Happy New Year ~ The Eli Update

January 2, 2014

27.3 weeks

Eli holding Jason's wedding ring.

Lots has happened over the past two days. Eli did so well on CPAP! After having the tube out for just a few hours his levels were about the same as they were while he was on the vent. Every few hours the nurses take a blood gas reading. To do this they have to take about .3 ml of blood and put it through a machine. Through this test they measure the levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and the pH in the blood sample. There used to be an arterial line through the umbilical cord that they could simply draw blood out of, but they had to take that out yesterday. So now they have to prick his heel every time they need to take blood gas. It's sad to see his little feet all bandaged up.

We were obviously so excited that Eli was off the vent, but the nurses and doctors warned us that it is very normal for little babies to go on and off the vent. But any time off the vent is helpful and good for the baby. Last night we went and saw Saving Mr. Banks. I was already feeling guilty that we were out having fun while Eli was all alone in the hospital when a preview of the Disney Nature movie Bears played. It's a movie about the life and struggles of a little bear family. When I saw the tiny bear paws, I thought of my sweet little boy and started crying. I think I worried Jason because he kept looking over at me during the movie making sure I was ok. Halfway through the movie I took a bathroom break and happened to get a call from the neonatologist. It's always scary to look down and see the NICU calling—especially at night. The doctor informed me that they re-intubated Eli because his carbon dioxide levels were too high. It was a bummer, but we knew it was most likely going to happen at some point. Being on CPAP is a time for babies to exercise their lungs. During development, they sometimes need to take a rest and be on the ventilator before trying CPAP again. Already, we have seen improvement as he has been back on the ventilator.

Yesterday, we got some exciting news. With the umbilical line out, we would be able to hold Eli!! In the NICU they have something called Kangaroo Care which is a time for skin-to-skin contact with a parent. It helps with bonding, increasing mother's milk supply, calming the baby down, aiding in digestion, increasing oxygen intake and regulating temperature. I got to hold him for 2 hours and the time flew by.