Week 7: March 3rd - 9th

Day 45: Monday, March 3rd
Landon's cultures still came back with no bacteria growing yet, so hopefully he is finally rid of the infection!  The doctor decided to start him on the steroids for his lungs to give them a boost and try to wean his ventilator needs.  We're hoping he will breathe well tonight and that his little lungs will start to work better.  He weighs 1015 grams--2lb 3oz-- and is 14.5 inches long.

Day 46: Tuesday, March 4th
I had my post-partum appointment today so I visited Landon for his 12 o'clock cares and got to change a giant poopy diaper.  Landon did so well over night that they switched him back to the conventional ventilator at 9:30 this morning.  So far he is doing well and we're keeping our fingers crossed he will keep it up so he can continue weaning off it altogether. 



Hooked up to the conventional vent

What a sweetheart!

Each week he gets a new card with his gestational age on it

His cultures came back negative for bacteria! Once he finishes his course of antibiotics he will be able to get rid of that PICC line-- hopefully for good.  His feedings were increased to 20mL every 4 hours, and they want him at 22mL by the end of the night.  He weighs 1080 grams today--2lb 6oz--which may be a fluke because that is a lot for him to gain in one day. 

Day 47: Wednesday, March 5th
Today was a big day for Landon!  When I called this morning, the nurse told me they were thinking about taking Landon's endotrachial tube out and just using the nasal cannulas with the ventilator machine.  When I got to the NICU, there he was with his ET tube gone and new nasal cannulas!  He is now on what is considered non-invasive ventilation which is much easier on his lungs.  One tube down!

 Rick, the respiratory therapist, had to change Landon's isolette so they wrapped him up for me to hold in the rocking chair.  At first his oxygen levels kept going down into the 70's, so Rick re-wrapped him with his legs out straight and tilted his head back more on my elbow.  From then on he did great!  I was able to hold him from 4:30 until 8:00 at his next care time.  I just sat and stared at him and talked and sang to him.  He slept soundly the whole time. 

 At 8 o'clock cares his tummy looked better and his antibiotics had finished, so we watched the nurse Christy take his PICC line out.  One more tube down!  He weighed 1074 grams--2lb 5oz-- today.    He looks like a completely different baby and he hasn't even gained a pound yet!  Rick says he might be moved into another room soon if a lot of new babies are born.  I'm so thankful for the nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors taking care of him, and I'm amazed at how much they can do to help these tiny babies.

No more PICC line!

Day 48: Thursday, March 6th
Landon is still on the nasal cannulas, but his oxygen has been a little higher -- in the 80's-- so they are going to watch that closely.  If his needs go back up to 100%, they will have to reintubate.  Right now he is sitting at 67%, so hopefully he is headed in the right direction.  Because he is kind of unstable on his oxygen levels I didn't hold him, but I got to change his diaper and hold him up in his isolette while Shelly weighed him and changed his linens.

His eyes were so big and dark just looking around and studying the world.  He looked at me a few times.  All the nurses tell me he is getting so big and cute --- it's the truth he is!  After we got him re-settled, I put his little binky in his mouth while his feeding was going and he started sucking really hard.  I had to take it out when he started to de-sat.  Apparently he was sucking so hard that he was forgetting to breathe.

Loves his binky

The doctor is planning on letting Landon outgrow his scheduled sedation of morphine and versed every four hours.  Eventually, he will get big enough that his dose won't affect him anymore.  He de-satted from an apnea episode while I was sitting here and his heart rate went clear down into the 60's and his oxygen saturation went clear down to 59.  It makes me so nervous when I start hearing his alarms go off and watch those numbers plummet.  Shelly said the versed probably just hit him and relaxed him a little too much.

Landon got a chin strap while Mike and I were at dinner.  It's supposed to keep his mouth closed so the air won't just go in his nose and out his mouth.  Hopefully that will help with his oxygen levels.  Shelly, the RT, said to Landon, "You are starting to look like a handsome middle-aged man instead of a handsome wrinkled old man!" He certainly is starting to look less wrinkly.  He weighed 1034 grams today, so 2lb 4oz.  His belly looks a little less full today though, so that might explain the weight loss.

 

Day 49: Friday, March 7th
I got to hold Landon again today.  This time it was only for about 1.5 hours because his oxygen levels kept going down into the 70's.  He just slept the whole time.  I also brought him a new blanket for his isolette mattress that I made.  I wish there was more that I could do for him. 

He weighs 1061 grams -- 2lb 5oz-- today, and his oxygen needs have come down a little today as well.  He has been in the 50's and 60's for oxygen concentration with a flow of 6.1 liter per minute.  His heart rate has been in the 150's and 160's, although he got really angry after we put him back in his isolette and it went up to 214 and set off his high alarms. 

He is so funny, no matter how well you tuck him into his snuggly he always manages to kick at least one foot out.  Whenever we come to see him, he has one foot hanging out of his bed.  Last night it was sticking straight up in the air! Strong boy!  He is getting 24mL of milk now, still fortified with 24 calories, a multivitamin, and iron to help him make red blood cells.

Day 50: Saturday, March 8th
Today was another big day for Little Man Landon!  We found our little guy wearing his first outfit today!  It's preemie sized but still so big on him!  That wasn't the only surprise...Landon was also switched from the SIMV ventilator to vapotherm at 8:00 pm, right before we got to the hospital!  The vapotherm just gives him a constant flow of oxygen and warmed vapor, but does not give breaths for him like the ventilator did.  The third surprise was that he weighs 2lb 8oz --  he has now gaine 1lb since his birth!  And what a difference 1lb makes in these tiny ones.  He is getting to be such a big man--wearing clothes, breathing on his own, and gaining weight.


1st outfit!

Mike and I both took turns holding him swaddled tonight. He even sucked on his purple binky while I held him. He is so sweet and precious!







Day 51: Sunday, March 9th
Landon is doing so well today!  His vapotherm flow was decreased from 6 liters per minute (lpm) to 5 lpm.  His oxygen concentration is still kind of high -- 70's to 80's -- but they're not too worried about that.  He weighs 1141 grams -- 2lb 8oz still, and we dressed him in another little preemie outfit and each got to hold him again.

This is definitely a tough place to be, and somewhere that no parent ever expects to end up with their little baby.  I don't know why we have been so lucky and blessed.  Heavenly Father just has a plan for each of us and we have to trust in His plan.

My boys