Progress Report...

Had the 2 month Dr. Appt. today and looks like all is well. Luke is up to 5lbs. 11oz. and 19 3/4in. long. So he's gained almost 2lbs. and grown 3in. Still on Zantac for the reflux, but other than that he's a healthy growing boy!

And we're HOME!!!!!!!!!

Heading Home!

Finally doing this well!

Movin on up... :)

Between the hat and his eyes he looks like some kind of alien...a cute alien I guess.

Ok on to the news. Friday and Saturday showed much improvement as far as the eating is concerned. So much so that they were able to take him off his IV fluids! This was the last of anything connected to him. So being cord, tube, and IV free they have decided he is able to move upstairs to a private room. Normally this is about a 24 hour period and if the baby passes they are on their way home. However, with Luke still on antibiotics and not having shown he can gain weight steadily without the IV, if everything goes well we could be looking at the end of the week for a departure date.
With Luke being in a private room this means that Sara has pretty much moved into the hospital for the next week. They put you under strict rule to keep baby in your sight 24/7. You can't even go to the bathroom without calling a nurse to watch over them. Good news is she will start nursing tonight and every feeding from now on. Tyler and Emma still are not allowed to see him where he is at. However, as they transported him from the NICU to his room they got to sneak a short peek at him as they wheeled him down the hall. The nurse was kind enough to stop for a second so they could look at him. Needless to say they were very excited!
We're thankful for your continued prayers that once he is off the antibiotics in a couple days that he would continue to eat well and gain the necessary weight to come on home. Love you all and will continue to keep you updated.

A few pics...

Here's the latest...

Well the experiment with the formula was pretty much an epic FAIL. He actually began spitting up more of the formula than he had been with the regular milk. Sooooo, back to breast milk. Also, since the last update, they have done an ultrasound on his stomach to see if the muscle that allows food to get through was possibly in a state of spasm therefore restricting the flow of food. Thankfully that ultrasound came back negative, and therefore sparing Luke from surgery this weekend!! Instead they have started him on a very aggressive antibiotic called azithromycin hoping this will both kill any virus that may be present, and help with motility (help the food head south instead of north).
We don't really have a timetable for when he will move upstairs, the Dr. just said he would like to monitor him from the NICU a while longer. As far as NICU life, Luke is spoiled rotten. He has those nurses wrapped around his little finger. Yes it stinks that he has to be there, but while there he is getting the best care any parents could ask for. That's about all for now, we'll keep you updated with any new developments.

Another week? Here's the latest on Luke...

After rounds this morning, the Dr. suggested that we try something different since there hasn't been much progress in the last several days. They don't want to keep him there for no reason, but at the same time they need to figure out why he isn't keeping his feedings down. His temperature is doing well, he's gaining some weight, the feeding tube is gone, the only thing is that he is still spitting up quite a bit after he eats... and most of it has brown in it which is an indication of old blood (sorry to be graphic, that's just what they're telling us). So here's what they want to do...

They are taking him off of Mom's milk and starting him on a formula that is "pre-broken down", so that his stomach doesn't have to work as hard to digest it. This will also help to tell us if he has some type of allergy to milk. To fully know if this is working will take about a week. His orders to be moved up to special care shouldn't be affected by this, so he could go upstairs anytime. Sara and I were able to look at these rooms last night, they offer much more privacy for Mom and baby. It's almost like having a NICU room all to yourself. We hope to have a little more information in the next couple of days. We'll pass it on when we know anything more.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 - The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."

Just for fun...

She loves her some Michael Buble... who knew?

Short update...

So the video didn't work as well as it was supposed too, but what you gunna do?

Video Blog #2...

Here's the latest...

Video Blog #1...

Another round of x-rays...

I was able to be with Luke today for his 5 o'clock feeding. He was a little sluggish and didn't eat as much as he had been. Then towards the end he spit up a little bit, the problem being there was brown in it. Then Sara just called from the hospital saying that he had spit up more of the brown stuff and the Dr.'s were going to do some x-rays to see what was going on inside his little tummy.
When I was there he had been moved from the incubator to a crib, not sure if this little set back will change that or not. Sara is going to keep me updated tonight and I'll pass on more when I hear from her.
Praying that the x-rays are negative and that he will keep down his feedings.

Proud papa...

Finally got to hold my boy for an extended period of time tonight...WAHOO!

Although he wasn't really interested in nursing tonight, Luke has been taking a bottle very well for the last two days! NO MORE FEEDING TUBE!!! They are thinking he may have had a small infection in his stomach, and it looks like the antibiotics have pretty much taken care of that. We're hopeful that he can be moved upstairs to special care this week, which is one step closer to coming home.

LifePoint Family, I can't tell you how much we appreciated your prayers during church this morning.

We'll keep you updated on all the happenings this week.

Back on food...

After 48 hours of only I.V. fluids, Luke was able to get some actual food this afternoon. They started back slow to give his stomach a little break and try to ease him into eating again. The good news is that all x-rays and blood cultures came back negative! Luke is still gaining weight, and as of today he is up to 4lb. 5oz. Hopefully tomorrow he can try and feed from a bottle instead of the feeding tube. Just praying that the little muscle in his esophagus would work exactly like it should so he doesn't spit up his feedings like he had been. Looking forward to actually being able to be at church again tomorrow. Hope to see many of you there...until next time, God Bless.

A little smile?

Hard day for the little guy...

Here he is finally resting after a long day of testing and x-rays.

Well we just got back from the hospital and after talking with the Dr., here's what we know...
They were concerned there was some blockage in the intestines, or maybe that the muscles in the intestines weren't working. They put some dye in Luke's stomach so they could see it's progress through his intestines. This is done by having to take an x-ray every 30 minutes to an hour. While we were there the Dr. was able to show us those x-rays. Praise God there were no obstructions, as far as they can tell, everything is working as it should! The x-rays did show a considerable amount of air in his stomach, which they have been working at removing. They have him on I.V. fluids and antibiotics in case of infection(get blood work back in 48 hours), hopefully we can get back to feedings tomorrow night or Saturday. They are going to take one more x-ray in the morning just to be sure, and to make sure the dye has left his system. Right now it seems to be a case of reflux, which is pretty common in babies his size. And as we've heard a hundred times...this just takes time.
Again, we are so grateful for your prayers during this time, what a mighty God we serve!

One step forward, two steps back...

As those of you who have gone through this know, a lot can change in 12 hours. We were at the hospital last night and the nurse had taken Luke off of his I.V. and was prepping him for a move from the incubator to a crib. He was regulating his temprature very well, so the only tube, cord, wire that was still hooked up was his feeding tube (which is not really a tube, just a small line that goes down his nose into his stomach).
Well, that was last night. We got a call this morning telling us that he had been spitting up quite a bit over night, and that there was a small amount of blood in the spit up. They have decided to suspend all feedings for 24 hours. So the I.V. is hooked back up and he is back in the incubator for now. They did remove his feeding tube, however they put a different tube down his throat into his stomach to suction some of the stomach acid out so it doesn't burn his throat on the way out. They are doing some blood work which they hope to have back in 12-24 hours.
In the mean time they have taken x-rays of his lower G.I. tract, thankfully those came back negative. There doesn't seem to be any obstructions right now. A surgeon came by and felt his stomach and doesn't see anything there that would make him a candidate for surgery at the moment. They still want to take a few more x-rays of his upper G.I. to see if it could be a reflux issue.
Thank you for all of your prayers, I will keep you updated as much as possible.

It just takes time...

These last couple of days we have seen some good growth from Luke. When I left the hospital this morning he was up to 4lbs. 4oz. Sara is with him now holding him as much as possible, and seeing if today is the day he is ready to nurse. The Speech Therapist, (who deals with pretty much everything that has to do with motor skill development) came by yesterday and performed a few tests with Luke to better calculate his readiness to eat. Both her and the Neonatalist who came by had basically the same assesment...It just takes time. They both said he is acting more like a baby who is 35 - 36 weeks instead of 38 weeks. Nothing to be alarmed about, and no need to be in a hurry, every baby develops a little different. Much like two kids the same age learn to tie their shoes at different times. So right now it is just a waiting game.

Everyone's spirit's here are high, trusting daily for the Lord to complete the work that He has started. Just anxious to have our little boy home.

The story behind the story...

Let me start by saying this; I realize that Sara and I are not the only parents that have ever had a baby in the NICU. Our situation is not a unique situation, only to us because it is happening to us. In the day we live with the internet, e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter, our information and our life is available at a moments notice. While the updates are nice, and these outlets make it easy for us to keep up with what's going on, it tends to put the focus on the wrong thing. I'm not saying it is wrong to post updates, read updates, or want to stay in the loop, but tonight I want to tell you the story behind the story to give glory and recognition to the One who deserves all the attention, all the focus, and all the praise for the blessing that I have the privilege write about everyday. So here's how it all went down...
January 29th Sara went in for her normal weekly appointment. All was well, except the Dr. felt that her stomach wasn't as big as it should be for how many weeks along she was. She scheduled a sonogram for the following Friday, February 5th. The sonogram showed that Luke was measuring about 3 weeks small. They scheduled another sonogram for the following Friday, February 12th. On the 12th, the sonogram showed that her amniotic fluids were low, but nothing to be alarmed about. Also, Luke hadn't grown any from the week before. The Dr. then made the decision that the time had come to get this baby out of Momma and into the world so they could see exactly why he wasn't growing as he should. An induction was scheduled for the following Thursday, which would have been February 18th.
Just to be safe they wanted to do one more sonogram on Monday, February 15th to make sure everything was still OK in the womb. That sonogram showed that Sara's amniotic fluid levels had gone from an 8 to a 2 in three days. That was enough for the Dr. to tell us to go to the hospital that day instead of waiting for Thursday. We got to the hospital, checked in to the room, prepped and readied ourselves for a long night of labor. The induction was about to start... then the nurse hooked Sara up to the Blood Pressure machine, it read 250/140. The nurse quickly looked at Sara with this look that told us something was seriously out of order. She tried again on the other arm... same reading. She changed BP cuffs, convinced there was something wrong with the machine... 206/125. She asked Sara if she was feeling OK, if she had a headache, a pain in her chest, was light headed. No to all, Sara felt fine. Two more nurses came in and took her BP... same reading. Time to bring on the meds! Once they got it in the 160 range, they started the induction.
With every contraction, Luke's heart rate would go from 140 to 90. No big deal, these variations are common with someone who is suffering from preeclampsia (the technical term for the high BP). This went on for a while, until they gave Sara her epidural. That caused her BP to drop from 190 to 110 in a few seconds... not sure if you've ever experienced that, but it didn't look fun from my perspective. She turned pale white, and almost went out. A few seconds later, Luke's heart rate dropped to the mid 40's. Much like a quarterback yelling hike (had to get a football reference in there somehow), this was the signal for the team to get moving. 15 to 20 nurses appeared out of nowhere and in a matter of seconds we were on our way down the hallway, moving fast enough that I had to jog to keep up. After throwing on some beautiful scrubs, we were in the O.R. prepping for an emergency C-Section. Six minutes after the Dr. arrived, Luke was brought into the world.
I tell you all this for a couple of reasons. First, a lot of people have been wondering why Luke was born so early... now you know.
Also, Sara and I believe it is important when God is merciful, that we are diligent in spreading that testimony. It is only because of the grace and provision of our Almighty God that Sara and Luke are with us today. Last Monday night I was scheduled to be at church running sound during worship practice. Sara would have been home alone with the kids. With her showing no symptoms of high BP, the risk was that she could have started having seizures at any moment. When this happens to a pregnant woman, the mortality rate for Mom and baby skyrockets. Without that unscheduled sonogram Monday afternoon, there is a real possibility this situation could have been tragic, not miraculous.
I am so thankful that we live today, in the age of technology that we do. No way my son is here today if we live 50 years ago. I am more thankful that my God lives today, that He still reigns and knows exactly what we need when we need it! His provision and unfailing mercy never cease to leave me in amazement. All glory and honor to the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Creator of heaven and earth, the author and finisher of our faith, my personal Lord and Savior... Jesus Christ!
God bless you all, your prayers mean more to us than you will ever know. Thank you for everything. We'll be in touch, Andrew & Sara.

Momma goes home!

Today was bittersweet in some ways. Tyler had his B-Day party at Chuck E Cheese with some of the family. He had a great time and loved all of his gifts! Thankfully it was chaotic enough at the Cheese that he only asked once why Mommy couldn't be there. Though it was hard for her not to go, it did give her some good baby/Mommy time in the NICU.

She has tried twice to feed him now, but he is more interested in sleeping than eating...which is ok for right now.

Also, as I type this, I am doing it from home! Sara's Blood Pressure finally stabilized enough over the past 24 hours that they let us come home. She will be on some BP meds for the next couple of weeks, but it shouldn't be anything long term. Tyler and Emma were excited to see Mom to say the least.

Looks like Luke will be in the NICU at least until the middle of next week. He is doing great. He weighed in at 1747grams today (the magic number is 1800 to get out of NICU). He is also doing good at regulating his own heat, another must before he is released.

I believe that is it for today. The next week or so will be a lot of trips back and forth to the hospital. The main prayer request we have right now is that he would start to nurse. Again, thank you all so much for the gifts, flowers, prayers and letters, they mean so much to Sara and me. Until we update again...

Latest Happenings...

Today Luke has kept all of his feedings down, with no regergitation...Yay! The last two have been from a bottle instead of his feeding tube (which they will keep in for a while). Sara is hoping to nurse for the first time this evening at the 10pm feeding if all goes well. They were also able to put Luke in regular clothes today and he has been able to regulate his own body temp fairly well. He is still in the incubator, but they have begun the process of weining him off of that. So in the world of Luke, all signs are pointing in the right direction! Praise God for little miracles!

Sara has done much better today. They haven't had to give her any meds through her I.V. today...though she has taken close to 15 pills. If they can regulate her Blood Pressure without having to give meds through her I.V. for 24 hours they will plan to release her. Knowing her, she's not going anywhere even if they do release her except to come home and sleep, then right back up to the NICU.

Tyler and Emma have been doing great. Thanks to Nana and Grammy for all the hard work they have put in this week. Tyler is having his 5th birthday party tomorrow. He'll have a blast, but I know it will be hard on Sara not being there.

I believe that is all for today, pray we can get some much needed rest tonight. Love you all, and appreciate your prayers!!

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Today has had it's ups and downs. Sara was able to go down and hold Luke for about 25 minutes this morning. He has been puking for the past two days, so no food other than his I.V. This morning however, they were able to put a tiny feeding tube down his nose into his stomach that had some of Mom's colostrum in it. Thankfully he has kept that down, and may be able to nurse this evening. You can definitely pray for Sara as her blood pressure continues to stay high. Her last reading was 198/116.
Thank You all for your prayers, we feel every single one of them.

It's Good To Be Out!!!

Well, world, it is good to be here. I just couldn't wait any longer so I just had to get out of the oven to get some fresh air. Thank you all for your prayers!!!!