This is a Bumpy Road we travel.

June 5, 2012

So Zach and I have officially, since yesterday, been in the hospital for 2 months! It has been a long and bumpy rollercoaster since the very beginning. Yesterday was no exception to this. Blake seemed to be a little fussy yesterday. All day Zach and I had noticed his heart rate had been elevated running at 180's which is not normal for him, and his temperature was staying around 37.5C*,( I know WHO reads in Celsius?) but he never developed an actual fever.  Blake was tossing, and making sad faces all day. It was quite pitiful actually. Zach and I kept pointing out the fact that he was hot and something was just not right and the nurses would then open his incubator and allow air to come in and his temperature would come down and he would be less fussy. It wasn't until later that night that his ABG (the lab that tells us how he is doing lung wise on the breathing machine) was reading that he was acidotic- they got a CBC and it showed his White Blood Cell count was elevated (an indicator for infection). The doctors went back and forth trying to figure out if he had an infection or not. So for precaution they sent blood cultures, urine culture, they started him on anti-botics Gentamycin and Vancomycin just in case, and they STOPPED his feedings in case it was his belly again!! (POOR BOY!!) Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy did not enjoy getting that phone call in the middle of the night. The doctors and nurses were though confused by all this and kept telling us he didnt look sick...that did not help in making us feel better though. 

But then....

Today: Blake's first ABG this morning was great- they even turned his vent settings down some more weaning him from the JET ventilator (which is what we want!!) Blake no longer showed signs of being acidotic. All cultures have so far come back negative, his temperature is normal, he is no longer fussy at all and actually looks GREAT!! After much discussion, our Doctor thinks it might be possible that all this was cause by the liquid fortifier we have added to the breastmilk to add calories- he says only 5-10% of babies react poorly from the liquid fortifer (AND WE KNOW...how much Blake likes to be in the small percentile of things- for example- twin, being born at 24 weeks, Bowel perforation, PDA, IVH, and most of all....SURVIVING it all!!)  The doctor says that the babies that do have a reaction to it will show signs of acidosis, and if the fortifier is stopped, the acidosis should resolve...which his has since the feedings were stopped that morning at 0200. So we are hopeful this is what has caused our little bump in the road...we are remaining on antibotics just it case it was some sort of infection atleast until the blood culture and urine cultures are negative for two days! They did restart his feedings this morning, but are now using the powder fortifier to add calories instead of the liquid so we will see! Keeping our fingers crossed and praying hard that it is the liquid and isn't some type of infection! Either way our sweet little boy looks good today, and if he is sick...you sure cant tell...Here are a few pictures from the last few days...If you have facebook too please see the video Zach posted of Blake and his pacifier! TOO CUTE!

Blake giving his nurse, Angie, the stink eye!

 Today was a day of funny faces...

 This reminds me of a Three Stooges face

And now he is all tucked in and sleeping away... Snug as a bug.