Doing Well :)

I figured it was time for an update since it had been 2 weeks since the last! Everything is going well here. I don't think I could have asked for a better outcome. When the NICU people came to talk to use 3 weeks ago and told us all the possible things that could be wrong with him, we were very scared. I think he heard them and said, "nope, I am going to be fine" because he really hasn't had any of the "major" issues. They told us that most babies his age would need to be on blood pressure medicine to maintain his blood pressure...nope, his blood pressure is just fine. They said he was at risk for brain bleeds, nope...all his head ultrasounds show nothing! Way to go Luke!! I will give you a timeline of the last 2 weeks...

The first few days of Luke's life he was on the ventilator and not allowed to be touched. We would come in and look at him and talk to him often. We finally got to touch him and change is diaper on Friday (11/25). We were so excited! From there they started letting us touch him more (every 6 hours) and they started feeding him very small amounts (4 ml every 6 hours).

Tuesday (11/29) they surprised us by saying they were going to extubate him and see how he does. They said he would either fail miserably and immediately or he would go with it and we would see how long he would last without it. He did the latter. He could have cared less that we removed the tube and he did awesome on the sipap machine!! This was amazing for us. We really go to see his personality come out during this time. We learned that he does not like to be in a wet diaper very long (he gets very fussy and cries), he hates being bundled up in the little snuggy thing they put him in...they would put him in it and within 5 mins he would have his legs and arm out and moving! We also learned that he loves his pacifier! Most babies at his gestation don't have a suck reflex, but he does and he loves using it!!

With his doing well, we also got a new privilege...we go to hold him!!! I had been waiting for this and was in heaven when it actually happened. Matt and I decided we would take turns holding him...

He was doing well until Monday (12/5). When we went into his room that morning, I just knew something wasn't right with him. He wasn't moving as much and he wasn't crying as much. He was also having a lot of episodes where he would stop breathing and drop his heart rate, which tell us that he was getting tired. By Wednesday morning he lab work was bad, his chest xray was bad, and they said it was time to go back on the ventilator. I was somewhat okay with this. I knew it was what he needed but it saddened me because I knew it was going to be awhile before we got to hold him again or hear him cry. I think he sensed this because right before they put the tube back in he let out a big cry as if to say, "it's alright mom". I cried, but it was a happy cry. 

So, that is where we are now! Matt and I are still staying in the NICU, however we are planning on going home this weekend. We feel he is stable now and we need to start to get back to normal. I am recovering well from my c-section. I have had some incision issues, but I feel much better than I thought I would. I will try to keep updating and posting pictures!!!