Baby Eagan - NICU Day 23 - Rough Day

Eagan had a very eventful morning. First, his blood test came back that his hematocrit was low. This prompted a blood transfusion, his ninth. He then had an eye exam to determine if his infection that has been in his blood had spread to his eyes. For this, his eyes had to be numbed, dialated, numbed again, and spread open with retractors. All of that was extremely uncomfortable to Eagan and his heart rate dropped several times from the 170s to the 50s, a bradycardia. Later on in the morning, Eagan was so tired he just stopped breathing all together. His nurse had to use the resuscitation bag and it took over thirty seconds before he was able to regain control of his breathing and oxygenation. During the day he had multiple episodes, but hopefully the transfusion and rest will lead to a better day tomorrow. His eye exam showed no signs of infection and his retinas and vessels are developing at a perfect rate for his gestation.

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 6 oz - Eagan is retaining some fluid so this is not a very accurate weight.

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan is still on CPAP and doing awesome! He moved back up to a CPAP pressure of 8. His doctor's goal for Eagan is pressure of 5.

Vitals
Eagan had a pretty difficult day, which led to several severe bradycardias and apneas.

 
Vein Access
Eagan now has a PICC line in his arm. His arm has to be kept on an arm board now because he is bending it too tightly and it is cutting off the flow of his medications.

 
Medications

Lasix has been given to help Eagan get rid of some of the fluid he has retained. 

 
Vancomycin is being given for a few more days.

Amphotericin will be given for about a week or so.

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 are now 0.5 ml every half hour.

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

Transfusions

Transfusion #9 was given today because his hematocrit was low.

 
April 27 - Transfusion #8

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. 




Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.