Today was a really big deal for Landon. I walked in for his 9am cares and they were setting him up to switch ventilators! His oxygen levels were still high and he wasn't getting the volumes his little lungs needed so time for a change. Instead of pulling out his current breathing tube and replacing it with a bigger one, they are going to let Landon try CPAP. CPAP is a type of ventilation that pushes air through prongs that rest in your nose instead of a tube down your throat. It is stronger than the normal oxygen prongs you think of for adults, but a step down from the current vent he was on. While they got little man all prepped for his change, they let me snag a quick picture of him without anything on his face!!!! There is still some tape residue and his poor little upper lip is smashed down from having the tape/tube there for so long, but he still looks so cute! This is the first time I have seen his full face since he was born.
Come on, he is a handsome man!
So the new ventilator has prongs that go up his teeny, tiny little nose and then the tubes need to be secured to either side of his head. It looks way scarier than the previous vent, but is a big step for Landon. He has to initiate all of the breathing on his own and the nose prongs will just supplement those a little bit. He is still pretty small and young to be on this vent right now so we will see how he does. The doctors did warn that we are asking a lot of him right now and he could get really tired from working so hard. He may end up back on the conventional ventilator if his body just isn't strong enough for CPAP yet. Here is a picture of what he looks like now.
His poor little mask kind of makes him look like Hannibal Lector, I don't think Landon is a cannibal though :)
Another thing we have been warned about is that Landon may continue to lose a little bit of weight. They gave him another dose of medicine to reduce the excess fluid he has, which can cause weight loss, and the fact that he is working so hard to breathe means he is burning a lot of calories. When it was time to weigh him we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Guess what? Landon gained weight and is back to 2lbs 0oz! He is at 920 grams which is the biggest he has ever been!!! Who knows if the weight will stay on in the next few days but I am hoping that it does. Landon is having a few test done in the morning to see how he is doing on his new vents, I will keep you all posted!
Much Love,
Jason and Kristin
I just want to say Hi, and i'm praying for your lil guy! I myself was born earl and weighed in at 1lb 15 oz. I dropped down to 1lb 8oz. I am now 40yo and we won't discuss my weight now! lol Seriously, I pray that he just keeps getting stronger! ;)Best wishes and lots of love and prayers!
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ReplyDeleteHi there. I believe I came across your blog from Dream Book Design. I am sure you have had a lot of people message you with their experiences, but I believe that sharing stories is one of the best reassurances you could ask for when you are in a situation such as this. My daughter was born in October 2009 at 31 weeks without any warning whatsoever (my water just broke out of nowhere!). We went through a lot of what I have read on your blog. After being in the NICU for 6 weeks and basically living at the hospital for 14 hours per day, I don't know how you find the energy to keep a blog!! I just wanted to let you know that my Johanna is 20 months old now and she has no health problems (unless you consider a bad attitude a problem!) at all -- I guess what I am trying to say is there is hope and this horrible part of your family's life will be over soon. I still think every day about those 6 weeks in the NICU, and it still terrifies me, but I am so thankful that Johanna doesn't remember it and she is as happy and healthy now as any full term baby. I didn't have anyone to talk to as no one I knew had gone through something like this, but I wish I had -- it's so scary having to experience the NICU first hand and have no one to get advice from. We also still keep in touch with another coupld that had a baby boy in the NICU at the same time, who was born at 26 weeks, and he is doing absolutely fantastic as well. I will be thinking of you and Landon and your family. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! And you will see that although the NICU is a painful and scary place to spend your days, when you have your baby at home and he is healthy, you will appreciate everything that NICU did for him. Keep posting!
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