Baby Eagan - NICU Day 7 - Good News!

Eagan had his head ultrasound today. I have not gotten the official report back from the radiologist. The neonatologist read it and his results for now are: a level one IVH (intraventricular hemorrhage) on the left side and the right side is clear!! This is great news. Most level one brain bleeds are nothing to be concerned about and this is much less severe than is typically seen at Eagan's gestation. His head ultrasound will be repeated next week.

Tomorrow, provided everything goes as planned, we will start kangaroo care! This means Eagan will be a week old and I can hold him for the very first time! Kangaroo care with Eagan can be a little complicated. Eagan will have to be moved onto my chest by a nurse and a respiratory therapist. He will stay on my chest for a minimum of one hour because moving him back and forth quickly would be to much for Eagan's sensory system. The benefits definitely outweigh the complications and difficulty of moving him with the many machines and tubes that are connected to him.

Some of the benefits of kangaroo care are:

• Maintain his body warmth
• Regulate his heart and breathing rates
• Gain weight
• Spend more time in deep sleep
• Spend more time being quiet and alert and less time crying
• Have a better chance of successful breastfeeding (kangaroo care can improve the mother's breastmilk production) 
• From: http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/inthenicu_kangaroocare.html

 Sweet Eagan loves to kick his feet and stick them outside of his little nest.

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
1 lb 11 oz - Eagan is down 3 ounces from birth but this is very normal.

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 blood gases were checked today. This checks for oxygen levels, carbon dioxide levels, and blood acidity. His blood gases came back abnormal this morning to the vibration on the oscillator was increased. This will move carbon dioxide out of his system more effectively.

Vitals
Eagan's bradycardias were fewer today. His vitals are doing well overall.

Vein Access
An umbilical arterial line was placed just like it was an umbilical cord. This gives doctors easy access to check blood pressures, take blood, and administer medications without sticking Eagan with needles. Since the umbilical line has been in for a week, his doctor would like to remove it soon to avoid infection.

Eagan also has a PICC line in his right arm.

The IV placed in Eagan's foot stopped flushing, so the nurse had to remove it. Small amounts of tape were holding this IV on. The removal was fairly painful for Eagan and caused him to get very upset. I was able to hold his hand and talk to him to help calm him down.

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

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

Eagan did not need morphine or phenobarbital today!

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
I am pumping breastmilk for Eagan. His feedings are still at 1cc of breastmilk every 6 hours. At 10 days old, his feeds will increase to every 3 hours.

Eagan is still getting vitamins through his umbilical catheter and now lipids (a healthy fat) have been added.

His blood sugar levels were very good today.

Transfusions
Eagan's transfusion on the 15th went very well. That brought his levels up to 36%. If he drops to 30% they will do another transfusion.

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 was not under the bili lights today. His jaundice level is now 8 and his doctor will most likely restart the lights soon.

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

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.