we should have the results of that.  This morning, the nurse told us that the murmur was much less noticeable so maybe it's working itself out already!

I Held my Baby for the First Time!

Most of you get to hold your baby within 10 seconds of being born.  For me, it was 10 days.  But boy was it worth it.  As you can imagine, the tears flowed freely.  Poor Matthew had to just sit by and watch.  It was most definitely some of the best hours of my life.

All is Well...for now

Wyatt has been acting perfectly normal today, his temperature has been fine, and he's feeding (and pooping, for that matter) well.  He had more blood drawn today and they've sent it to the lab, wondering if possibly the lab's petrie dish was contaminated last time meaning Wyatt may not even have any infection.  Either way, they did start a round of IV antibiotics as a precaution.

In other news, his PICC line came out today (yahoo!) and, to reiterate, he's eating and pooping well.  He's up 10 grams putting him ABOVE his birth weight.  Cause for more celebration.

Below is a sneak peek at one of the wonderful pictures Casey took.  Our list of who-receives-a-birth-announcement is growing by the hour (which we love).

Middle of the Night Call

We had our first middle-of-the-night-NICU call last night, about 2:30 am.  One of the neonatologists called (very calmly) to explain that Wyatt's blood work last night showed signs of infection and that they were going to put him on an antibiotic.  We'll have the "official" results this afternoon but in the meantime, we hope he's resting and receiving the antibiotics well.  Prayers welcomed!

Photo Shoot

In other news, Wyatt had his first photo shoot today.  Thanks to our friend Casey for coming to take some newborn photos of our tiny bundle of joy.  We'll share those soon!

Boring is Good

Wyatt was a little too exciting this morning with many "de-sats" (where he forgets or chooses not to breathe for very short periods of time) but as the day wore on became very boring.  Boring is good.

Instead of feedings every few hours, he is on a continuous feeding to help with the little bit of vomiting he's had.  That said, Wyatt was up 50 grams today almost reaching his birth weight (only short by about 10 grams) so that's great news.  And, he continues pooping.  We're happy his plumbing is working.

Finally, his temperature remains steady even with the lowered humidity in his "room" (isolette).

Wednesday Update

There isn't too much to report today.  Wyatt continues to lay on his belly comfortably, preferring that to any other position. 

He is up to feedings on 10 mL each time and a human milk fortifier (calories) is added to each feeding.

Despite his good feedings, he is down in weight, 80 grams, to 1 pound, 8 ounces (below birth weight :( ) but the NICU staff doesn't seem overly concerned by this.  We know weight fluctuation is normal.  They have probably weighed him again by now (he's weighed every night) so we'll have another update tomorrow.

They took his breathing face mask (NAVA) off for a little bit today and the respiratory specialist was massaging his face.  We were able to snap a few pictures then.  He has some derma-bond (water based substance) on his face so that the machines aren't applied directly to his skin, hence the funny clear-like substances you see :)

Sorry, it's a Blue Post

As we drive away from the hospital, I should be wrangling a little one into a car seat.  He's supposed to be fussy, not wanting to be in the car, mad that he's stuck in a car seat.  We drive home and I should be wishing he'd fall asleep (or I spend my time keeping him awake so he'll fall asleep for the night when we get home).  But no, we drive away from the nursery without our baby.  What I would give to be an exhausted mom of a screaming baby.  Soon, I know.  Soon.

Isn't That the Truth!

Mom & Dad

We're in love.  That's really all there is to it.  We will do ANYTHING for you, our Wyatt boy.

Make Room for Mom

Sometimes when he cries, the nurse asks me to put my hands on him to try and calm him down.  It's like he knows me already!  It's the most precious thing in the world, I tell you!  Here I am, happily calming my baby boy.  It's as close as I get to holding him for now.

Happy (one week) Birthday, Wyatt!

It has been the longest, most overwhelming, exhausting and utterly terrifying week of our lives.  That said, it has also been a week packed with encouragement, hope, love, support, milestones, and celebrations.  Today we celebrate one week.  Happy Birthday, Wyatt.  We already love you more than you'll ever know.

Maybe at your two week birthday party you'll be eating cake with us :)

Your Second Tuesday

Last Tuesday is old news.  Wyatt's already experienced Tuesday.  He's almost a teenager, I think.  

He was so calm and content today.  It was so beautiful to see him that way.  

His arterial line was removed today which was in his belly.  He loves that it's out.  He seems to really enjoy sleeping on his tummy (like his mom) and with that line out, he can do that.  

When preemies are born, they are used to the warmth of the womb so there is a great deal of humidity added to their environment to mimic that of the womb.  When he was born last week, he entered the incubator with 80% humidity because his body couldn't hold in the heat otherwise.  Today, after a week, they adjusted it to 50% and it will continue dropping until it is 0.  They monitor how he's adjusting based on his temperature and all temperature checks today were good!

He dropped 20 grams but that's nothing to worry about - just normal fluctuation, they tell us.  On the flip side of that, his feedings have increased to 8 mL, almost a third of an ounce :)  If tonight's feedings go well, they'll increase him to 10 mL tomorrow, adding a fortifier so he gets more calories.  And, if this continues going well until Friday, they'll remove his PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) line (which will make him very happy - he hates that thing!)  The PICC line provides him his "two thousand dollar gatorade" - a line of nutrients. It runs from his arm almost to his heart in his teeny, tiny veins. It's pretty amazing.

Love this!

Thanks so much to a friend for sharing this.  It's so true!

Evergreen ROCKS!

The doctors, the nurses, and the staff here at Evergreen Hospital are wonderful.  I'm continually amazed by their dedication to families.  Yes, they take care of the babies but they care for the whole families, allowing us to play a role in our baby's care (I got to put my hands on Wyatt this evening to help him calm down...and I totally calmed him down, leaving me in a puddle on the floor :)  They're always quick to answer our questions and give us current information about our baby's day.  We're so thankful for the amazing NICU nurses, the knowledgeable neonatologists, the expert respiratory specialists that help our little guy breathe, and everyone in between.

Tears All Around

One of the strangest things about delivering a preemie is not hearing them cry.  Well that all changed today.  Wyatt was ticked at the nurse for something and he started to cry...this tiny little newborn kitten whimper of a cry.  The video resolution is terrible but if you listen carefully, you'll hear that sound that left this Mommy in a puddle today.  Luckily (I feel terrible saying that!), he was mad again later when Daddy came by so we both got to hear it!

Tiny Things

Everything is small.  I know that seems obvious but you'd be amazed.  Even the stethoscopes are small.  See the nurse checking Wyatt's lungs with that little things?  So adorable.  It's even more adorable when it's followed by, "his lungs sound great!" :)

Days in the NICU, Nights at home

Our life consists of days in the NICU and nights at home, trying to get some sleep.  Matt has just gone back to work but spends time each evening in the NICU before we head home.  He has already made so much progress (which is part of the reason I started this blog!) and I can't even remember all the mini-milestones already.  Some of the major highlights include...

• Coming OFF the ventilator.  Already!  He's now on the non-invasive NAVA (Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist) and breathing almost completely on his own.
• Tolerating feedings.  This is big for preemies.  He started on donor breast milk (before mine came in) and is now receiving 5 and 6 mL of milk every few hours.  The "residuals" are minimal which means his little body is actually digesting most of what he is fed!
• Producing wet and poopy diapers!  The poopy is good for obvious reasons, as are the wet diapers.  They actually know the weight of the diapers and weigh them each time he is changed and he's in the "normal range" for "wet diaper weight."  Ha!
• Gaining weight.  Although it's hard to weigh him because of the tubes connected to him, he is up to 1 pound, 13 ounces as of today.  I'm ready to throw a 2 pounder party.  He's close!
• "Passing" a brain ultrasound.  Preemies are more prone to bleeding and bruising in their brains.  He had an ultrasound the other day (all while in his isolette - it's pretty amazing!) and the scan was sent to Children's Hospital for review.  The report came back all positive.  No bleeding or bruising!

• No more jaundice!  He was under the bili lights for a couple of days (my heart melts with this picture) but no longer needs them!  The second picture shows him wearing little black goggles that they wear to protect their (still developing) eyes under the strong lights.

Going Home

I was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and, although thrilled to not be stuck in a hospital bed, it was the hardest night of our lives, I think.  Going home from the hospital without your baby leaves you feeling very empty.  We visualized a little boy laying in the pack 'n play near our bed.   

The good news is, by this point, he had a name.  Wyatt John Long.  Wyatt means "strong warrior" which is exactly what our little fighter is.  

Support

I have to interrupt this chronological series of posts to say thank you.  We would not be where we are in our life or this journey without all of YOU.  I cry as I write this post thinking about every hospital visit, phone call, voicemail, text message, facebook message, email, facebook "like", comment, prayer, card, donation, gift, and flower bouquet we have received.  Your outpouring of support has been tremendous and we will be forever grateful.  We just like to hear from you and we absolutely have.  From the very bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU.

The Big Reveal

After several hours in bed following the c-section and all these visitors meeting my boy, I was ready to see him myself.  The doctor gave me the go ahead about 9 hours after surgery and I was thrilled to (by wheelchair) get to go to the NICU and see my boy.  You can imagine how well the tears flowed at that visit!  You can see from the picture just how tiny he is with our hands on top of him. He rests well in his isolette and they take such great care of him (and of us).  

And did I mention he was born on my birthday?  Tuesday, September 16th at 5:11 am at 27 weeks small.  He was 1 pound, 10 ounces, and 12.4 inches long.