Busy Day

(Original appeared May 13, 2016)

I’ll try to catch you up with the latest but honestly it was a whirlwind today.
Deb was able to hold Jacob for about 4 hours today. I was proud of her that her bladder didn’t explode. Jacob did very well over all. Having him out of the isolette is a tad bit risky but the staff was nice and really helped out. There were a few times he struggled a bit with oxygen, primarily because he had quite a bit of fluid in his throat that had clogged things up. There were a few scary moments when some levels dropped (scary to us, but again the staff stays so calm with this stuff!) but he bounced right back.
For the moment, his most recent blood cultures have been negative. We hope it stays that way so they can try the PIC line maybe on Monday. His O2 levels have been outstanding – he is weaned down on the vent and has been breathing on his own for the most part which is great.
He is still really swollen though. We hope that his recent urine output (which has been decent and fairly steady) will help with that. His output has been okay enough that they were able to give him a new dose of antibiotics which should again help with the infection.
We hope to do kangaroo care again in the next day or possibly a few times this week again if J remains stable. Overall, we really think the contact today did wonders for both him and mama. It sure lifted my spirits!
We are so thankful for all of the support each of you give to us, in person, by card, or by messages and comments. You have helped us traverse this process of Two steps forward, One step back. Today certainly fits in the “Two steps forward” category. We fell very blessed by all of you, with your prayers, and your kindness. Thank you! -R