Baby Eagan - NICU Day 15 - First Binky!

It was so good to see my boy and get to hold him for a long while today! Eagan is doing awesome on CPAP and a lot of the issues we have had recently are starting to resolve. His head ultrasound showed no change! This gives us so much hope about what we face down the road. He is just as feisty as ever, pulling out his CPAP nose piece. As I was holding him, he kept trying to suck my fingers so we gave him his very first, very tiny binky!

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
1 lb 15 oz - He is back down to birth weight, but he is really working very hard on CPAP so he is burning more calories.

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

Breathing
Eagan is still on CPAP and doing awesome! He keeps the nurses busy by pulling the nose piece out.

Vitals
Eagan's vitals have been stable overall.

Vein Access
Eagan has no PICC line now and had to have his IV moved to his right arm.

Medications
Vancomycin is being given until the CRP is lower.

He is getting Amphotericin for the yeast infection. His most recent culture appeared to be negative so we are making progress.

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 increased to 2.2 cc of breast milk every 3 hours.

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

Transfusions
April 23 - Transfusion #7

April 22 - Transfusion #6

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


If Eagan will decide to open his eyes, they will be examined next week. Right now his eyelids are still fused together so the nurses think he might be earlier than we thought. His left eye looks like it will open soon.

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.