Last week was a stable week for Eli. Although he wasn't making much improvement, he wasn't going backwards either, which everybody was happy about. The doctors have gone up and down on the amount of milk they feed him as well as his ventilator stats to keep him happy. Jason held Eli for the first time last Tuesday. As long as he is stable, we can hold him every day for 1-3 hours. We love our kangaroo time!
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| Eli with Jason, Grandma and Grandpa! |
The beginning of this week started off a little rocky. On Sunday night, Eli was having some difficulty breathing, digesting and maintaining his temperature. He was not expiring enough air so his carbon dioxide levels were high and he needed to breathe a higher oxygen percentage than normal. He also had been really sensitive when the nurses worked on him during touch times.
After doing blood work on Sunday, the only problem was Eli's red blood cell count was low. The doctors ordered a blood transfusion because Eli's bone marrow is still immature and unable to produce RBC fast enough. The transfusion would aid in his oxygen exchange as well. On Monday his hematocrit was still low so they gave him another transfusion. The doctor was worried that he could be getting an infection so they started him on antibiotics and sent off blood, urine and respiratory cultures. They also wanted to do a spinal tap to check for meningitis, but since they started him on antibiotics right away, the results would be skewed. Eli also had another echocardiogram which showed his PDA has reopened. This can make it hard for him to get enough oxygen throughout his body. We hope it will close again on its own in the coming weeks so he will not need surgery.
After doing blood work on Sunday, the only problem was Eli's red blood cell count was low. The doctors ordered a blood transfusion because Eli's bone marrow is still immature and unable to produce RBC fast enough. The transfusion would aid in his oxygen exchange as well. On Monday his hematocrit was still low so they gave him another transfusion. The doctor was worried that he could be getting an infection so they started him on antibiotics and sent off blood, urine and respiratory cultures. They also wanted to do a spinal tap to check for meningitis, but since they started him on antibiotics right away, the results would be skewed. Eli also had another echocardiogram which showed his PDA has reopened. This can make it hard for him to get enough oxygen throughout his body. We hope it will close again on its own in the coming weeks so he will not need surgery.
So far, nothing has come back positive from the cultures and Eli is still an active little boy! The nurses have even been able to turn down the ventilator stats and he has been tolerating milk a little better this week.
Today Eli is 1 month old! He weighs 3 lbs 8 oz. With the blood transfusions and antibiotics, Eli is full of fluids. He has started a round of diuretics to help flush out the extra fluid, but for now all the puffiness makes him look like a completely different baby! All of the nurses comment on how big he is since they saw him last.
Keep your fingers crossed the cultures stay negative! We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support.
Today Eli is 1 month old! He weighs 3 lbs 8 oz. With the blood transfusions and antibiotics, Eli is full of fluids. He has started a round of diuretics to help flush out the extra fluid, but for now all the puffiness makes him look like a completely different baby! All of the nurses comment on how big he is since they saw him last.
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Celebremos en grande el milagro de la VIDA!! Felicidades Eli por tu primer mes de vida! Seguimos orando mucho por cada uno y los acompanamos desde la distancia con mucho amor. Es maravilloso como Eli va creciendo y fortaleciendose cada dia con la ayuda de Dios. Fuerte abrazo y todo nuestro amor.
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