I figured I better type one last post in here before it's too late and you're all left wondering what happened to us. We're going home! We're still waiting for the doctor and for Cael to eat once more - but it's official. We are going home!!!
Thank you all so very much for everything throughout this whole ordeal. Eric and I couldn't have made it through without all of your thoughts and prayers.
At 13 days old we're finally getting to take our baby home!!!
Just a few more lyrics and the blog will probably be going back into a coma for a while. I've been waiting for so many days to be able to use these lyrics. I'm just going to post a few of them...It' "Home" by Daughtry
I'm going home, to the place where I belong
These places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home
All righty - I'm signing off. From the very bottom of my heart - thank you again
Love to all~
Eric, Emily, Kylie & Cael
Sunday, December 12, 2010
All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...
Our nurse just packed everything up that was at Cael's bed-side!!! We're waiting for his 10:00 feeding and for rounds to get the ok from the doctor!!
Someone get those plows-a-goin!!! I want to get home!
Someone get those plows-a-goin!!! I want to get home!
Well...
The night was awesome! Cael's eating like a champ still and gained 35 grams!!!
Today should be our day!! Of course the doctor will make the final decision, but our nurse doesn't see any reason why we wouldn't be discharged!!!!
Eric makes fun of me when I post lyrics, but I can't help myself. I'll try to only post part of them though. I know he'll really make fun of me because this next song is by Miley Cyrus, it's called, "When I Look At You" I was just watching the movie, "The Last Song" and this song came on at the end and it just grabbed me.. Here we go...
Everybody needs inspiration,
Everybody needs a song
The beautiful melody
When the nights alone
'Cause there is no guarantee
That this life is easy
Yeah when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up
The dark, that's
When I, I look at you
When the waves
Are flooding the shore and I can't
Find my way home anymore
That's when I, I look at you.
Today should be our day!! Of course the doctor will make the final decision, but our nurse doesn't see any reason why we wouldn't be discharged!!!!
Eric makes fun of me when I post lyrics, but I can't help myself. I'll try to only post part of them though. I know he'll really make fun of me because this next song is by Miley Cyrus, it's called, "When I Look At You" I was just watching the movie, "The Last Song" and this song came on at the end and it just grabbed me.. Here we go...
Everybody needs inspiration,
Everybody needs a song
The beautiful melody
When the nights alone
'Cause there is no guarantee
That this life is easy
Yeah when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up
The dark, that's
When I, I look at you
When the waves
Are flooding the shore and I can't
Find my way home anymore
That's when I, I look at you.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wrappin It Up
Well to wrap up our day...
Cael did awe-some! He just had about 55 cc's of colostrum so he should be good and filled up! His nurse thought he might even last 4 hours so we shall see.
His diapers also kicked butt. In the past few days they've been completely dry or sometimes only 6cc's. And all today his diapers have been in the 30s!!!!!
Looks like tomorrow we should be homeward bound!! Sure hope those plows are out and running when we're ready to get out of here because it's going to take more than a little blowing snow to keep us in this place another day!!
We'll check his weight before the next feeding - that'll be our true test. Crossing our fingers he's getting "beefy" as Eric would say :) Good night all. I'll try to post his weight around 12:30-1 but hopefully everyone is fast asleep at that time!
Thanks for all of the positive thoughts and prayers today - We can't thank you all enough.
We love you all ~ Good night
Cael did awe-some! He just had about 55 cc's of colostrum so he should be good and filled up! His nurse thought he might even last 4 hours so we shall see.
His diapers also kicked butt. In the past few days they've been completely dry or sometimes only 6cc's. And all today his diapers have been in the 30s!!!!!
Looks like tomorrow we should be homeward bound!! Sure hope those plows are out and running when we're ready to get out of here because it's going to take more than a little blowing snow to keep us in this place another day!!
We'll check his weight before the next feeding - that'll be our true test. Crossing our fingers he's getting "beefy" as Eric would say :) Good night all. I'll try to post his weight around 12:30-1 but hopefully everyone is fast asleep at that time!
Thanks for all of the positive thoughts and prayers today - We can't thank you all enough.
We love you all ~ Good night
Got Milk?
You can't slow him down. I (Eric) braved the 5 blocks from work to the hospital through a massive snowstorm to get to feed my amazing little guy. Nurse gave me a 70 cc bottle (goal is 55) and he drank the whole thing. We did have to stop halfway and take a little break but he got through it.
Cael made me very proud during his supper. He stopped, opened his eyes, and proceeded to juice his very new, very clean diaper. And to add emphasis to what he had just accomplished, he farted for about 15 seconds without pause. It nearly brought me to tears (from the smell).
Cael made me very proud during his supper. He stopped, opened his eyes, and proceeded to juice his very new, very clean diaper. And to add emphasis to what he had just accomplished, he farted for about 15 seconds without pause. It nearly brought me to tears (from the smell).
3rd Feeding
Well...60 cc's!
They said if he had 3 strong feedings his feeding tube could come out! So here's Cael without the feeding tube!! Lookin good little man, lookin good.
Hopefully Cael's weight is up tonight at his weigh in. :) His weigh in - wonder if he'll be a basketball player or a wrestler when he grows up???
Last night Cael's weight was up 5 grams. So he was 5 lbs 13.1 oz. Still a peanut that's for sure. Eric had to go pick up a different "going home" outfit for our little monkey. Never thought I'd need any preemie sized clothes.
Every day the nurses fill out what's called a little "care card" It has "Today's Plan" on it if you will and on Cael's it says, "If he does well on bottles for 24 hours he can go home Sunday" I just looked at his card for the first time a few minutes ago and when I read that I started crying!! I was hoping that was the case but I didn't realize we really truly were that close to getting out of here!!!
What do you think of your baby brother Kylie??? He told me to tell you that he loves you and can't wait to meet you! Mommy and daddy love and miss you and can't wait to see you!
2nd Feeding
Cael's second feeding went great! It wasn't quite as big as his first, but still a success! He downed 60 cc's!! Go Cael! Keep up the good work!
Dazed & Confused
You know - the whole point of a game plan - is to follow it right? Apparently Cael's nurse was unaware the reason one comes up with a game plan. She gave him tubes all through the night because she thought I needed some rest. Ok, pardon my french here, but no shit sherlock. My son is in the NICU, do you really think I can sleep at night?? Or at all??
Then the resident this morning said let's do tubes after every feeding to get him hydrated. Ok, obviously dealing with preemies isn't my profession so I obviously don't know what's best for them, however, after spending almost two weeks in here, you kind of pick up what's going on. And to me, you do the tube immediately after the feeding for those just starting out. So my questions are these: 1 - why didn't we do that right away and 2 - what do you mean hydrate him? Every single darn diaper he has is wet. Poor resident. I feel bad for her as she's been nothing but sweet, but I had to question her decision. Luckily, we've got a stellar nurse today and she thinks that's silly so said that we wouldn't do that.
I've also been asking for the past few days if I can feed Cael by bottle because my mastitis has affected my milk flow and he's having to work harder for it. (As if he's not already working his butt off, we have to add my silly complication into the mix and make it harder for him). Everyone keeps saying that bottle and breast are pretty similar. Umm...pretty sure they're not but ok. So again I go to our second favorite nurse and say, "can I at least try one bottle please - if he doesn't like it I'll do whatever you tell me to, but I feel like he's not nursing as well since I've had this" Keeping in mind I'm in tears at this point because they want to just tube my little man all the time and I know that that means we're moving in the opposite direction. Bless her heart she said, "we can do whatever you want" So we warmed up 60 cc's of milk (Cael's goal for 3 hours is 55 cc's). Well wouldn't you know it he downed the 60 and then drank 20 more. So here's to all of the nurses and residents that wouldn't listen to me - "Mama knows what's best, don't disregard what I have to say because my degree isn't in neonatal care"
Obviously the most important thing here is that Cael just had a rockstar feeding. Hopefully he's able to keep it all down and continue to feed so well this afternoon. Carissa (Cael's nurse of the day) said we can keep doing bottles all day and night if I want. And honestly - if he's going to drink that well from the bottle - you're darn right I'm going to keep giving him bottles!! Shoot I have to pump after every single feeding anyway so there's no difference to me.
On another note, I might get kicked out of the room tonight. There are a few babies that are close to going home so someone else might need the room. Quite honestly, I'm surprised I didn't get kicked out sooner. I'm excited for the other parents that their babies are close, but sad to be losing my bathroom. I'll still get a room, but it's not one that I can bring Cael into. It's basically a room with two chairs that fold into a bed and has a tv in it. Right now I have a queen sized bed, a mini fridge, a bathroom with a toilet, shower and sink and a nice little closet for all of my crap. Rest assured though, my nurse said that if Cael continues to do well for the next 24 hours, there's a chance we might still get out of this popsicle stand tomorrow even though he won't be in a room with me! So please cross your fingers and pray like hell that the bottles were all that he needed!!
Ok, I'll keep you all posted if there are any changes! In the meantime I need to get my stuff organized in case I really do get kicked out of my little luxury suite today.
Love to all~
P.s. I'm sorry for my slightly angry post in the beginning, I was just a little frustrated...
Then the resident this morning said let's do tubes after every feeding to get him hydrated. Ok, obviously dealing with preemies isn't my profession so I obviously don't know what's best for them, however, after spending almost two weeks in here, you kind of pick up what's going on. And to me, you do the tube immediately after the feeding for those just starting out. So my questions are these: 1 - why didn't we do that right away and 2 - what do you mean hydrate him? Every single darn diaper he has is wet. Poor resident. I feel bad for her as she's been nothing but sweet, but I had to question her decision. Luckily, we've got a stellar nurse today and she thinks that's silly so said that we wouldn't do that.
I've also been asking for the past few days if I can feed Cael by bottle because my mastitis has affected my milk flow and he's having to work harder for it. (As if he's not already working his butt off, we have to add my silly complication into the mix and make it harder for him). Everyone keeps saying that bottle and breast are pretty similar. Umm...pretty sure they're not but ok. So again I go to our second favorite nurse and say, "can I at least try one bottle please - if he doesn't like it I'll do whatever you tell me to, but I feel like he's not nursing as well since I've had this" Keeping in mind I'm in tears at this point because they want to just tube my little man all the time and I know that that means we're moving in the opposite direction. Bless her heart she said, "we can do whatever you want" So we warmed up 60 cc's of milk (Cael's goal for 3 hours is 55 cc's). Well wouldn't you know it he downed the 60 and then drank 20 more. So here's to all of the nurses and residents that wouldn't listen to me - "Mama knows what's best, don't disregard what I have to say because my degree isn't in neonatal care"
Obviously the most important thing here is that Cael just had a rockstar feeding. Hopefully he's able to keep it all down and continue to feed so well this afternoon. Carissa (Cael's nurse of the day) said we can keep doing bottles all day and night if I want. And honestly - if he's going to drink that well from the bottle - you're darn right I'm going to keep giving him bottles!! Shoot I have to pump after every single feeding anyway so there's no difference to me.
On another note, I might get kicked out of the room tonight. There are a few babies that are close to going home so someone else might need the room. Quite honestly, I'm surprised I didn't get kicked out sooner. I'm excited for the other parents that their babies are close, but sad to be losing my bathroom. I'll still get a room, but it's not one that I can bring Cael into. It's basically a room with two chairs that fold into a bed and has a tv in it. Right now I have a queen sized bed, a mini fridge, a bathroom with a toilet, shower and sink and a nice little closet for all of my crap. Rest assured though, my nurse said that if Cael continues to do well for the next 24 hours, there's a chance we might still get out of this popsicle stand tomorrow even though he won't be in a room with me! So please cross your fingers and pray like hell that the bottles were all that he needed!!
Ok, I'll keep you all posted if there are any changes! In the meantime I need to get my stuff organized in case I really do get kicked out of my little luxury suite today.
Love to all~
P.s. I'm sorry for my slightly angry post in the beginning, I was just a little frustrated...
Friday, December 10, 2010
GAME PLAN
Ok folks, here's the plan for tonight. Cael had three nursings with me, and then a tube at 5:15. The plan for tonight is for me to nurse 3 times (at 8, 10 and midnight) then he'll get a 3 hour tube (a tube feeding of milk that will last 3 hours) at 1 and another at 3. Then hopefully at 6am tomorrow, he's strong enough to try strictly nursing all day. If not, we'll tube him, but really hoping he gets a good rest tonight and gets some strength built up!
On a more random topic. I just got done listening to about a weeks worth of voicemails. My apologies to everyone. I barely have enough service in my room to text let alone talk on the phone or even listen to voicemails. So I'm sorry if you think that I've been neglecting all of you. I've just been with Cael pretty much 24/7. Whether its in our little room or if it's in the NICU with him.
Alrighty, good night everyone!
Oops, I lied. One more random for everyone. Every person that sees Cael comments on his hair :) I think it's pretty darn cute. Can't wait for you all to see it in person
On a more random topic. I just got done listening to about a weeks worth of voicemails. My apologies to everyone. I barely have enough service in my room to text let alone talk on the phone or even listen to voicemails. So I'm sorry if you think that I've been neglecting all of you. I've just been with Cael pretty much 24/7. Whether its in our little room or if it's in the NICU with him.
Alrighty, good night everyone!
Oops, I lied. One more random for everyone. Every person that sees Cael comments on his hair :) I think it's pretty darn cute. Can't wait for you all to see it in person
Update After Rounds This AM
You know the consultant,residents and nurses probably wonder why I even bother to listen to rounds every day, but I do. For Cael there haven't really been any changes. Overall, he's a darn healthy little boy. He's just one who doesn't have the strength to keep himself nourished for 24 hours at a time. I guess there was one update. He's less jaundice today than what he has been. As you may know, he was under lights for quite a few days, but since his bilirubin was down, they took him off of them. Yet he remained yellow. I'm hoping with his jaundice going away he has more energy and strength to feed. He's just coming off of a 3 hour tube so I'm hoping that he'll nurse well for me. After that - mommy's off to her scrapbooking class! I know this is putting the cart in front of the horse here, but I'm going to go ahead and ask for the going home pages to work on in hopes that we're not still here next Friday for the next class!!!!
T.G.I.F.
Last night was a good night overall. Cael got a tube at 8pm and again at 4:45 this morning. He was just a tired little dude this morning so I decided that he should get another tube to keep up his progress. He was up I want to say it was 45 grams last night and had consistently wet diapers!! So this morning when he was acting sluggish, I didn't want to be stubborn and think that we had to breastfeed. The tube is what's best for him right now so that's what we'll do. The sooner we "beef" him up the sooner he'll be strong enough to nurse around the clock.
So when will we get out of here? It's hard to say, here's my prediction. Since we're supposed to be getting some pretty crappy weather this weekend - My guess would be that we would get discharged during the worst part of the storm. If that's the case though and I don't think I can make it home. Consider this a warning to my friends and family in or near the Rochester area - If the weather is bad and I can't make it home - there's no way we're spending another night here so don't be surprised if I come knocking on your door! Don't worry though, Cael and I would be easy house guests.
In all seriousness, it's hard to say. Maybe the extra tubes yesterday and this morning will be just what he needed and now nursings will take off. Or maybe we need to do another day of alternating between the two so might not be until Sunday...or even later than that. Basically the only thing I know is that tomorrow would be the earliest and the 27th of December would be the latest.
Again, if there's anything to update after rounds, I'll be sure to post it. Have a great day everyone and drive safely if you must go somewhere. Love to all~
So when will we get out of here? It's hard to say, here's my prediction. Since we're supposed to be getting some pretty crappy weather this weekend - My guess would be that we would get discharged during the worst part of the storm. If that's the case though and I don't think I can make it home. Consider this a warning to my friends and family in or near the Rochester area - If the weather is bad and I can't make it home - there's no way we're spending another night here so don't be surprised if I come knocking on your door! Don't worry though, Cael and I would be easy house guests.
In all seriousness, it's hard to say. Maybe the extra tubes yesterday and this morning will be just what he needed and now nursings will take off. Or maybe we need to do another day of alternating between the two so might not be until Sunday...or even later than that. Basically the only thing I know is that tomorrow would be the earliest and the 27th of December would be the latest.
Again, if there's anything to update after rounds, I'll be sure to post it. Have a great day everyone and drive safely if you must go somewhere. Love to all~
Thursday, December 9, 2010
New Goals
First things first - here's Cael's most recent mugshot :)
Well...
We won't be going home today. In fact, we might not even be going home tomorrow. But for the first time in the past three days, I'm not feeling discouraged about that fact. I spoke with our favorite nurse, lactation consultant, residents and the consultant that's on today and it's a good thing that we're still here. The way they kind of described it was like this, when they have a baby that's say 32 weeks old, they'll gradually introduce breastfeeding. For example, one feeding a day, then two, three four etc...With 36 weekers on, its trial and error. Sometimes they'll take right off, other times not so much. They also mentioned that babies have more energy when they're 7% from their birth weight or less. Right now Cael's down 12%. So really - it makes a lot of sense why he gets tuckered out so soon.
So. Our new goal is this, we'll do 3 or 4 breastfeeds and see how he's eating and how his diapers look and if they're looking dry, we'll tube him. Hopefully in doing this, we'll gradually see his weight climb, his energy level grow and have his urine output increase as well. I just sat with the lactation consultant during our last feeding and we're tweaking the way I do things too, so hopefully with everything combined, we're that much closer to getting out of here. Cael's nurse said she doesn't think she'll be seeing us anymore on her next shift (which is Sunday night) so I hope she's right. In the meantime, that's where we're at. I'm taking my good ole antibiotic so I can get better and Cael will get some tubes. All in all, though it's not quite what I was hoping for, it's really what's best for Cael
Latest Update
It's 3:30 am and so far Cael's having a great night, but then, we've been there before. He's waking up on his own about every 2 1/2 hours and has been having good feedings. Not great ones, but good ones. He had one ridiculously wet diaper, the nurse said it was about 4 times what it needed to be so she wasn't worried about his diapers as the size of that one could take him until 4AM. (This was his 9:30 diaper. He even gained 30 grams!!! Overall, that's a great report. We'll see how he rest of the night goes and what the Dr has to say at rounds in the morning. We'll hopefully know more then. I'm hoping we're not here for too many more days (for a lot of reasons) but especially because Eric is back to work today.
Ok, stay tuned for the update after rounds. Rounds start at 8:30 and go until 10:45 so the update might not come until closer to 11.
I'll try to get a few more pictures taken and posted for you all to see. We sure think he's a pretty cute little guy
Ok, stay tuned for the update after rounds. Rounds start at 8:30 and go until 10:45 so the update might not come until closer to 11.
I'll try to get a few more pictures taken and posted for you all to see. We sure think he's a pretty cute little guy
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Not Today...
Maybe tomorrow. Weight is down and he's not eating. Giving him two tube feedings now. The first at 1 and the second at 4. Hoping he'll have more energy and be ready to nurse at 7.
The nurse is making me leave for a few hours. Pretty sure I have mastitis so am making an appointment to be seen and hopefully get an antibiotic.
Please pray that we get to bring our baby home soon
Song for today is a religious one, "I get on my knees"
There are days,
When I feel
The best of me
Is ready to begin
Then they're days,
When I feel
I'm letting go,
And soaring on the wind
But I've learned in laughter or in pain,
How to survive
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
there I am before the Love that
Changes me
See, I don't know how,
But there's power
when I’m on my knees
I can be in a crowd,
or by myself.
or almost anywhere,
when I feel, there's a need
to talk with God, he is Emmanuel,
when I close my eyes,
no darkness there
there's only light
When I get on my knees
When I get on my knees
there I am before the Love that changes me
see I don't know how, but there's power
in the blue sky
I don't know how but there's power
and in the midnight
and I don't know how but there's power
when I’m on my knees
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
and there I am before the Love that changes me
I don't know how, but there's power
I don't know how but God gives me power
I don't know how but there's power
When I'm on my knees
The nurse is making me leave for a few hours. Pretty sure I have mastitis so am making an appointment to be seen and hopefully get an antibiotic.
Please pray that we get to bring our baby home soon
Song for today is a religious one, "I get on my knees"
There are days,
When I feel
The best of me
Is ready to begin
Then they're days,
When I feel
I'm letting go,
And soaring on the wind
But I've learned in laughter or in pain,
How to survive
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
there I am before the Love that
Changes me
See, I don't know how,
But there's power
when I’m on my knees
I can be in a crowd,
or by myself.
or almost anywhere,
when I feel, there's a need
to talk with God, he is Emmanuel,
when I close my eyes,
no darkness there
there's only light
When I get on my knees
When I get on my knees
there I am before the Love that changes me
see I don't know how, but there's power
in the blue sky
I don't know how but there's power
and in the midnight
and I don't know how but there's power
when I’m on my knees
I get on my knees
I get on my knees
and there I am before the Love that changes me
I don't know how, but there's power
I don't know how but God gives me power
I don't know how but there's power
When I'm on my knees
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
New Roommate
Meet Emily's and my new roommate. He's almost always sleeping but when he's awake he's taking everything in - never thought seeing your newborn simply opening his eyes and maybe looking your direction would be something that would make a Daddy this happy...but it does. I loved watching Kylie sleep and I can't imagine anything more beautiful than getting to watch Cael do the same. I'm a usually a keep-it-all-in kind of guy but there are times when this 5lb 16oz, red-haired monkey brings me to the verge of crying (either from happiness or uncertainty). But with an end in sight I have to be grateful for the nurses and doctors who have managed to give us answers with confidence and reassured us with sincerity. I know it's cliche to say but having the caliber of doctors (and NICU-nurses) at the Mayo Clinic so close has been a blessing - neither Emily nor I have ever felt Cael wasn't in the most capable of hands.
What A Day
At 6:10 this evening I found myself in tears, feeling discouraged, exhausted and emotionally drained. When we went to change Cael's diaper it was bone dry. (not a good sign - it means he's not getting enough milk). I was hopeful that our feeding following would make up for that and he'd be a starvin marvin. Not the case. Cael is a pretty tired little guy. So I cried, because I know if he doesn't have wet diapers and good feedings I know we'll be here another day. In the past few days we've tried every hold imagineable and nothing seemed to float his boat. So in a desperate attempt for a good feeding, we tried one more hold that I never wanted to do in fear of falling asleep. I laid down on my side in the bed and had Cael belly up to me, and wouldn't you know it - he loved it!!!! And just when I thought he was done - he came back for dessert!!! Of course the true test will be when we change his diaper in a few hours.
It's so awesome having him in the room with us without all of the monitors on. He still has his feeding tube in his nose, just in case. But if he drinks again like he just did a few minutes ago - I don't think we'll ever need that darn thing again!
Thank you all so much for your love and support through all of this. It's been really hard being here alone knbutowing that everyone is thinking and praying for Cael just warms my heart. We've got great family and friends.
Please continue to pray. We're not over this yet. Cael will get weighed around midnight tonight so I'm hoping to get two more good feedings in him so he has a weight gain!!
Song for this evening, "If You're Going Through Hell" by Rodney Atkins. The actual verses don't necessarily relate, but I love the message in the chorus.
Well I been deep down in that darkness
I been down to my last match
Felt a hundred different demons
Breathing fire down my back
And I knew that if I stumbled
I'd fall right into the trap that they were laying, yeah
But the good news
Is there's angels everywhere out on the street
Holding out a hand to pull you back up on your feet
The one's that you've been dragging for so long
You're on your knees
You might as well be praying
Guess what I'm saying
If your going through hell
Keep on going, don't slow down
If you're scared don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there
It's so awesome having him in the room with us without all of the monitors on. He still has his feeding tube in his nose, just in case. But if he drinks again like he just did a few minutes ago - I don't think we'll ever need that darn thing again!
Thank you all so much for your love and support through all of this. It's been really hard being here alone knbutowing that everyone is thinking and praying for Cael just warms my heart. We've got great family and friends.
Please continue to pray. We're not over this yet. Cael will get weighed around midnight tonight so I'm hoping to get two more good feedings in him so he has a weight gain!!
Song for this evening, "If You're Going Through Hell" by Rodney Atkins. The actual verses don't necessarily relate, but I love the message in the chorus.
Well I been deep down in that darkness
I been down to my last match
Felt a hundred different demons
Breathing fire down my back
And I knew that if I stumbled
I'd fall right into the trap that they were laying, yeah
But the good news
Is there's angels everywhere out on the street
Holding out a hand to pull you back up on your feet
The one's that you've been dragging for so long
You're on your knees
You might as well be praying
Guess what I'm saying
If your going through hell
Keep on going, don't slow down
If you're scared don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there
Almost
We think we may have something. Cael gained 30 grams and did a great job feeding overnight as well. Doctors said he can room-in with us starting about noon today and then, as long as he keeps up eating well, we can have him overnight. This is the big test before we would be able to take the little guy home tomorrow. Right now he's taking the car seat test - he gets to sit in the seat, all strapped in and everything for 90 minutes - and as long as his vitals stay at a good level he will be good to go. We're pretty excited he fit this car seat, considering this is the third one we've tried (our new one, Joe and Kayla's - thank you - and now Kylie's old one). Keep your fingers crossed and the good feelings flowing.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Cael's First Bath
Cael finally smells good. Emily gave him a thorough cleaning in a sink because he is too big for the tubs they have for the other babies. He didn't like the inconvenience of being moved, undressed and made to wake up - he would much rather stay asleep (which he does a lot). Also, sidebar, he doesn't fit into any of the carseats that we have tried him in so far. We have one more we can try and then if that doesn't work, well, it's going to be a long walk home pushing a stroller. His hair is definitely red (thank you Mommy) and after his bath it styled into a very nice mohawk. I'm not a big fan of those but if it makes him look tougher, I'll take it.
Today Is Not Your Day
You know the saying, "Today is not your day...tomorrow is not looking so good either" Well that's the kind of day Cael's having. He won't be rooming in with us tonight, but the doctor seemed pretty confident that tomorrow night he'd get to stay with us and home free on Wednesday. His weight was up 20 grams last night and they want to see another gain like that tonight and lots of wet diapers. So pray for wet diapers...but not too many so he gains weight :)
Overall, Cael's health is really great. He won't have any long term problems from any of this and we couldn't be more thankful for that.
Cael will for sure be fed through the feeding tube at least once today so Eric and I can go take a CPR class. It won't certify us, but it's geared towards infant and children. We'd rather know what to do and never have to use it than need CPR and be clueless.
So anyone that knows me, knows that I love music and often email lyrics to people that I either like or think they might relate to (even when they don't ask for them). My song for today is by one of my personal favorites, Carrie Underwood and is called, "Jesus Take The Wheel"
She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat
Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year
She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
she was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was sooo scared
She threw her hands up in the air
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock
And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life
I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Ooh, Jesus take the wheel
Ooh, I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
From this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
Overall, Cael's health is really great. He won't have any long term problems from any of this and we couldn't be more thankful for that.
Cael will for sure be fed through the feeding tube at least once today so Eric and I can go take a CPR class. It won't certify us, but it's geared towards infant and children. We'd rather know what to do and never have to use it than need CPR and be clueless.
So anyone that knows me, knows that I love music and often email lyrics to people that I either like or think they might relate to (even when they don't ask for them). My song for today is by one of my personal favorites, Carrie Underwood and is called, "Jesus Take The Wheel"
She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat
Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year
She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
she was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was sooo scared
She threw her hands up in the air
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock
And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life
I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Ooh, Jesus take the wheel
Ooh, I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
From this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
ONE WEEK OLD TODAY!
Dare I say "Happy Birthday I think we can celebrate a week! Cael had a great rest last night. We unfortunately weren't able to nurse though. The nurses reassure me that that's typical in 99% of babies that they see come through at his age. Basically, his first day nursing was awesome. He knew what he was doing and was getting milk. By day two though, he was tired. And when I stop to think about what he's been through in his short life, it's understandable, I'd be tired too. In order to make sure that he was getting enough milk, we decided to feed him through the tube last night. Well we gave him colostrum (basically liquid gold) Anyway, he got a big ole dose of colostrum and he "slept like a baby" for lack of better words. So this morning when I tried to nurse at 4AM, needless to say he was still sleeping off his thanksgiving dinner basically. So we tube fed him again. Hopefully after a good night's rest and a belly full of milk he's rearin and ready to go at nursing!!! Wish us luck. We'll see what the doctors say at rounds this morning. I don't know that there will be a lot to update, but you never know. I'm not holding my breath for going home tomorrow, but am still praying that it could happen if we have a kick butt day at breastfeeding.
On a side note - his weight was up last night! As Kylie would say "Woot Woo!!!"
Until later, Love to all~
On a side note - his weight was up last night! As Kylie would say "Woot Woo!!!"
Until later, Love to all~
Sunday, December 5, 2010
So what happens next?
I'm guessing everyone is wondering what happens next? When will we get to take Cael home? What happens when we get there? What will we have to look for etc...
The nurses have already started our "teachings" if you will as far as what happens next. Basically, the only thing we're doing here is waiting for a weight gain. Cael is 100% off of oxygen and everything looks great. Overall he's a healthy little boy - he still has immature lungs however (imagine that - an immature boy :) Anyway, we'll weigh Cael tonight and I pray he's up from last night. As much as he pooped yesterday, it's no surprise his weight was down though! But that's a good thing too - the milk is moving through him.
So now what? Well, assuming he gains weight tonight (please pray that he does) Assuming he gains weight tonight, tomorrow night he will be off of the monitors 100% and will stay in our "luxury suite" with Eric and I and we'll take care of him by ourselves. So whether that's tomorrow night or the next night or the night after, that's what happens next. Right now he's doing a 90 minute car seat stress test. It's a test required of all infants born before 37 weeks. He's acting pretty hungry though so I'm not sure that he'll make it the full 90 minutes. Also waiting to hear if he's too small for the car seat...he's a pretty little guy.
So what happens when we get home? I'm guessing the question on everyone's mind is - "when do we get to come visit?" I know everyone is eager to meet Cael, but please don't rush over the day we get home. This has been quite the trip for everyone and Eric and I would really appreciate to not have unannounced visitors, and we hope that you won't be offended if we might not be up for visitors every night. And if anyone is sick or in a household with someone sick, I'm sorry, but you won't be able to visit us yet. The nurse just went through with us what to do and avoid and it came as no surprise that we wouldn't want him around any sickness. Or second hand smoke for that matter. So what about Christmas you might ask? Well...We're hoping to still go to our immediate Christmases with siblings and grandparents, however, anything beyond that will have to wait until next year. Beth (super awesome nurse of Cael's) said that we shouldn't have him around bigger crowds until at least 2 weeks after his due date. If anyone is sick when we're supposed to have Christmas, please let Eric or myself know and we won't come. Please please please don't be offended. We pray you all understand. I'm sure I sound like a crazy first time parent, but I have to say, I don't want to end up in a hospital again anytime soon. So I just pray that you all understand where we're coming from when we ask that you just let us know.
So what kind of things do we have to look for when we get home? Basically the same things that we would look for had he been a full term infant. Of course we'll probably be looking a little more closely than we would have been if he had been born closer to his due date.
Developmentally, we're told to expect him to probably be a month behind for a while. For example, he might not crawl until a month after a term newborn. That's not to say that he might be right on track with a full term baby though, we'll just have to wait and see.
Eventually he'll also need to be circumcised. They won't do that to him in the hospital here. They say to wait for two good weight gains before doing that and our primary physician will take care of it/schedule it.
He also needs to take a multi-vitamin daily for a while (nasty smelling little thing).
This is getting long so I'll try to wrap it up. How's he doing today? Could be better could be worse. He's been pretty tuckered out as Eric posted earlier. They did have to put the feeding tube back in and gave him one feeding this morning. Luckily he's been able to nurse from me the rest of the day so we haven't had to do any more tube feedings. If he has troubles with breastfeeding, it's possible to use bottles for a while. Sometimes he gets frustrated with nursing when the milk doesn't let down right away. We'll continue to pursue breastfeeding, but might give him a break from it if he's not taking to it and then we'll have to probably go visit a lactation consultant to get us back on track again. Hoping we don't have to go that route, but we'll do whatever it takes.
All righty, looks like he's too small for the seat and he got hungry so he'll have to do the test again tomorrow. That's probably ok that he got hungry since the next time he does the test he'll be in a different seat.
Feedings haven't been great today, they've been good, but not great. We'll get there though.
Good night all. Hopefully tomorrow's update is a good one and I have more pictures to post. I'm sure you'd all rather look at pictures than listen to my rambling.
"Never let go of hope. One day you will say that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back at what has passed and you will ask yourself...How did I ever get through all of that?"
Good night for now.
The nurses have already started our "teachings" if you will as far as what happens next. Basically, the only thing we're doing here is waiting for a weight gain. Cael is 100% off of oxygen and everything looks great. Overall he's a healthy little boy - he still has immature lungs however (imagine that - an immature boy :) Anyway, we'll weigh Cael tonight and I pray he's up from last night. As much as he pooped yesterday, it's no surprise his weight was down though! But that's a good thing too - the milk is moving through him.
So now what? Well, assuming he gains weight tonight (please pray that he does) Assuming he gains weight tonight, tomorrow night he will be off of the monitors 100% and will stay in our "luxury suite" with Eric and I and we'll take care of him by ourselves. So whether that's tomorrow night or the next night or the night after, that's what happens next. Right now he's doing a 90 minute car seat stress test. It's a test required of all infants born before 37 weeks. He's acting pretty hungry though so I'm not sure that he'll make it the full 90 minutes. Also waiting to hear if he's too small for the car seat...he's a pretty little guy.
So what happens when we get home? I'm guessing the question on everyone's mind is - "when do we get to come visit?" I know everyone is eager to meet Cael, but please don't rush over the day we get home. This has been quite the trip for everyone and Eric and I would really appreciate to not have unannounced visitors, and we hope that you won't be offended if we might not be up for visitors every night. And if anyone is sick or in a household with someone sick, I'm sorry, but you won't be able to visit us yet. The nurse just went through with us what to do and avoid and it came as no surprise that we wouldn't want him around any sickness. Or second hand smoke for that matter. So what about Christmas you might ask? Well...We're hoping to still go to our immediate Christmases with siblings and grandparents, however, anything beyond that will have to wait until next year. Beth (super awesome nurse of Cael's) said that we shouldn't have him around bigger crowds until at least 2 weeks after his due date. If anyone is sick when we're supposed to have Christmas, please let Eric or myself know and we won't come. Please please please don't be offended. We pray you all understand. I'm sure I sound like a crazy first time parent, but I have to say, I don't want to end up in a hospital again anytime soon. So I just pray that you all understand where we're coming from when we ask that you just let us know.
So what kind of things do we have to look for when we get home? Basically the same things that we would look for had he been a full term infant. Of course we'll probably be looking a little more closely than we would have been if he had been born closer to his due date.
Developmentally, we're told to expect him to probably be a month behind for a while. For example, he might not crawl until a month after a term newborn. That's not to say that he might be right on track with a full term baby though, we'll just have to wait and see.
Eventually he'll also need to be circumcised. They won't do that to him in the hospital here. They say to wait for two good weight gains before doing that and our primary physician will take care of it/schedule it.
He also needs to take a multi-vitamin daily for a while (nasty smelling little thing).
This is getting long so I'll try to wrap it up. How's he doing today? Could be better could be worse. He's been pretty tuckered out as Eric posted earlier. They did have to put the feeding tube back in and gave him one feeding this morning. Luckily he's been able to nurse from me the rest of the day so we haven't had to do any more tube feedings. If he has troubles with breastfeeding, it's possible to use bottles for a while. Sometimes he gets frustrated with nursing when the milk doesn't let down right away. We'll continue to pursue breastfeeding, but might give him a break from it if he's not taking to it and then we'll have to probably go visit a lactation consultant to get us back on track again. Hoping we don't have to go that route, but we'll do whatever it takes.
All righty, looks like he's too small for the seat and he got hungry so he'll have to do the test again tomorrow. That's probably ok that he got hungry since the next time he does the test he'll be in a different seat.
Feedings haven't been great today, they've been good, but not great. We'll get there though.
Good night all. Hopefully tomorrow's update is a good one and I have more pictures to post. I'm sure you'd all rather look at pictures than listen to my rambling.
"Never let go of hope. One day you will say that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back at what has passed and you will ask yourself...How did I ever get through all of that?"
Good night for now.
December 5, 2010
Little bit of a setback today. Overnight Cael lost a little weight and didn't eat too well this morning. All that work yesterday wore him out so he is pretty tired today. Mommy stayed overnight to feed and be with him. Looks like she will be here at least another two nights and the nurses and doctors are hopeful he can get out Tuesday. We are getting upgraded to a luxury suite (private room) - as soon as Cael gets back to eating better he will join Mommy.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Roller Coaster of Emotions
I don't think it'd come as a surprise to anyone that the past 5 days have been a roller coaster. On Monday we experienced one of the happiest and scariest days of our lives. I remember when we took our first birthing class, they told us to write down I think it was 5 or 6 things that we "planned" on. Whether it was getting an epidural, not getting an epidural, having a c-section, not having a c-section...you get the idea. Well after we did that they told us to cross off 3 of those things because it never goes how we plan it. Little did Eric and I know how different our experience would be than what we had planned this time around.
Cael's been a stinker, for lack of a better word, from the very beginning. I've loved every minute about my pregnancy don't get me wrong, but from the morning sickness, back pain, shortness of breath and other things - it's been a trip. I should have known that his entry into the world would be similar.
But as I sit here at St. Mary's in the NICU, I can't help but feel blessed as the song "I'll be home for Christmas is playing overhead" I know that we'll be home for Christmas and it brings me to tears. I couldn't be more thankful for that.
I'll never know why God picked us to go through this, but I do know that he wouldn't give us anything we couldn't handle. We've got a healthy daughter at home, and soon we'll have a son to bring home as well. I met another mom while here, and she's been here for 20 weeks and remains strong. I can only imagine what she's going through and pray that she can bring her son home soon as well.
No matter how bad things get, they could always be worse.
I don't know how much longer we'll be here, but I know we'll be home soon. Thank you everyone for all of the prayers, calls, texts and other kind gifts you've given to us. I don't know how we'll ever be able to repay everyone for their help in getting us through this. I can't wait for the day when you all get to meet Cael.
On that note, wish us luck. I'll be spending the night in the hospital to feed Cael. Hoping it goes well. The sooner he and I get this breastfeeding thing figured out, the sooner we get to bring him home.
Love you all~
"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."
Cael's been a stinker, for lack of a better word, from the very beginning. I've loved every minute about my pregnancy don't get me wrong, but from the morning sickness, back pain, shortness of breath and other things - it's been a trip. I should have known that his entry into the world would be similar.
But as I sit here at St. Mary's in the NICU, I can't help but feel blessed as the song "I'll be home for Christmas is playing overhead" I know that we'll be home for Christmas and it brings me to tears. I couldn't be more thankful for that.
I'll never know why God picked us to go through this, but I do know that he wouldn't give us anything we couldn't handle. We've got a healthy daughter at home, and soon we'll have a son to bring home as well. I met another mom while here, and she's been here for 20 weeks and remains strong. I can only imagine what she's going through and pray that she can bring her son home soon as well.
No matter how bad things get, they could always be worse.
I don't know how much longer we'll be here, but I know we'll be home soon. Thank you everyone for all of the prayers, calls, texts and other kind gifts you've given to us. I don't know how we'll ever be able to repay everyone for their help in getting us through this. I can't wait for the day when you all get to meet Cael.
On that note, wish us luck. I'll be spending the night in the hospital to feed Cael. Hoping it goes well. The sooner he and I get this breastfeeding thing figured out, the sooner we get to bring him home.
Love you all~
"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."
Handsome Little Guy
How handsome is this guy?!?!?! Cael's having a rock star day. Feedings are going really well. He's latching on and staying on! Looks like I'll be spending the night!! (that's a good thing).
December 4, 2010
So far we're off to a great start! I got to St. Mary's at about 6:45 and our little man was hungry so we got to nurse right away! Then again at 9ish. He's been off of the high flow since about then and doing awesome!! So we're doing a trail run. They're keeping the nose piece on in case he goes into a respiratory distress, but it's not hooked up to anything. It's really there "just in case" We've also stopped he tubal feedings on a trial basis. Previously when I've nursed, he gets a tubal feeding right after because he doesn't get a lot from me, but now we want to see if he's able to get enough milk from me to keep him satisfied for a few hours at a time.
Once we both learn how to breastfeed together, we get to talk about going home!!! I'm told this can sometimes take up to a week to learn, but that's ok. We're making progress and the end is in sight. Looks like I'll probably be staying at the hospital tonight to cater to Cael's nursing needs!
Hopefully we'll be able to get rid of some chords and tubes today so I can get a new picture posted. Right now he's under the lights for a bit. He's not as jaundice as he was, but the lights don't hurt any. They said today will probably be the last day for those!
Love to all~
Once we both learn how to breastfeed together, we get to talk about going home!!! I'm told this can sometimes take up to a week to learn, but that's ok. We're making progress and the end is in sight. Looks like I'll probably be staying at the hospital tonight to cater to Cael's nursing needs!
Hopefully we'll be able to get rid of some chords and tubes today so I can get a new picture posted. Right now he's under the lights for a bit. He's not as jaundice as he was, but the lights don't hurt any. They said today will probably be the last day for those!
Love to all~
A Few Pics
Cael's newest accessory on 12-3-2010 = High Air Flow. Good bye CPAP, I can't say that we'll miss you!
Mommy and Cael - This was Cael trying to go without the cpap a few days ago - sure is nice to be able to see his face!
AND FINALLY! Here's Daddy getting to hold Cael for the first time on Wednesday!!
Hopefully the next time we post pictures - he won't have anything helping him breathe anymore! Keep the prayers coming - we truly appreciate each and every one of them.
Love to all~
Mommy and Cael - This was Cael trying to go without the cpap a few days ago - sure is nice to be able to see his face!
AND FINALLY! Here's Daddy getting to hold Cael for the first time on Wednesday!!
Hopefully the next time we post pictures - he won't have anything helping him breathe anymore! Keep the prayers coming - we truly appreciate each and every one of them.
Love to all~
Friday, December 3, 2010
4 DAYS OLD
So far Cael's having a great day. We were hoping that he would be able to go off of the CPAP today, but that's not the case. He was however moved to high flow! Basically a step away from the CPAP towards breathing on his own. So it's definitely a step in the right direction. He's just not ready to breathe on his own yet.
We got to breastfeed for the first time today! It was more of a meet and greet than anything, but we'll take it. Cael did great. We'll take another go at it at 3.
Praying tomorrow he's breathing on his own so we can really start to concentrate on breastfeeding - because once we get both of those done - we get to start talking about going home.
Also, no sign of the heart murmur today and his bilirubin number is lower. Still under the lights for a bit, but doing great.
Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers. Love to all~
We got to breastfeed for the first time today! It was more of a meet and greet than anything, but we'll take it. Cael did great. We'll take another go at it at 3.
Praying tomorrow he's breathing on his own so we can really start to concentrate on breastfeeding - because once we get both of those done - we get to start talking about going home.
Also, no sign of the heart murmur today and his bilirubin number is lower. Still under the lights for a bit, but doing great.
Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers. Love to all~
Thursday, December 2, 2010
3 days old
Cael is having a good day. His x-ray came back perfect this morning so that was great news! They tried to take the cpap off for about a half an hour and he still struggled a bit so put it back on for another day. They've turned it down from a 5 to 3 though so the weaning has begun! Hopefully tomorrow it comes off completely and we can start nursing!
Other than that he's doing great. Spending a lot of time under lights since he's jaundice, but that's ok - who doesn't love a little winter tan :)
They also heard a heart murmur this morning during his exam but aren't concerned about that.
Keep the prayers coming. Love to all
Other than that he's doing great. Spending a lot of time under lights since he's jaundice, but that's ok - who doesn't love a little winter tan :)
They also heard a heart murmur this morning during his exam but aren't concerned about that.
Keep the prayers coming. Love to all
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cael's Here
Cael came rushing out Monday, November 29th, at 6:30 AM. Had a little trouble breathing on his own so he had to be taken to St. Mary's to the NICU. Monday night was a rough one for Mommy but Cael's continual improvement eased both Mommy and Daddy. Tuesday night he was taken off the breathing tube and put on a CPAP machine which gives him just a little bit of help through his nose (which means he is doing almost all the work himself). Wednesday we came in and he gets to start feeding on breastmilk. First meal will be at 11 am today. Pretty exciting!!
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