November 30, 2003

What a busy weekend it's been! And a great one for Jacob! Little J was moved to an open crib on Thanksgiving Day! Oh how thankful I am!! Looking at Jacob now, you would never know he had eye surgery just days ago. Dr. Varenhorst, the Dr. that performed his surgery, next week, will examine him again. During that visit, Dr. Varenhorst should be able to see how well the surgery helped the ROP. Rumor has it Jacob might be graduating to the Special Care Nursery soon, maybe within days!! The SCN is much smaller and much less invasive than the NICU. As one nurse put it, babies go there to eat and grow. The biggest thing Jacob needs to conquer right now is feedings. (I go in once a day to breast and bottle-feed. The rest of the time, they continue the ng tube feedings on a schedule-- every three hours. They will gradually move him to more than one breast/bottle feed a day as he gets the hang of it). With that being the main thing to get used to, Jacob really doesn't need to be in the NICU any longer. And from the SCN is Mother/Baby, then home!!!! It could be just a few more weeks! Oh and how could I forget Jacob's weight is now up to a whopping 4lbs 8ozs!! 

Don't forget to thank God for each day, each miracle each blessing, He's amazing!!!

November 26, 2003

You may have received an email about Jacob needing laser surgery for ROP. The surgery was at 8am this morning and Jacob did great. He did well on only a small amount of oxygen and only had one minor apnea spell. Brett and I were there until he settled back in bed. The doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Varenhorst, said he will do a post-surgery exam in one week to see how things look. Depending on how that goes will determine future exams. Last night I attempted to breastfeed the Fighter, but he didn't seem interested. Well, for one thing, he was snoozing! After a few minutes, I gave him a bottle and he woke up to take that. He took 19 out of 43 ccs from the bottle then the rest was given through the ng tube. He had a pretty good weight gain and is now 4lbs 5.5oz. Fat cow!!!

November 25, 2003

Praise God for our little Fighter! He's been off CPAP almost 72 hours with only three apnea spells! I think he will stay off this time, though I won't get my hopes up just yet! I tried breastfeeding again last night. He latched on a few times but not consistently enough to get anything so after 15 minutes we gave him a bottle. Surprisingly he did well with that. He had trouble with the suck-breath-swallow concept, but he will get used to it in time. He took about a half ounce on his own then the rest was given through the ng tube. Tonight I will try again. The little fat boy gained another ounce, putting him at 4lbs 4oz. Today Jacob is going to have a test done to check his bladder and kidney functions. I don't recall the medical term for the procedure, but they will insert dye through a catheter - ouch - and make sure things are in working order. We should know the results within a day or so. Other than that, Jacob is have a great morning! A nurse told me he's been smiling! Must be a happy boy!

November 24, 2003

I am SO proud of my son. He's been off CPAP just under 48 hours and has only had one apnea spell. I think the 4th time will be the charm for staying off!! Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I tried breast-feeding Jacob for the first time. He latched on a few times but after 20 minutes, the nurse had to hook his feeding on. Tonight I will try again. His feeding schedule is now 42ccs over an hour, off for two hours and so on. Next will be over 30 min, every three hours, then off the tube all together. They are supplementing my breast milk with formula now because I am not keeping up with him. My Fat Cow Baby as I call him gained two ounces yesterday and is now 4lbs 3oz! God’s hands have definitely worked a miracle!

November 24, 2003

I am SO proud of my son. He's been off CPAP just under 48 hours and has only had one apnea spell. I think the 4th time will be the charm for staying off!! Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I tried breast-feeding Jacob for the first time. He latched on a few times but after 20 minutes, the nurse had to hook his feeding on. Tonight I will try again. His feeding schedule is now 42ccs over an hour, off for two hours and so on. Next will be over 30 min, every three hours, then off the tube all together. They are supplementing my breast milk with formula now because I am not keeping up with him. My Fat Cow Baby as I call him gained two ounces yesterday and is now 4lbs 3oz! God’s hands have definitely worked a miracle!

November 22, 2003

Today's the day!! Jacob came off CPAP. Hopefully this time he is strong enough to stay off. He came off at 10am this morning and is so far doing great. He only gained 10 grams yesterday but that's better then losing. He is now on what they call bolus feedings. That's when he receives milk over two hours, then off one hour. Before, it was a continuous flow...tummy always full. Eventually they will work him down to one amount over 30 minutes every three hours. Now that he's off CPAP, he will work up to taking the bottle and breast. Aunt Meagan and I are going to paint Jacob's room today -- in white just to freshen it up. I ordered his crib bedding and valance! I'll set those up as soon as they arrive! It's so exciting to be doing all of this!!

November 21, 2003 - 3:20pm

Jacob is going to stay on the CPAP for a day or two longer. His Phenobarbital level is low, so until it regulates they don't want to make any major changes. Phenobarbital, as they often refer to it, is a medication used for seizures. Jacob hasn't experienced any seizure activity in a while but will remain on it as long as Dr. Shah (the neurologist) thinks necessary. Hopefully that will take place in a day or two and then it's off with the CPAP!

November 21, 2003 - 9:30am

I just got off the phone with Jacob's nurse, Linda. He had a great night. His oxygen needs were minimal - room air or 21% and he had a good weight gain of 45 grams. That puts him two grams shy of 3lbs 15oz. My little fighter is becoming such a big fighter. Though it's still undecided, he may come off the CPAP today. If not, another day or two certainly wouldn't hurt. Grandma and Grandpa Smith will be coming from Dodge City, Kansas today for a visit. My sister, Aunt Meagan, will also be coming over. She will be spending the weekend with me and hopefully get to hold her nephew for the first time! It should be wonderful!

November 20, 2003

Jacob the Fighter has had a good couple of days. Wednesday Jacob had an EEG (measures brain activity) done as a follow up to the seizure activity he had a while back. As of this morning, results of that are still pending. Dr. Shah, the neurologist, has ordered a Phenobarbital level check, which is the seizure med he takes; to make sure it's at the right level. Once he looks at the EEG report, I should know more. The renal (kidney) sonogram done on Monday showed improvement of the inflammation seen back in Oct, but he will have another test done once he is off CPAP. I can't remember the medical term, but the test involves inserting dye. Jacob gradually started on bolus feedings. Instead of a continues flow of milk to his belly, he will get 40ccs over two hours, then a one hour break and so on. They will gradually shorten the feeding time and get down to a large amount over 30 min every three hours. Once he is off the CPAP, he will begin bottle and breast-feeding, which I've been told will be tough. He's been through much worse, feedings will go just fine!!

November 18, 2003

After a funky weekend, Jacob is doing well. He had trouble with his temperature late Sat into Sun, so they had to remove his pj's and warm him with the bed. As of this morning he is back in pj's, staying warm and having nice full diapers for his nurses! Jacob had a renal (kidney) sonogram done yesterday because an abdominal sono he had back Oct showed some inflammation, but I am still waiting for the results. As far as his nurse could tell, things looked fine. I will wait to hear from the Dr though. As I mentioned in the last update, Brett and I had planned to give Jacob his first bath 11/17 but since each nurse is different, we weren't able too. Hopefully we will soon! Aunt Pam was able to hold Jacob for the first time on 11/17. She really enjoyed it. Check out the pictures on the site and on the Yahoo album.

November 14, 2003

Jacob the fat boyeeee has had a great week. Unfortunately, he did have to go back on CPAP Monday 11/10 after two days on the cannula. Dr. Roan doesn't see that as a setback though. He has only had one apnea spell since then and is ready to try the cannula again this morning. Hopefully the third time will be the charm! As you may have seen on the front page, our little fighter is now triple his birth weight! Very exciting! Brett and I will be able to give Jacob his first bath on Monday 11/17! He is growing so fast!!

November 7, 2003

Our little fighter.....wait, our BIG fighter is now on the nasal cannula! No more tape around his head! He will stay on the cannula unless he shows intolerance. If he does well, the next step will be going off oxygen completely! Jacob needs to gain just two more ounces and he will be able to wear clothes! We haven't even checked to see if we have anything that will fit him! The hospital has preemie clothes if we don't. Once Jacob has been on the cannula for a few days, Dr. Roan will start Jacob on timed feedings. Right now, he has the tube in his nose going to his tummy with a continuous flow of milk. When they begin timed feeds, he will still have the tube but receive his milk in a large amount over a shorter time. For example, he will get 10ccs of milk over thirty minutes every two to three hours. That will get Jacob on a schedule. Then a little later, maybe a day or two, he will try taking the bottle and breast. Dr. Roan said this would be a challenge, but nothing worse than what he's already overcome! =)

November 5, 2003

This morning Jacob is doing well. Unfortunately, he had to be put back on the CPAP because is oxygen needs were on the increase Monday evening. That's only a minor set back though. He may be ready for the nasal cannula again by Friday. Brett and I are able to hold him more than once a day now, which is wonderful. He tolerates being held pretty well. No longer on IV fluids, Jacob is getting all of his nutrition from breast milk that is being given through a tube in his nose, down to his tummy. It's a constant flow, so his tummy is always full! Dr. Roan said that once Jacob is back to the nasal cannula, we would try to get him started on breast and bottle-feeding. At this point, it still looks like his due date will be is homecoming. If we're lucky, maybe a little sooner.

November 2, 2003

What a wonderful week Jacob has had! This morning Jacob came off CPAP (supplies constant air pressure) and placed on a regular nasal cannula (the little oxygen thingy that goes in your nose). He is breathing on his own and receiving oxygen, though only a minimal amount, through the cannula. His weight is up to 3lbs and he is tolerating feedings so far! Five more ounces and he can wear clothes!! The next big challenge in Jacob's progress will be feedings. The goal, obviously, is to get him onto the breast and bottle. Dr. Roan expects that to take some time. Maybe a couple of weeks. The problem with poking him for IVs should be gone soon. In a few days, he will no longer need IV nutrition, getting rid of one IV. The second will have to stay for medications, etc. Our little man has come a long way. Hard to believe he will be two months old on Tuesday.