Doing it his way

3 Days Old 2/28 9:21 pm

Today has been a bit of a roller coaster.  Carter has had multiple episodes today of a low heart rate and apnea spells.  His is still on CPAP however they have increased the amount of oxygen he gets intermittently and they have placed him on a rate to help him remember to breath.  We are reminded that this is very common for babies his size and age.  He has had some trouble taking his tube feeds today since his little belly is not quite moving his feeds through like they should.  Hopefully this will improve as the days go on so that he can continue to build his strength.

Katie and I were accepted into the Ronald McDonald house today which is just a couple blocks from the hospital.  Just our check-in was an amazing experience.  When we arrived a group of volunteers was making dinner in the kitchen and we were given a tour before being showed to our room.  The dinner was pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, three different kinds of salad and brownies.  Words cannot properly describe the feeling you get when you see others helping you in a time of need.  It is both humbling and overwhelming.  In Carter's three days with us he has taught us so much without even knowing it.  The world is a good place, and you realize it in your greatest time of need when others come forth to make your days brighter.  With vulnerability comes the opportunity for strength.  Thank you Carter Hoffman! #babycarterstrong

3 Days Old 2:31pm

Today Carter has been doing well.  His bilirubin has improved so that one of the two phototherapy lights have been removed.  His is still on CPAP however his chest x-ray does show Respiratory Distress Syndrome.  This finding is not at all surprising and since he is holding his own the doctors are going to just watch it for now.  He might end up being back on the ventilator but for now he is ok.  He did give us a little scare this morning when his heart rate which is normally from 140-170 suddenly dropped to the 30s for a couple of seconds.  He had two episodes of this that completely resolved on their own within seconds.  They said that preemies often go through this since their body does not have the ability to regulate itself well.  I told Carter that Daddy does not like any kind of roller coaster so he needs to not do this again.  There has been a high demand for what his incubator looks like so the picture below is his little rainforest.  It is 98 degrees with 70% humidity.  He is tolerating breast milk through his feeding tube and is going to have a PICC line placed today which is like an IV that can stay in for a long period of time so that they can take out some of the other lines going into his belly that provide him with fluids.  The less lines there are the less likely he will have an infection.

I know many of you would also like to make comments however this blog, since it is Google requires you  to have a Google account.  I did set up a # for those of you on Twitter that would like to make comments.  It is #babycarterstrong.  We love seeing all of your support.  You all mean so much to us and we tell Carter daily about all of the prayers from friends and family that he is receiving.

New Digs

2/27/14  6:34 pm

Baby Carter is doing well tonight.  His bilirubin has remained elevated so he is now being double baked.  In addition to the phototherapy light above him he has one under him.  He was just moved to his own private room in the NICU for some quiet.  He has been doing well on his CPAP and is taking about 1 teaspoon of breast milk now.  His first day getting fed, very exciting.  Just to give some perspective on his size the doctor told us today that his entire blood volume is about 3 ounces.  That is equivalent to a quarter of a coca cola can.

Holding Daddy's hand

02/27/2014  11 am  Good Morning Baby Carter

Baby Carter had a good night last night.  His vital signs are stable however he has some atelectasis in his lungs which is basically airlessness.  This can be very common.  They are going to increase some of his CPAP settings to help expand the collapsed air cells called alveoli.  His bilirubin also continued to increase despite his phototherapy so they will be adding a second light.

Last night Carter had an ultrasound of his head which is a common test to have due to his age.  This test did show a Grade I-II bleed in his brain.  Dr. Lugo advised us that this is not uncommon and occurs in about 50% of pre-term babies.  They will need to watch closely for any worsening bleed or other neurologic problems.  We did enroll Carter in a trial called PENUT.  This trial is the Pre-Term Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial.  It is a randomized trial so we are not sure if what he is receiving is actually the real medication but we are hopeful it is since it is expected that the result of this trial are improved outcomes for neurocognitive development and the reduction of intracranial hemorrhage.

On to the good news......Carter will start getting breast milk today and is expected to get about 3 ounces a day as long as he tolerates it.  Grow Carter grow and keep the prayers coming!!

Carter's Glamour Shot for today

Sweet Dreams

2/26/14 11:14pm

Carter is 1 day old now and doing well.  We just spent some time with him to say goodnight.  His bilirubin is a little high causing some mild jaundice so he is having phototherapy for the next couple of days but Dr. Raj says this is somewhat expected for his size and age.  He has also lost a couple ounces and is now 1 lb 15 oz.  This is mainly due to fluid loss and as they gradually increase his TPN he is expected to start gaining weight.   His vital signs are stable and he is very active moving his arms and legs.

He loves to grab your finger when you get near his hand.

Carter says hi to Mommy, his Zorro mask is to protect his eyes from the phototherapy.

There is no better way to sign off for the night with this sign that is posted near Baby Carter.  Sweet dreams little man.  We love you!

Baby Carter Day 2

2/26/14  Day 2
   
     Baby Carter has had a good day today.  He has been taken off the ventilator that he was on the last 16 hours in order to give him surfactant to help his lungs.  He is stable and moving his arms and legs.

This picture was taken the night of his birthday on 2/25/2014.  He was on CPAP at this point which forces air into his lungs to help reduce the amount of work he has to do to breath.  He also has IV catheters going into his belly to keep him hydrated.

Today we received this from the NICU nurse Melissa.  To give you some perspective on his foot size I placed a nickel on the paper.

Today has been a pretty exhausting day with many decisions to make and documents to sign.  We submitted the paper work for his Birth Certificate and can't wait to get it.