I posted my birth story for Mr. Miles the other day. I thought I would update about his status in NICU...
He has a surfactant deficiency. Generally this isn't something seen in term babies, but I always thought my due date was inaccurate. It was originally 2-25. They moved it up 8 days based on a 15 week U/S that showed him being 8 days bigger. The new due date given was 2-17, which would have put conception before my last cycle. Either way it doesn't really matter, since he would have come when he wanted to regardless. I do think he was only 36 weeks, though.
Anyway, they originally had him on a bubble c-pap machine and were letting it help him breathe. He slowly got worse (as they projected he would for the first 48 hours) and finally when it was providing 80% of his oxygen they decided to intubate and give him some surfactant. They tried the first time and said his trachea was tilted at an odd angle making it difficult to get the tube down and his stats were dropping so rather than push it and hurt his throat they decided to leave it for a while. Later that night the c-pap started providing 100% of his oxygen and they tried again and got the tube in the second time. It's been a little over 30 hours since they got the surfactant into his lungs and got him on the ventilator and he's currently sitting at 30% oxygen being given. For the first time yesterday he got to have some breast milk and I was sooo happy. He hasn't been allowed anything on his stomach since he was born. I've been pumping like crazy and my milk came in the night before last. It came in the same time with my first, about 48 hours after birth. He has lots and lots and lots of frozen colostrum and milk. They let me give him 5ml of colostrum through his feeding tube directly into his stomach at noon yesterday and he handled it well so he's been getting some every 4 hours now. We're still not allowed to hold him but if I go down there every 4 hours I'm allowed to take him temp, change his diaper and feed him through his tube. I'm really hopeful he'll get to come off the ventilator tomorrow, but I think it will probably be Monday. The worst part about all this is it's just a total waiting game. We're just waiting around for him to produce his surfactant himself and for his lungs to be ready to breathe entirely on their own. There's nothing we can do and I feel helpless sometimes. I love his nurses, though. They're really sweet. I love that he always has at least one person in the room with him, watching over him.
He's really easily over stimulated and I don't know if that's something that's going to change or not. Any time there's any talking or light or anyone touches him his stats drop. They had to move all the other NICU babies around to give him a room to himself. They have a low stimulation sign on the door and he stays in there with all the lights off in dead silence
I keep meaning to ask them if it's going to stay that way or if there's anything abnormal about it, I just have been so overwhelmed with everything I keep forgetting.
DH has been amazing through this. I can't believe I managed to find such a loving and supportive man. He's been washing my pump accessories for me every time I pump so I don't have to do it, going to get me food, going without eating half the day, taking care of my prescriptions, letting me sleep as much as I need to and taking care of everything while I do, he even offered to help me massage all the hard knots out of my breasts in the tub and wasn't being a pervert about it haha. We went out to Walmart tonight and he helped me look for the most supportive bra lol. He's just so ready to jump and help me with anything I need with breast feeding and I think it's so sweet.
Anyway, there's the update for anyone who was concerned or curious. He's going to be in NICU at least until Thursday. He has to finish a course of antibiotics even if he doesn't have an infection, they want to be safe. Here's a few pictures
He does look a little jaundiced here, but it was mostly the camera. He is sitting in the dark, though, so he has a faint yellow tint, but not that bad.
Yay, feeding time!
This was the first time I got to feed him. Ignore my really fat arms.
Tonight is the last night we can stay at the hospital. DH goes back to work tomorrow and I have to be home with DS1, but I'll be here every night once DH gets home from work. Hopefully by next weekend he'll be home with us.
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