Baby Eagan - NICU Day 26 - Back on the Ventilator

Eagan's stomach became much more distended overnight. The low intermittent suction tube was not functioning as well as it needed to. He began having a large increase in bradycardias caused from long pauses in breathing. His blood gases were not looking good at all. His carbon dioxide levels were very elevated. Due to the number of episodes and the blood gases, the decision was made to put him back of the conventional ventilator. He has also had multiple X-rays and there are some concerns about what is going on with his intestines. Part of his intestines are dilated so a contrast study may be ordered in the morning. His feedings are still discontinued until some of these issues are resolved. Little Eagan need lots of prayers over the next few days.

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 9 oz - Eagan is still battling heavy fluid retention and stomach distention.

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan is now on the conventional ventilator.

Vitals
Eagan had several apnea episodes and bradycardias today.

 
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

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 discontinued until the stomach distention is lower.

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

Transfusions

Transfusion #10 was given today because his hematocrit was low.
 
May 3 - Transfusion #9

 
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.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 25 - Little Fighter

 I am not even sure where to begin with writing about Eagan's day today. It almost feels like I need to ask if you would like the good or bad news first so instead I will just try a chronological account.

When I went in this morning, Eagan had the nurse that did our first NICU consultation while I was still pregnant with Eagan. She has never been Eagan's nurse before but I was very confident that she would do well with him. Unfortunately, I could tell by the look on her face that several things had changed since I was there last night. His nurse brought in the doctor to help explain everything. 

At around six this morning Eagan had to be bagged after having multiple bradycardias and a long apnea. From there, he still had several episodes and the decision was made to take him off CPAP and put him on SiPAP. The SiPAP is now taking 20 breaths per minute for him. If the episodes get worse, he will have to go back on the ventilator, but for now he seems to be improving on the SiPAP.

His doctor had some concern that the breathing and heart rate issues could be caused by his PDA. An echocardiogram was ordered and the PDA has now closed!! I could not be more thrilled over this!

Eagan is also extremely swollen and being given a medication to get rid of the excess fluid causing the swelling. He definitely does not look like himself right now, but I just spoke with his night nurse and she does think it has gone down some.

His stomach is extremely distended from excess air being pushed in by the breathing machines. He previously had a vented orogastric tube in place to attempt to remove the air, but the amount of air was increasing rather than decreasing. Eagan's feedings also were discontinued because his stomach cannot have anything else added to it. A transpyloric tube was placed past the stomach into his small intestine to resume feedings with. It takes 10 hours for confirmation of placement on transpyloric tubes so I am still waiting on that. After confirmation of placement on the TP tube, a tube that is specially designed for suctioning will be placed into Eagan's stomach to attempt to get the air out. The stomach is so distended that it is pushing on his diaphragm making it difficult to breath, therefore, causing the breathing and heart-rate issues. 

Hiding his little face, too much for one day!

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 7 oz - Eagan is still battling heavy fluid retention.

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan is now on SiPAP getting 20 breaths per minute for him.

Vitals
Eagan had multiple episodes last night but seems to be doing better today.

 
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 discontinued until the transpyloric tube is in the proper place.

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

Transfusions

May 3 - 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.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 24

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 6 oz - He is very bloated with lots of extra air in his belly. He has an extra orogastric tube in place to try to move this air out.

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan on a different form of CPAP now. He was on Bubble CPAP before and is now on conventional CPAP. This is a slightly higher form of respiratory assistance. Eagan has chronic lung disease due to his extreme prematurity. This means that his lungs are not opening properly and have fluid build-up. The doctors and respiratory therapist hope that the conventional CPAP will be able to help keep his lungs open properly.

Vitals
Eagan had a few severe bradycardias today and some serious desaturations last night.

 
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

May 3 - 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.

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.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 22

The cardiologist came in to repeat the echocardiogram today. Eagan's PDA is still very open, but for now his doctor does not want to do surgery unless Eagan becomes more symptomatic. If the fluid in his lungs increases or he has to go back on the ventilator, the doctor will consider sending him to the children's hospital to ligate the PDA.

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 7 oz - I can't believe how much he is growing! This seems like such a big number to us!

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan is still on CPAP and doing awesome! He moved from CPAP pressure of 9+ to 7 today! His doctor's goal for Eagan is pressure of 5.

Vitals
Eagan had a few more bradycardias today, but these are most likely due to his extreme prematurity.

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
Indomethacin has been completed.

Vancomycin is being given for a few more days.

Amphotericin is being given for another 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 should be resumed tomorrow.

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

Transfusions
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. 


Upcoming Tests

Eagan's eyes will be examined tomorrow. Both of his eyes are now all the way open.

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.

Baby Eagan - NICU Day 21

 We had another great day today. Everything seems to be improving. The fluid in his lungs is decreased today and his white blood count is going down. He maintained his saturation on a lower level of oxygen and was much less fussy. He was awake for half the time I held him!

Here is a run-down of his current status:

Weight
2 lb 5 oz - No change from yesterday, but he is not eating right now.

Length 
14" - Our first updated length!
 
Breathing
Eagan is still on CPAP and doing awesome! He really hates the CPAP but we would much rather him be on CPAP than the ventilator. Hopefully he can move to a nasal cannula in a few more weeks.

His carbon dioxide levels were still elevated today and his lungs are less hazy on the x-rays.

Vitals
Eagan has done much better with his bradycardia issues today.

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
Indomethacin has been restarted for the next 2 days.

Vancomycin is being given for a few more days. His white blood cell count was down to 25,000 today!

He is getting Amphotericin for the yeast infection. His most recent cultures are all negative.

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 have been discontinued until the Indomethacin doses are all given.

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

Transfusions
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. 


Upcoming Tests
The cardiologist will be back in two to three days to repeat the echocardiogram.

Eagan's eyes will be examined this week. Both of his eyes are now all the way open.

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers.