About a month ago I mentioned that Jordan had a vibrator in order to loosen up phlegm and mucous in his chest. He has now moved up to a small mallet. The thing weighs less than 2 ounces and the head is shaped like a hollowed out Hershey’s kiss, but made out of a soft plastic. It makes a louder sound when he is hit with it than you would think, and the nurses say that the babies enjoy it. I can’t talk about Jordan, but I certainly find it fun. After 63 days (two months last Sunday!) I can finally so something in the darn NICU where I don’t have to treat the boy like he’s made out of an eggshell. He’s two pounds eleven ounces – time for him to man up! I can’t wait to whoop his butt again tonight.
He has been doing well on the vent. In fact he is breathing the minimum level of oxygen, the vent has been turned down pretty low, and he is solidly breathing over it. It’s set at 22 breaths per minute, but he is doing about 40. He isn’t even desatting anymore. I am positive he will start swinging again once he comes off, which should be anytime now. His feedings are slowly working back up to where it was a week ago, but he isn’t there yet. Digestion actually burns calories, so they are slowly working up on the foods and down on the I.V. fluids. He gets about 18 milliliters every three hours, so he is already eating more than one of his aunts!
On a personal note, you all know what today is. Make sure that you all take a few minutes to reflect in a fashion that you are comfortable with.
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4 comments:
Real talk for a second: If you or I don't eat for a few days, we don't feel too well: maybe a little light-headed, a bit weak and a little more fatigued than usual. Okay, I get that Jordan's physiology is drastically different, but I don't fully understand: how is it good for Jordan if they don't feed him for a few days? Where does he get the energy from, if not food?
I'm sorry, I just realized that I wasn't specific enough in the previous posts. He is on IV fluids right now. The only thing he is getting in the IVs is sugar water and fat-in-a-bag. As he goes up on the food, the IV is cut back. Hopefully by the end of the week he will be back up to his full feeds and they will remove the IVs. The fluids are more than enough to meet his minimum requirements, but nothing beats breast milk that's digested in the gut.
Big Ali:
I knew it! You've just been waiting to smack your kid around! You're lucky you're not in my county, you little child abuser . . . ;)
You think hitting is fun? I enjoyed holding you by your ankles and swirling you around. Your mother desatted whenever I did it but you just smiled.
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