Riding The Roller Coaster That Is NICU

Due to an emergency C-section with a nearly detached placenta (after dealing with a large subchorionic hematoma), our son Brennan was born at 24 weeks and 4 days.  That was nearly 2 weeks ago.  He measured 1 pound and 10 ounces in weight, and was 12 inches long... my little foot-long.  Also, he looked like a little kidney bean because he was so red in color post delivery.

Brennan cried at birth, a very good sign.  And he passed all of his Apgars (Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration) tests with 9-9.  Awesome!  Yes, Little Man held his own - breathing on his own.  Another amazing accomplishment.

Brennan was not placed on a ventilator.  He didn't need full-on oxygen support.  But they did place him on Bubble CPAP.  This delivers constant pressure to his airway - there are less complications with Bubble CPAP v.s. ventilation.  Did I mention he got very good at blowing bubbles... had his big sister been a witness to this action, she would have been very proud.

He developed a super gassy tummy (being on Bubble CPAP,) which bubbled-out and became firm.  So his medical team inserted a tube to suck some of the air back out.  I forget what this tube is called.

A couple of days post birth, Mr. Man was showing signs of jaundice, so the nurses placed him under a bili light.  He was off and on for a few days... but hasn't been under this light for several days now.  Brennan looked like a little snowboarder with his hat and shades.

At seven days post birth, an ultrasound was performed on his brain to check for bleeding.  Thankfully the ultrasound results came back clear!!!  No bleeding in/around the brain for our tough little guy.

The picc line placed in his right arm was pushed in a little too far.  When they pulled it back a bit, things got a little messy.  So the team moved the picc line to his left leg.  Nurses and docs didn't want the skin on his arm to break down, so they turned down the humidity in his incubator to let things dry out a bit.  They also used some sort of medicated tape to help heal his arm.

Brennan has been on and off of drips of my breast milk.  He's had one bowel movement that I'm aware of... but has not had one recently.  Fingers crossed.  Might make him feel a little better.

Oh, Little Man's heart rate dipped a few times, so they did an echo.  Results showed a large PDA... open valve in his heart.  He was given medicine, and upon performing another echo, results revealed that the hole was smaller.  Docs decided not to push more meds.  They want to see how he progresses on his own.

Overall, the first week and a half of his life was stellar.  He rocked it out!  But then things changed...

On Monday, Brennan's team did a nasal swab to test for MRSA.  He tested positive.  They decided to move him to a different section of the nursery to keep him more isolated.  And they started using an antibacterial cream in and around his nose.  I was told that just because he tested positive didn't mean he was infected.  He started having a few episodes, and his oxygen levels were dropping lower than they should.

On Tuesday, I walked into the nursery to check-up on my sweet boy.  Two nurses and a doctor were around Brennan's incubator with the top off... they were hand-pumping air into his lungs, and getting ready to intubate and place him on a ventilator.  That is a sight no mother should have to see.  Given my (limited) medical background and faith in God, I knew I needed to remain calm and let the staff do their job.  I also needed to send up a prayer to God, so He could do His work.

One of the nurses walked with me back out into the hallway to explain everything that was going on.  Then she called for Brennan's doctor, to have it explained in more detail.  (That is one thing I'm grateful for.  Brennan has an amazing medical team.  They are so patient, so informative, so caring, so helpful... I feel completely confident in the care they give my son.  He is in more-than capable hands.)  His doc explained that he was having episodes and that he was acting more like a "sick baby."  She seemed to think he might have an infection, so they decided to go ahead and load him up with antibiotics.  They also gave him a small dose of morphine that night to help him relax and sleep.

Today's test results showed that he has a staff infection.  Now they are testing to see if it's in his blood stream.  Brennan's team also gave him a blood transfusion due to being anemic, and the IV was inserted into a vein in his forehead.  Poor little guy.  Hopefully the blood will perk him up a little and make him feel better.

We were told there would be ups and downs in the NICU... that it would be a roller coaster ride.  We just hit our first drop.  I'm praying my handsome little guy gets well soon!  And that we don't have too many dips, twists, or turns along the way.

Right now we are taking things hour by hour, dip by dip and climb by climb.  I'm absolutely claiming the climbs!  "This too shall pass..." as my grandmother always used to say.  Feels like it can't pass fast enough.  I'm looking forward to the day when my baby heals, grows, and can come home with me and stay in my arms.

P.S. Today was a good 'ol, post-preggo, hormonal day for me.  Every little thing seemed to make me cry.  And then when I got to the hospital, the big things made me cry even more.  I think I should have just thrown my hands up in the air and let out a good scream as we took our first dip on the NICU Coaster today.  Or perhaps shouted out "Weeeeeee!"  Crying makes me puffy, and seeing how I just got swelling to go down in my body, I'm thinking the shout out might have been a little more therapeutic.  Just kidding.  Sometimes you just need to cry.  And that's okay.