Baby Eagan - NICU Day 75 - Tummy Time!

On his tummy for the first time in almost two months.

Being in the NICU is different than being in any other part of a hospital. The patient has never gone home and in some situations, never will. The mother is frequently recovering from a c-section but never gets the chance to rest. I think the hardest part is that family and friends have NO idea how to relate to the situation. When healthy babies are born, you get congratulated and have lots of well wishes. On the other hand, what do you say to a parent when their baby might not make it through the night. Honestly, it doesn't matter what you say, it matters that you did say something. While I was still inpatient after Eagan's delivery, we received an awesome gift basket with a teddy bear. This bear stays in Eagan's bed all day, every day. We received flowers and cards that let us know we had people thinking of us. It isn't the money that is spent that matters, it was truly that someone was thinking of little Eagan and let me know. A very special nurse from Eagan's birth hospital visits Eagan and I once a week. It really means the world to me to have a NICU nurse be so hopeful about the prognosis of my sweet boy. I have my family that take me out to lunch on a regular basis. This is great! Let me tell you, hospital cafeteria food is horrible, really horrible. It is also I nice break from the constant beeps and chaos of this NICU. We also have some amazing nurses at Egleston that make the day easier. We can joke about Eagan "spitting" out his lines and "throwing parties" in his room so he can hang out with lots of women. I have family and friends that check on Eagan on a regular basis and an awesome support system of moms of Facebook from both my daughter's due date group and Eagan's. All of these things combined make the NICU adventure a tad easier. If you ever come across another mom with a preemie, congratulate her on her new baby. Ask her how you can help. Stick around when things get tough and don't downplay the situation. It seems easy to some. I don't have a crying baby to wake me up at night. Instead, I have to pump and be terrified that my cell phone will ring. I get to wake up in the middle of the night thinking my phone has rang and checking for missed calls. I got more sleep with a newborn at home. I don't know when my baby is coming home. I can't even give you a month. Of course other moms have had early babies or babies with health conditions, but just because they have doesn't make it any easier for me. My older children barely get to see me. My labor wasn't any easier than that of a normal sized baby and my c-section was more complicated than a normal, scheduled section. I would have loved to have been huge and uncomfortable. Instead, I got to be small and on a magnesium sulfate drip that makes you feel horrible. I would have given anything to carry sweet Eagan to term but since I couldn't, I will just do everything for him and more now. This little boy is going to be spoiled rotten. If anyone has a problem with it, they can be poked with countless needles and instruments for months. He deserves everything my little family can do for him. As much as I haven't been able to hold him now, once I can hold him, he is never going to be sat down. I'm sure he will be okay with that too.

Laying all the way on his side, preparing for tummy time!

Getting his bedding changed.

  His sodium levels have not gone down, so some changes were made to his fluids again. He is still not able to eat because of this. His blood gases have been within parameters but not good enough to wean on the ventilator.

Weight
4 lb 7 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are at 40 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 23%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is at 21. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan has a femoral line in his upper thigh.

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours.

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours as needed. Right now he is only getting it about once per 12 hour shift. This is terrific!!

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 4 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid.

Nutrition

 Feedings have been stopped. He is getting TPN, D15 clear fluid with potassium, and lipids.

Transfusions 

June 23 - Transfusion #29
 

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 74 - Levels

 

  Today was a somewhat busy day for Eagan. Every lab seemed to be off. His sodium levels were very high and his potassium levels were low. The decision was also made to stop his feeds. A clear fluid containing dextrose and potassium was added. He is also getting 1 ml of albumen for every ml of fluid he leaks out of his incisions. This in combination with the blood transfusion should have him feeling better and a little less swollen tomorrow.

Weight
4 lb 2.5 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are down to 40 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 25%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is down to 21. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan has a femoral line in his upper thigh.

He has no IVs.

He has no arterial line.

 

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours.

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 4 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid.

Nutrition 

 Feedings have been stopped. He is getting TPN, D15 clear fluid with potassium, and lipids.

Transfusions 

Transfusion #29 today.
 

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 73

The infiltrate wound on his head looks tons better today! Sorry for the picture with poop. The ostomy bag is so large, it is hard to avoid. I honestly didn't even notice it until I loaded the picture.

I went home for the day and organized Eagan's deep freezer while the kids napped. I have been informed that Eagan can only have breast milk due to his GI issues. If for some reason I cannot pump anymore, he will need donor milk. Fortunately, this is his freezer. The bottles on the bottom are about ten deep. This should at least get him a few months.

 

Weight
3 lb 14.7 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are down to 42 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 28%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is down to 21. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan has a femoral line in his upper thigh.

He has one IV in his left foot. 

He has an arterial line in his left wrist, but as of right now, it is not working properly.

 

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours.

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 4 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid.

Nutrition 

8 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours! He is still getting TPN and lipids also.

Transfusions 

June 21 - Transfusion #28
 

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 72 - More Setbacks

The wound on his head above his eye is where the IV infiltrated during surgery.

  Eagan had a pretty decent setback today. Back up to 50 breaths per minute on the ventilator. The doctors ordered cultures of his lung secretions, one of his neck incisions, and several different types of blood cultures. Cultures take 1-5 days to get full results back on. Little man could really use a break.

Weight
4 lb 1.6 oz - More swelling. Probably due to the recent surgery.

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are up to 50 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 25%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is up to 23. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan has a femoral line in his upper thigh.

 

He lost the IV in the top of his hand, so he got a new one in his left leg. That one blew, so he has one in his left foot. 

He has an arterial line in his left wrist.

 

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

 

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours.

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

 

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

 

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

 

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 4 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

 

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid.

 

Nutrition 

8 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours! He is still getting TPN and lipids also.

 

 

Transfusions 

Transfusion #28 today.
 

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - Day 71 - Lines...Again!

  Eagan's arterial line bit the dust this morning. The arterial line goes into an artery and monitors his blood pressure. The biggest benefit of this line is the nurses can draw blood gases from it to monitor carbon dioxide levels, ph levels, and several other important numbers that let them know how well he is breathing and to turn the ventilator up or down. If he doesn't have this line, he has to be pricked in the heel over and over again. Eagan is probably the hardest child in the NICU to get a line in and once he gets them, they don't last long. Fortunately, an awesome doctor got this line in on the third attempt. That might be a record for Eagan. Now he has a nice, new line in his left wrist. You can see it in the picture under the red tape.

Weight
3 lb 11.5 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are at 30 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 35%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is at 20. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan lost the IJ line today and gained a femoral line in his upper thigh.

 

He has an IV in the top of his hand.

He had an arterial line in his foot, but now he has one in his left wrist.

 

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

 

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours.

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

 

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

 

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

 

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 4 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

 

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid.

 

Nutrition 

8 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours! He is still getting TPN and lipids also.

 

Output

A lot of pee today. He is putting out a good bit of poop from his ostomy, but since his intestines tore in such a high area, he is not digesting much of his food. 

 

Transfusions 

June 14 - Transfusion #27
 

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 70 - Sixth Surgery

Getting prepped for surgery.

His IJ line after the sutures were removed.

  What a day Eagan has had. First, we took him down to radiology to get a lower GI study. He was taken out of his bed, unhooked from the ventilator, put in a transport isolette, hooked up to another ventilator and all of his machines were unplugged and brought with us down the hall, into an elevator, then down into radiology. A small catheter was inserted into his mucous fistula, the part of his intestine that is outside of his body. Contrast solution was ran through the tube and we watched it go through his intestines on a fancy X-ray machine called a flora X-ray. It can take almost constant pictures as the contrast dye runs through him. I got to watch the whole thing and thought it was pretty neat. The ventilator had to be unhooked to get him on the table, so a respiratory therapist bagged him with a resuscitation bag the whole time. It was pretty difficult because the catheter in his mucous fistula did not want to stay in place. He was put back in the isolette with his IJ line in his neck still properly in place. Once he was back in his room and ready to be unloaded, it was discovered that the IJ line came out but the sutures or stitches that held it in place were still there. He bled a decent amount but was okay. This was his only access other that peripheral IVs that can't run his nutrition or some of his medications. Surgery was immediately called. He went into surgery to get a line and almost 5 hours later he finished. In the process, four incisions were made, two central broviac lines were attempted and both failed. His IV in his head infiltrated and medicine leaked into his tissues. He now has a white circle on his head about the size of a quarter that will have to be watched closely. Finally, a femoral line was placed in the bend between his thigh and groin. This isn't so great since it is in his diaper area and will be hard to clean, but right now, vein access for medications is paramount. Hopefully, tomorrow will be much calmer. His GI study looks like it went well, but we are still waiting on the final word on that. 

Weight
3 lb 11.5 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are at 33 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 25%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is at 20. Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan lost the IJ line today and gained a femoral line in his upper thigh.

He has an IV in the top of his hand.

He has an arterial line in his left foot.

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once every 48 hours.

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours.

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 12 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

 

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid..

Nutrition 

8 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours! He is still getting TPN and lipids also.

 

Output

A lot of pee today. He is putting out a good bit of poop from his ostomy, but since his intestines tore in such a high area, he is not digesting much of his food.

Transfusions 

June 14 - Transfusion #27

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.

Baby Eagan - Day 68-69 - So Many Improvements!

Day 69

Day 68

 

Weight
Day 68 - 4 lb - Down 6 ounces!

Day 69 - 3 lb 15 oz

Breathing
Eagan is on the conventional ventilator. His settings are at 20-23 breaths per minute. His oxygen rate is around 25%. The pressure that the ventilator puts in his lungs is down to 20!! This is a huge step for him! Also, he has fluid in his lungs so he is getting Atrovent breathing treatments every six hours.

Vein and Artery Access 
Eagan has an internal jugular line that was placed in surgery. Only one of the two lumens is usable now.

He has an IV smack in the middle of his head.

He now has an arterial line in his left foot.

Medications

An antibiotic, Oxicillin is being given every six hours. 

Hydrocortisone, for blood pressure and stress response, is down to once ever 48 hours! Another gigantic improvement!

He is now only on Morphine every 6 hours!!! Baby rehab is working awesome!

Caffeine has been started as a diuretic to try to speed up his kidney function.

He is also on Diflucan as a preventative measure.

He is also on Zantac to help calm his tummy's acid levels.

Lasix, a diuretic, will be given every 12 hours along with Albumen, a protein that makes up the majority of our blood.

 

He is back on Synthroid for low thyroid..

Nutrition 

8 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours! He is still getting TPN and lipids also.

 

Output

A lot of pee today. He is putting out a good bit of poop from his ostomy, but since his intestines tore in such a high area, he is not digesting much of his food.

Transfusions 

June 14 - Transfusion #27

Upcoming Tests

Another eye exam to check on the severity of his retinopathy of prematurity will be next Thursday.

Cranial ultrasound at 36 weeks gestation.