7 Days

-A lot can happen in 7 days. God created the world in 7 days (actually 6, he rested on the 7th). Daniel has performed some miracles of his own in the past 7 days.-Daniel reached the 3 pound mark, he is no longer a 2 pounder! His current weight is 3 pounds, 4 ounces. He is averaging an ounce a day in weight gain which is exactly what he should be gaining.
-A healthy, full term baby is born with the ability to eat (suck, swallow and breathe). A premature baby has to develop the skills to eat (suck, swallow and breathe). Daniel has begun learning to suck, swallow and breathe. He gets one bottle a day for practice. Daniel burns calories when he drinks from a bottle, it's an aerobic exercise. Daniel's practice time will increase as his ability to suck, swallow and breathe gets stronger.-Daniel is starting to control his own body temperature and he has started wearing clothes, very small clothes.
-A lot of babies born early have anemia and will receive one (some many) blood transfusions while in the NICU. Daniel received his first transfusion this week - an ounce of blood - it really perked him up.

-Daniel had an eye test on Thursday. The test was to check for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina, the tissue that lines the back of the eye. Daniel's test results were negative, meaning he does not have ROP. He will have a repeat eye test in 3 months.

Awake and Alert

-Happy 1 month birthday!
-Newborns sleep a lot, preemies sleep a lot more. Daniel stayed a wake during our visit today. He was very alert (for a preemie) and checking out his surroundings. After he ate, Mommy rocked him to sleep. What a precious moment!
--We got the results back from the repeat ultrasound. The bleed has not dissolved but it has not increased either. It's not the news that we really were hoping for but it is still good news. Thank you for your prayers.

Hungry (and a Prayer Request)

-Daniel was not very happy when we arrived at the hospital today. It was time for him to eat and he knew it and he was making sure that everyone else knew it too. We fed him. Mommy held the feeding tube and Daddy helped Daniel hold the pacifier in his mouth. (Daniel gets a pacifier during "feedings" so he will associate sucking with eating.) After Daniel was finished eating we burped him, spent some time snuggling and changed his diaper before putting him in his isolette. We love getting to do the "little things" for Daniel, it makes us feel like "real parents".
-We want to end this post with a prayer request. Daniel will have a repeat head ultrasound sometime tomorrow. Please pray that the bleed has not gotten worse, infact the ultimate prayer would be that the bleed has totally dissolved.

Almost

-Daniel is almost 3 pounds, his current weight is 2 pounds, 11 ounces - only 6 more ounce to go.
-Daniel is almost eating a full ounce at every feeding, he is currently eating 22 ccs - only 8 more ccs to a full ounce.
-Keep up the good work Daniel!

Father's Day (in July)

-Daddy celebrated Father's Day a month late - he was able to hold Daniel for the first time yesterday. Daddy and Daniel enjoyed their "bonding time".
-Daniel is continuing to gain weight, his current weight is 2 pounds, 10 ounces. The goal is for Daniel to gain an ounce a day. (Nanny, Granny2 and Mommy have all said that they would donate some fat if it would help.)
-Daniel's feeds have been increased, he is now getting 16 ccs of milk every 3 hours. As of Friday he is no longer getting nutrients and lipids through the IV, he is getting all his nutrients and fats through milk. He will stay off the IV as long as his blood sugar stays under control.
-We are so happy that Daniel's growth and health is headed in the right direction.

Thank You

-We wanted to take some time to thank everyone for your thoughts, calls, visits, food, gifts and especially the prayers that have been received since Jenny was hospitalized and Daniel arrived. These past few weeks have not been easy, it's so hard to see Daniel lying in the hospital with tubes, etc. and know there is nothing that you can do to make him better. Your prayers and support have helped keep us going and even though we have not really taken the time out to thank you please know how much you are appreciated.

Tough Little Guy

-It's hard to believe that Daniel is 3 weeks old but really should not be "here" for another 8 weeks. The miracles we have seen the last 3 weeks is amazing. We are so thankful to the wonderful team of doctors (Neonatologist), the amazing NICU nurses and most importantly the Great Physician.
-Daniel was moved to a new bed on Friday (a step-up). Daniel is now in an isolette. He has been in a warming bed that provided heat and easy access so the nurses and doctors could provide care - start IVs, etc. Daniel's move is a step up for a few reasons - 1.) Daniel is not as critical so the doctors and nurses do not need easy access to start IVs, etc. 2.) Daniel is ready to "learn" how to control his own body temp and the isolette will help him "learn" this very important task.
-Daniel's feeds have been increased to 8ccs of fortified breast milk every 3 hours. (5 ccs equals a teaspoon) The breast milk is fortified to add calories (breast milk is 21 calories, Daniel is getting 28 calories) Daniel's feeds are going slow, he is not tolerating all his feeds, he has really been struggling to digest the milk. The doctor has decided to continue the feeds instead of stopping them - some babies just require a little extra food to get everything moving.
-Daniel is still having some A&B spells, the doctor said that a lot of babies grow out of the A&B spells around 34 weeks (adjusted age). Daniel is 32 weeks (adjusted age).
-Daniel is being weighed nightly now that he is not as critical. His weight last night was 2 pounds, 9 ounces. He's growing!

Safe in Mommy's Arms

-Daniel is doing great for a 2 pound baby, born 11 weeks early. He has been off CPAP and on nasal cannula since Tuesday. He has been having A&B spells which is very common in preemies. Apnea spells occur when a baby stops breathing for 20 seconds or more and is accompanied by a slow heart rate (bradycardia). He is being treated with medication (caffeine citrate) and will continue the medication until he is Apnea free.
-Yesterday was Daniel's "2 week birthday" and he received the best gift ever - Mommy held Daniel for the first time - a perfect gift for Daniel and for Mommy.

Night Time Call

-When we called to check on Daniel tonight we were told that Daniel had his first bath. (I cried. I was jealous of the nurses....I should give Daniel his first bath.) Daniel was still doing well on nasal cannula, the 02 did have to be turned up so he is no longer breathing room air. I forgot what percent of oxygen that he is on - room air is 21%. Daniel will start eating again tomorrow - he will eat 1 teaspoon of expressed breastmilk every 6 hours. Daniel has gained 5 ounces, his current weight is - 2 pounds, 8 ounces.

Daniel's Indepence Day Celebration

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-When we arrived at the hospital for our visit today we were surprised to see Daniel off the CPAP and breathing room air thru the nasal cannula. The perfect way to celebrate Daniel's first Independence Day.

A Few Complications

-A head ultrasound showed that Daniel has a grade 1 intraventricular hemorrage (IVH). IVH is a collection of blood in and around the ventricules of the brain. The doctor said that a grade 1 bleed is very mild and should resolve itself. He explained it to us in this way - if there were several children in one room - half the children born with a grade 1 brain bleed and the other half were born without a brain bleed - you would never know which children were born with a bleed and which children were born without a bleed. Another ultrasound will be done in a few days to see if the bleed has increased, decreased or stayed the same. Please pray with us that the bleed resolves itself.
-A chest x-ray done on Saturday showed that Daniel's lungs are very hazy. This could be a sign of Chronic Lung Disease. The doctor said that it is still too soon to make an official diagnosis. There will several x-rays completed before Daniel is discharged and an official diagnosis will be made when Daniel is bigger (at discharge).
-Daniels feeds were stopped for a day to due residual (undigested food) in his stomach. The doctor feels like he just needs a little break from eating. Daniel's digestive system is immature and may not be able to break down food. This is a common problem in preemies.
-Despite all the complications - Daniel is a fighter and is hanging in there.