The BIG 3 0 !!!!!

Brayden hit the BIG 30 today!!!( 3.0 pounds that is)

We got to the NICU early today to talk to Dr. Nesslein. After we scrubbed in and walked around the corner guess who we ran into looking at an xray, yep the doctor. She greeted us with a smile and showed us his xray. She was glad, as were we, that he had no pneumo just some of his lingering lung collapse. She said that he needed to remain on the CPAP for a while to help open up his lungs. It is not good news but she told us that for a child as small as Brayden to go from the vent and then to no oxygen and then no CPAP in only a week is asking too much. She said that most babies his size are still on the CPAP requiring at least 35% oxygen. It makes us feel a little better knowing that he is not requiring oxygen but we hate the fact that they are still having to pump pressure into his fragile lungs.

we walked with her to the bedside where she started her morning assessment of him. She said he sounded good and that he looked really good. While doing her morning check Miranda asked her if she knew that the nurse that took care of him last night was sick and had just gotten over a fever. her normally cheery face turned to a frown, almost a scowl and she said," NO I DID NOT!!! I WILL BE HAVING A TALK WITH THE NURSING SUPERVISOR SHORTLY"! I was shocked to see her so angry but also glad to see the concern and sincerity in her face.

After the doctor finished her assessment we took turns holding Brayden, Miranda went first then while she went to pump I got my turn. When the nurse put him in my arms, he began to SAT better than when Miranda was holding him. The doctor walked over and told Brayden it was not nice to SAT higher for daddy then mommy. It was mommy who carried him and he needed to remember that. She told him to be good and she walked away to finish her rounds.

During my turn to hold him he began to DeSAT again. I wasn't overly worried because his color still looked good but he wasn't comfortable. the doctor came by shortly after Miranda came back and told us that she was leaving because her baby (her 14 month old son) had just drank Dawn Dish soap and she had to go meet them in the ER. I thought I was the only one that had bad luck. We finally had to put Brayden back in his isolette to try and help him recover. We had three nurses and two respiratory therapists trying to figure out why the CPAP machine was not helping him. Finally one of the RT's discovered his tubing had been crushed under the wheel of the isolette and and melted a hole in it. The tubing has a heating element in it to help warm the air before it gets to Brayden. After replacing the tubing Brayden recovered quickly. We sat with him for a while and when we felt he was comfortable we headed back home.

P.S.
to everyone that follows this Blog please say a special prayer for the baby in the room with Brayden. I'm sorry I don't know the name but they are very strict about giving out information. While we were struggling with Brayden the baby across from him was, from what I gathered, in a fight for his life. I didn't hear everything that was going on but there were several nurses and doctors rushing around trying to help him. Please say a prayer for the little one in POD1.