I know...I know...I know....been way too long since my last update. I don't even know where to begin....
Luke continues to amaze us everyday. We feel so blessed that he has done so well. Luke spent about three weeks on the ventilator and then they made the decision to take him off again and see how he did. He was ready, and he did awesome!!! At first they put him on a cpap machine and then a few hours later did some blood work to see how he was doing. The blood work showed he was being over-ventilated (the cpap was helping him breathe and then he was breathing on his own as well) so they switched him to something called Vapotherm. That is basically just oxygen through a little tube in his nose. He has been doing fine with that!
His head ultrasounds and cardiac testing continue to be normal, however his last eye exam showed some changes from the previous one and they are going to start watching him more closely to make sure it doesn't progress into something worse.
He is still eating through a tube that goes in his nose and down to his stomach. I am still pumping and they give him my milk with some extra calories added to it. He takes 42 ml (about an ounce and a half) every 3 hours. He loves his food! Matt and I have been amazed at how quickly he is growing! He usually gains a couple of ounces every night. Sometimes he looses a little when he takes a really big poop, but that is normal. They continually try to wean down his Vapotherm and he tends to do well with that. The first time they tried was last week and at that exact same time he got a cold (my fault...I could't stay away from him when I was sick), so he didn't do so well and they had to increase his oxygen again. Since then his cold has gotten better and they decreased it again yesterday. If he keeps doing well, they will decrease it again the beginning of the week and then I will finally be able to nurse him!! I am so excited for this moment...I think it will actually make me feel more like a mom to be able to feed my baby!
Here are some quick stats, notes, etc on Luke:
He was two months old on Jan. 23rd, but corrected to 34 weeks and 3 days as of today.
He is quickly becoming the favorite in the NICU with the nurses arguing over who gets to take care of him!
He currently weighs 5 lbs 2 oz and is outgrowing his preemie clothes. The sleepers still work, but the onesies and gowns are getting way too tight!
He is becoming a bit of a flirt...he loves to look at the nurses when they are doing things with him and give them a little smile :)
They now keep him in a sleep sack and just like before, he likes to break out of it (at least his arms). You can't contain this boy!
He loves his pacifier! The speech therapist comes to see him every once in awhile to check on him to make sure he is ready for feedings and she is always amazed at how well he sucks. We used to have to keep his pacifier in his mouth by holding it, but now he holds it in all on his own. That is something that he shouldn't be doing yet, but he does!!
He likes to poop and pee in his clothes, on the floor, in his crib, etc. Therefore I do a lot of laundry now!
He is discovering his voice now. While he doesn't cry much, when he does he wants you to know he is mad! He is very talkative and is constantly making noises!
He loves his baths!
He gets massages from the Occupational Therapist here and he loves those as well.
Dr. Hertz the head neonatologist here is in love with Luke and refers to him as his "little buddy"
Matt and I are continuing to do well. We are home now, but still spend the majority of our time at the hospital. I just started back to work and am getting back into the swing of things after being off for 6 months. On my days off I come up to the hospital in the morning and then go back home around 2 pm to do some stuff around the house. Matt comes home about 4 pm and we both go back to the hospital until about 8 pm. We are nearing being finished with the nursery, I will post pics when it is done.
No word on when he gets to come home just yet. I don't think it will be very long though, he just needs to get off his oxygen and learn how to eat!
Well, that is all for now. I promise I will try to update more often! I was going to put some pictures on here, but there are many and most of them are on Facebook anyway!
