Day #1 commuting to the NICU

Today was my first time going to church in seven weeks.  It was so fun to get out of the house and see some of my friends again!  Once again, it was very humbling to hear of all of the people who have been praying for us.  Wow!  We appreciate you all so much! 

Let me tell you a story I heard today that gave me chills.  My friend Kimberly was leading a team of people from our church on a mission trip to Ethiopia.  Before they left, she told me she was going to pray that I'd still be pregnant when then return, which would put me a few days past the 30 week point.  Well, I knew they got back this week, but I wasn't sure of the exact day.  Today, she told me she has been praying every day for me to stay pregnant until they got home.  Amazingly, their flight landed at 7:30 Thursday night, and Joshua held on until 29 minutes later, when he was born at 7:59.  Just as she prayed, I was still pregnant when they got home.  I think that's pretty cool. 

When Jeremiah was born, I had a couple of episodes of being really teary, you know all that hormonal stuff with having a baby.  I don't really understand it, but I haven't been tearful with Joshua since the day or two after we found out about all of the issues back at 24 weeks.  I have just been so thankful for each day, and miracle after miracle occurred, so I had nothing to be sad about.  Even after the delivery, I was so excited he was healthy and didn't need to be intubated, so I have had a pretty positive outlook this whole time.  Then it hit me today.  I saw a woman at church holding an adorable baby who looked like a newborn, and all I could think of was how huge that baby was.  I was so envious of her for having her baby in her arms, and I just broke down because I missed Joshua so much, and I just wanted to be able to bring him places with us, or even hold him, something I had only been able to do twice.  The episode eventually passed, and the self pity didn't last more than a few minutes, but it made me realize I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was.  Then the service was over, and I was enveloped in the love of the ladies from Moms and Beyond, and everything became ok again.  I really needed that pick me up, so I'm glad I ran into them when I did.

NICU Updates:

1.  Joshua's bilirubin level went down from 8 yesterday to 4 this morning, so they took him off the lights.  No more shades covering those handsome eyes!  He is sleeping so much better and seems so much more content now that he can be all bundled up again.

2.  His GI system still hasn't gotten moving, and things now seem to be reversing in the wrong direction (bilious output from the stomach through the orogastric tube).  The xray showed normal bowel gas pattern, so that's a good sign.  None of this is surprising because his blood was shifted to his brain in utero since that's the most important organ, so his abdomen and GI system were neglected and may take awhile to get started up again.  This is common in IUGR preemies.  He is now NPO (no more breast milk in his OG tube, just nutrition through his venous catheter), and he's getting frequent suppositories to try to get things moving.  He is on  "nec watch," meaning they are looking closely for necrotizing entercolitis, a rare but very serious problem in preemies where the intestinal tissue dies from lack of blood flow.  He does not have this disease, but he is at risk for it.  Please pray for this GI issue to be nipped in the bud before it becomes something serious. 

3.  His umbilical venous catheter has become dislodged a little, so the doctor is going to put in a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line tonight for Joshua to receive his nutrition.  The UVC cath is only good for up to about 10 days, so he may have needed a PICC line anyway, so this isn't a huge deal.  Both the doctor and the nurse said the cath probably shifted out because he is so active for a preemie his age, and they were impressed with how active he is.  You can imagine how proud this mama and papa were to hear that compliment!   

4.  I tried to hold Joshua today, but he didn't handle it so well.  We couldn't get him to stop crying, and his heart rate and respiratory rate kept going up.  After about 10 minutes, we put him back in the incubator, and he immediately settled back down.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll get another chance.  Logically, I know babies this little don't like excessive stimulation, so I shouldn't put too much pressure on myself.  Emotionally, though, it's a little discouraging thinking I'm his mother, so I should be able to calm him down.

We are quickly learning that a NICU course can be tenuous, and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back.  We're definitely learning as we go, just continuing to pray for the strength we need each day.  Thank you for praying for Joshua's health, and especially for his little bowels to get moving so we can avoid necrotizing enterocolitis.