[Sam914]

Well i can't believe my little man will be a whole month old tomorrow! I just wanted to update for you guys since last you heard he would be having the PDA surgery, well they did the echo cardiogram yesterday and apparently the PDA has yet again began to close on its own. As of right now since its closing and he is not showing symptoms of it being a problem they're not ordering the surgery right now. Hopefully it will continue getting smaller, we'll know when they do another echo Wednesday. I'm not sure what they'll decide to do if its not smaller.

Other then that he's doing fairly well, a little bit of blood pressure issues over the weekend but they're stabilized now. I'm not sure if i had mentioned it but he was having a rough time breathing like Friday night so they put him on the ventalator instead of the CPAP that he had been on the whole time. Doing that would help him rest a little more and basically help him concentrate on fighting the infection better and since he would have to go on the vent today if he had surgery anyway it seemed like okay timing. However, he's doing well again and since right now there is no immediate plans for the surgery they want to put him back on the CPAP tonight. Sorry if that whole paragraph was confusing im exhausted today for some reason! He's at 2lbs 11oz's so right now he's officially gained a pound since birth. At this point though they've been pumping him through a ton of fluid to make sure his kidneys are still working okay with the infection so he's probably having a bit of water weight... who knows how much he'll weigh tomorrow They're re starting caffeine and feedings tonight so hopefully he really starts putting on the weight soon.

Think thats it! Feel free to ask questions if ya want

[ca_dawson]

Wow I can't believe he is a month old already! I'm so glad he isn't needing the surgery now! It sounds like overall he is doing great, just the typical premie ups and downs. I hope he continues to thrive and get big and strong! Continued prayers for your little man!

[Oreobaby]

I can not believe he is a month already!! I am glad that it is looking like he will not need surgery, and I will keep praying that the PDA will continue to close on its own!!! Please continue to keep us updated, as there are lots of us that are praying for him!!!

[karenwalter]

I am so glad he is doing well right now. That is awesome that his PDA is closing and so far he is getting to avoid the surgery.

[fromustobaby]

Oh Sam, it really sounds like he is doing great, I'm so happy that he's been gaining weight so well (even if it is a bit of water weight...and that the hole is closing without surgery...

Geesh, you said you wouldnt mind questions...so...
What is the protocol from here? Or is it still on a day by day basis?
ALso, since he is almost 30 weeks - are they going to be able to move him closer to home - in the other hospital?
Are you still driving to the far hospital every day or are you staying closer to it?
What level NICU is he in right now?

Yea Micheal, stay strong tough guy!!

[Sam914]

T - don't mind at all! Oddly enough i randomly started reading a blog years ago of a family that had 24 week triplets and followed them all the way from just after birth to now (just turned 4) and i watch a ton of babies shows...so, i quite honestly was oddly prepared for this situation and already had a small basis of preemie knowledge before Michael was even born but, i know that i'm a rarity and that most people who arent going through this really have no clue what it entails so i totally don't mind answering things. God forbid any of you have to go through this in the future but i like to think if you do (or know someone that does) you'll be a little more prepared thanks to me Anywho, to answer your questions...

What is the protocol from here? Or is it still on a day by day basis? I think for probably the next couple of weeks it will still be day to day but the general plan (assuming nothing happens of course) is to figure out whats up with the PDA, is it closed, will it stay closed etc. Once we know for sure if its closed and if it stays closed for maybe like a week or so i assume they'll sort of write that off as "fixed" for now. They're still working on the infection clearing up also. Hopefully both will work themselves out in the next week or so. On the breathing aspect he has to get back off the ventilator and go back to the CPAP, which like i said hopefully they'll do tonight. After that he needs to breath 21% oxygen at 4-5% flow (dont exactly understand what all that means!) consistently in order to step down to a nasal cannula. He was starting to get to this point before the infection hit which set him back a ton. Its all sort of connected because the infection basically just completely stressed him out which could have caused the PDA to open up which in turn worsened his breathing. Anyway, the nasal cannula is just that little thing that blows the air like adults have when they get c sections... i'de guess maybe 3 weeks or so and he could be on that, but i could be completely off. Generally speaking babies learn to bottle feed around 34 weeks so he has a tiny tiny pacifier and had started learning to suck before they put him on the vent. Thats about the plan for the next month i think

ALso, since he is almost 30 weeks - are they going to be able to move him closer to home - in the other hospital? I am pretty sure once the PDA thing is for sure resolved and he's stable on the CPAP with no other issues we can start talking about it... maybe 2-3 more weeks? Can't come soon enough on that if you ask me!

Are you still driving to the far hospital every day or are you staying closer to it? Yeah we're still at home, dh works a half hour from the hospital though so if for some reason i can't get down there on my every other day schedule he can go after work for a little bit.

What level NICU is he in right now? I think its level 3 or 4? I'm not entirely sure the level classifications

[CandaceDianne]

I am glad to hear he is still doing well, even if the infection set him back. What a little fighter he is!!!

[MommaLee]

Glad to hear the news is good for the most part. I pray for a quick recovery from the infection and the heart closes.

[~* Liss *~]

Thanks for the update Sam. I've signed up for his carepage.

I continue to keep you guys in my T & P!

[MarinaAndCharlie'sMommy]

Hope the PDA closes soon and that the infection goes away quickly. Thanks for the update. Hope you get to bring him closer to home really soon.

[Micksbabe]

It is good to hear the he is doing well. I hope that his infection clears up and the PDA closes and he gets on the track to be moved closer to home

[~*Jackie*~]

I'm glad to hear a good update from you both!!! I think of you often!

[Sam914]

Just wanted to say thanks!

[Sakeenco]

glad to hear that he is doing better and that his pda seems to be closing on its own. Anything like that is awesome as it wouldn't require surgery. Also glad that he has gained weight even if some of it is water It is good especially with his infection setback. Fingers crossed that the pda will continue to close and stay closed on it's own. Thanks for the update.

[Elijah'sMommy]

Glad to hear Michael is doing good and that his PDA is getting smaller. I hope his infection goes away quickly.

[amazing_love]

Thanks for updating! I always like to hear good news on him Glad to hear he's doing well and was able to avoid having the surgery. Hopefully the infection will be gone soon and he'll be able to come closer to home! What a trooper he is!

[denalibear]

Oh Sam...Im so happy he is doing well. I cant believe he is a month old I have been saying a special prayer for Mikey every night.

[Celry]

I'm so glad he's doing well. I hope he continues and doesn't have too many setbacks.

Have you seen his eyes? (That may be a dumb question, but I don't know how long NICU keeps baby's eyes covered).

Did you get any preemie clothes for him yet? If so, I'd love to see what you've picked up for your little man.

[Sam914]

Yes we've been able to see his eyes for a couple of weeks now. They were mostly covered while he was under the biliruben lights the first couple of weeks (plus at the time his eyes were open yet anyway)... and i've gotten a couple of outfits so far and someone sent us one as a gift, i'll post pics in a little bit.

[Sam914]

Here are some pics

From yesterday



This outfit was a gift


And I picked these up at the Carters outlet a couple weekends ago




And eyes open