Baby Eagan - NICU Day 12 - Great Day!

Eagan's PDA is almost completely closed! His cardiologist thinks it will finish closing by itself and requires no further treatment. This is absolutely great news!

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb - We are happy with this!

Length
12.5" - We aren't measuring his length yet, so this is birth length.

Breathing
Eagan is on an oscillator and doing well. He is still breathing room air (21% oxygen).
His doctor plans to move him to the conventional ventilator and then trying CPAP after that.

Vitals
Eagan's vitals have been stable overall.

Vein Access
Eagan has a PICC line in his right arm.

He also has an IV in his leg. He really gets irritated by this one because his leg has to be on a foam board to keep the line stabilized.

Medications
Eagan's CRP, C-reactive protein, is now down to 2.5. Vancomycin and Gentamicin are still being given until the CRP is lower. A blood culture came back positive so we know we are treating the issue properly now.

His white blood cell count is down to 21,000. His doctor no longer thinks he has an infection, but that his body was preparing to get the infection that I had due to the premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Zithromax has been added just in case.

Eags is getting Diflucan because he has a yeast infection in his throat, most likely from the intubation tube.

His thyroid blood test came back low. He is on Sythroid for low thyroid.

Caffeine has been added to his medications. Caffeine has multiple benefits for Eagan such as reducing his risk for cerebral palsy. The main purpose of the caffeine is to help Eagan to remember to breathe, preventing spells of apnea. He gets caffeine once a day.

He will be getting a glycerin suppository every 12 hours depending on how often he is having bowel movements. It seems odd to be so excited about dirty diapers, but he is peeing and pooping great which means his body is functioning well!

Nutrition
Eagan's feedings were resumed tonight at 1 cc of breast milk every 3 hours.

Eagan is still getting vitamins through his PICC and lipids (a healthy fat).

Transfusions
Eagan received transfusion #6 today.

April 20 - Transfusion #5

April 19 - Transfusion #3 and Transfusion #4 of plasma

April 18 - Transfusion #2

April 15 - Eagan got his first blood transfusion tonight. This will be the first of many transfusions Eagan will need. His hematocrit (the amount of red blood cells in the blood) has been low, which is just one of the many reasons he needs a transfusion. His blood is also drawn for tests quite often. Even a tiny amount of blood is a lot of blood coming from such a tiny baby. The transfusion will also help Eagan maintain proper oxygenation.

Jaundice
Eagan's jaundice levels were still down today. He didn't need the bili lights at all.

Upcoming Tests
This week, the head ultrasound will be repeated.

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.