2 Months

In 13 minutes Zachary will be 2 months old. Hard to believe he's only 2 months old. I feel like we've been stuck in a loop. I wish I'd kept better notes on all the stuff he's had done during his 2 months of life. Believe it or not we're only the better side of things compared to some of the babies we've seen. For that, I am beyond thankful.

Zachary has another eye exam tomorrow. Pray we're moving toward his eyes getting better rather than worse. The NP mentioned he can now receive his vaccinations. While all of our children will be vaccinated, I'm not sure now is the time. I feel like Zachary is still fragile and really don't want to put him in any type of situation that may cause setbacks. I could be overreacting, but that comes with the job of being a mom. I'm going to call Dr. Malcolm and see what he thinks. Speaking of Dr. Malcolm... he called today to check on Zachary and see how we're doing with the move. Have I mentioned I really love Dr. Malcolm? He's good stuff.

My little man is making great strides with his feeds as well. I just spoke to his nurse tonight and he's taken 2 bottles from her. He ate them both in about 15/20 minutes. He's turning into a little porker. I'm not complaining at all. He only nursed for 10 minutes today. I'm going to continue to attempt nursing, but if bottle feeding is what will get us home then so be it. I can always work on nursing when we get home. I've got the # to the LC at Duke (Love me some Dolly!) and won't hesitate to call if we need a little help. I am proud that I've been able to provide Zachary with the best start at nutrition. There is absolutely nothing wrong with formula, but I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing I've been able to keep up with his demand. Hopefully I can continue to provide for him.

You ready for today's stats? Hold on to your hats!

Monday, September 29th
Weight: 2055 grams (4 lbs 8.5 oz)
Feeds: Every 3 hours - bottle, NG tube, nursing
Bradys: One
Desats: A few - one was a true desat the other was little man pitching a fit at his diaper change

S-P-I-D-E-R-M-A-N

Shut the door! Can you stand the cuteness?

I cannot explain how excited he was about "being" Spiderman. He wanted to stand in front of the mirror all day looking at himself. Getting him to wash his face for church... not such an easy task. I guess I better brush up on my face painting skills.

Feeder Grower

That is Zachary's new name and also the orders from Mommy, Daddy and his nurses and doctors.

Friday was a whirlwind of a day. I got "the" call from Zachary's nurse practitioner 4 times before I finally took the call. She also called Robbie and time or two. Thankfully my dear, sweet, and incredibly smart husband told her there was NO way he was making a decision without me. Quote, "She would be furious with me." Boy, did he hit the nail on the head! After talking with Robbie and deciding the weekly, almost every other day harassment about moving was all I could take, I gave in. Did I mention they moved my child to the SCN (Special Care Nursery) without even notifying me. My mom called to let me know that I wouldn't find him in the TCN anymore. How nice of them, eh?

Going back to Zachary's weight gain from Thursday night, we're pretty sure the 125 gram weight gain was a complete and total lie. WMC's minimum weight (or so we're told) is.... 2000 grams. What did my little guy supposedly weigh Thursday night/Friday morning? 2000 grams. Big bunch of "your nose is growing Pinocchio's"! Our weight Friday at WMC was 4 lbs 3.7 oz (as compared to Duke's 4 lbs 6.59 oz).

Back to Friday's story...

We finally made it to WMC around 5:00ish. The nurses got Zachary settled in and brought us back. Zachary now resides in the Waldorf Astoria. We have left the ghetto slums of Duke. WMC - 1, Duke - 0. I cannot believe the difference between the 2 hospitals. Duke has a long way to go before their facilities live up to the neighboring hospitals. Duke is in the process of renovating, but I assure you they need to implode the place and start from scratch. I do miss our favorite nurses and Dr. Malcolm. Don't get me wrong, but the TCN did not live up to our expectations by a long shot. Our nurse for Friday and Saturday day shift at WMC was absolutely awesome! WMC - 2, Duke - 0. We've only been at WMC for 2 days now and I am thoroughly impressed. As soon as we came back the NP greeted us and gave us the rundown on the plan of action. WMC -3, Duke - 0.

So far Zachary seems to be doing well. Our goal is to get him feeding like a full term newborn so we can hit the road. Dr. Malcolm and Pana (Duke) thought he would able to go home in no more than 10 -14 days. WMC agrees. They all believe we will be home before our due date. Our little feeder grower nursed like a champ yesterday AND took a whole bottle from his night nurse too. If we can continue with this pattern and turn all feedings into nursing/bottles we will depart our beloved new digs for Home Sweet Home. I'm so excited tears come to my eyes. Home Sweet Home. Ahhhhh just breathing the words makes me happy.

Folks, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Do you?

Saturday, September 27th
Weight: 1958 grams (4 lbs 5 oz)
Feeds: Bottle, Nursing and a couple of NG tube feedings
Bradys: None
Desats: A couple - darn that reflux! The nurse wasn't concerned she said just moving him around during feeding can cause them.

New Home

Our new home. I finally gave in. Our posh new digs fit my champagne taste. I doubt seriously it comes on a beer budget. Will write more once I get back from our visit. It's only a 10 minute drive now. It's nice knowing I don't have to go far anymore.

Ah... doctors at Duke think he's got no more than 2 weeks before we head home for good. We'll see if they are right. Pray, would you?

Super Baby

ETA: I'm not sure I believe this, but supposedly Zachary now weighs 2000 grams (4 lbs 6.59 oz). Either his nurse gave us another baby's weight or Super Baby is really packing on the pounds or something is very wrong. Generally we don't like really large weight gains as that could be a sign of bad things. I'm going to call this a.m. when the day nurse comes on to find out.

My little munchkin decided to take on the challenge I gave him yesterday. He was too sleepy to nurse at our visit on Wednesday, so I gently whispered in his ear, "Buggy, if you want to get the heck outta here you have to start drinking like a big boy." My child (genius he is) decided to show me just how smart he is today. He took his WHOLE bottle from the nurse this a.m., all 41 mL. Today he nursed for 30 minutes and got a total of 16 mL from me. If we have a weight loss tonight I will be completely shocked.

We may get moved to the SCN soon. One of the poor, unsuspecting families in the TCN got the ol' bamboozle today. I felt downright sorry for them. I was busy nursing Zachary, but I wanted to pop my head over the curtain and tell them to refuse moving. They just didn't know any better. Darn those doctors! The poor mother cried. That's all she could do. This sweet little baby is only a couple of weeks old at most. Pray for him. Fall prostrate and pray. They sent him to Durham Regional. I pray that he thrives there and does not have to come back to Duke. I fear he will be back with us soon. I found out about our possible move to the SCN when I told Zachary's nurse that it's been a week or so since we last got the ol' move talk. I told her just in case the troops start talking of moves to go ahead and let them know we refuse the move and are content at Duke. Nurse Jamie looked at me and said well they wanted to move him to the SCN today but a baby was born that took his spot. I told her internally is fine, but to move to another hospital at this point isn't on our agenda. We are so close to getting outta Dodge that a move isn't really necessary. Jamie was happy to tell me that after the SCN the next step is H.O.M.E. Did you see that?? H.O.M.E!!! Woohoo!

Your homework tonight: get flat on your face and pray (aka prostrate) for Baby Bernstein who is heading to Durham Regional, pray that Zachary continues to thrive and gets to come home soon.

Eureka, We're Making Progress

We've had a good week this week. Zachary has successfully gained weight every day. I'm behind on downloading photos. I promise to get to that this weekend.

I just got off the phone with Zachary's nurse. He's having a good night, which is always nice to hear. They are finally going to start him on reflux meds. I guess after 7 plus weeks of reflux the doctors figured it was time to treat it. Finally!

Here are this week's stats.

Monday, September 22nd
Weight: 1820 grams (4lbs .19 oz)
Feeds: Q3 - He eats for 45 minutes every 3 hours
Desats: One here and there
Bradys: None

Tuesday, September 23rd
Weight: 1835 grams (4 lbs .72 oz ~4 lbs 1 oz)
Feeds: Q3 - He now eats for 3o minutes ever 3 hours - they also increased the amount. He's getting ~ 1.5 oz over a 30 minute feed.
Desats: None
Bradys: None

Wednesday, September 24th - DRUM ROLL please!!!
Weight: 1875 grams (4 lbs 2.13 oz) He gained a whopping 40 grams. Way to go Bugaboo!
Feeds: Q3 - same as Tuesday
Desats: None
Bradys: None

This weeks started a whole new schedule of feeding. Zachary gets fed by a bottle twice a day (once a shift) and we get to nurse twice a day (once a shift) the rest are done via feeding tube. I'm not able to be there for both shifts, so he gets to nurse only once. So far he's done well, but we have a long way to go. He's only allowed to nurse for 15 min to avoid tiring out. He's doing well with the bottle feeds. He's taking between 15-20 mL each time. He's starting to understand the whole feeding process. When you put is binkie in his mouth he works it over hoping something will come out. He gets quite upset when it doesn't. Poor Buddy!

I am antsy to bring him home. We are 8 weeks old today. I have been at Duke for 91 days now (either as a patient or visiting a patient). It's high time we pack up and head back to Apex. I'm worn out. When I had my 6 weeks check up the doctor asked me if I was experiencing any post partum depression (I had a nice little bout with this when I had Andrew. Royally stinks!). I looked at her and said, "I don't have time to monkey with post partum. There aren't enough hours in the day to be depressed." She may want to ask me when we have him home, but right now I've got every hour of the day used up. Pray our time at Duke is coming to a close. I want to bring home a healthy and stable baby first and foremost, but it's time. My physical and mental state are worn out.

Off I go... I'm tired, but the pump calls. I'm thankful I am able to provide Zachary with the best source of nutrition now, but dern I hate the pump!

Boo

Another weight loss. We're down to 1800 grams (3 lbs 15.49 oz). He was restless yesterday according to the day nurse. I do think the scale used last night is not calibrated, so maybe he hasn't lost weight. Maybe?

ETA: Just spoke to Dolly the LC and she said they most definitely should not use the scales the LCs use for weight assessments. There is hope that our little guy didn't lose weight or if he did maybe not that much. I'm hoping tonight he blows all of us out of the water with a GINORMOUS weight gain. He's resting a lot better today. Thankfully.

It's been a long week of constipation for little Zachary. He had his daily blow out tonight and along with his blow out went some weight. I'm trying not too get to sad about it. We're down to 1804 grams, which is 3 lbs 15.63 oz. You know I'm rounding up, but I want to be back in the comfort zone. I want the #s to actually be 4 lbs and not b/c I'm rounding up.

He's doing really well with nursing. He went for 14 of the 15 allowed minutes. This was attempt #2 and today he seemed to remember what to do. Hopefully he'll take to nursing very quickly. He's doing well with bottle feeding too. Either way he's getting what is important. I must keep that in mind.

My mom's friends (mine too) gave me a wonderful shower today. Zachary received lots of wonderful gifts. We received the same outfit 5 times today, which ended up being our funny ha ha at the end of the shower. Andrew's bassinet received an overhaul courtesy Ahmy (Robbie's mom). Ahmy made a new skirt and outfitted the whole thing. It looks like something straight from Pottery Barn Kids. Our little guy is one spoiled little monkey. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you to everyone who helped with the shower and to those old (as in time, not age) and dear friends who came. We love you all very much! I can't wait to post a picture of the cake. Cinda out did herself again!

Well, it's past my bed time. I'm not really tired, but I guess I better try and get some rest.

Pop Quiz

Guess who is incredibly adorable, smiles when you talk to him, loves to Kangaroo cuddle, has picked up on nursing like a pro and OH, weighs 4 lbs now?

Answer: Zachary

We have done it! We have reached a major milestone in this long ICN/TCN journey. I called last night to check on Zachary and his nurse said, "Well, even after a major blowout he still manged to gain weight." Zachary is now 1820 grams, which is just over 4 lbs (4 lbs 0.19 grams). We can check this off our list and move on to feeding. We were supposed to start nursing yesterday, but his nurse started his feeds before the LC could get there. Today is the day. Fingers crossed things go well.

On a different note, Quinn (our TCN BFF) is having his surgery today to have a reservoir placed in his head. Pray for his doctors, nurses and Mom and Dad. Pray that Quinn is in the 10% of babies whose reservoir works and keeps him from having to have a shunt. We don't want this precious little guy having to undergo any more surgery than absolutely necessary.

Pray for Andrew he's got slight fever today.

"The Talk"

It's been a few days since I last posted about Sweetie Pie. I'll go ahead and list his stats, etc and then get into the nitty gritty.

Monday, September 15th
Weight: 1725 grams (3 lbs 13 oz)
Feeds: Q3 - On Monday speech therapy came to evaluate Zachary. He took 5 ccs from the bottle while they were working with him.
Desats: A couple
Bradys: None

Tuesday, September 16th
Weight:1743 grams (3 lbs 14 oz)
Feeds: Q3 - Day 4 of our non-nutritive nursing sessions. He did his thing and latched on like a good boy today. He also took 6 ccs of milk from a bottle.
Desats: One here and there
Bradys: None

Wednesday, September 17th
Weight: 1780 grams (3 lbs 15 oz) - Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel? We are SO... close to the magic 4 lb mark.
Feeds: Q3 - He slept through the non-nutritive nursing session. Tomorrow we get to try the real deal. Wish us luck!
Desats: None
Bradys: None

Total of pulled feeding tubes: 3 and the week isn't over yet. Zachary HATES the feeding tubes and pulls them every chance he gets.

We had another eye exam this week. Our first exam showed signs of ROP in Zone 2, Stage 1. I guess this wasn't too alarming to the doctors and NPs. Next exam was scheduled for 2 weeks. We had our 2nd eye exam on Tuesday. This time we're Zone 2, Stage 1-2. Again, the next eye exam is scheduled for 2 weeks. I had the NP give me the scoop on ROP and what this could mean for Zachary. She told me that preemies generally show signs of ROP and most clear up by their due date. She felt good about Zachary and assured me the fact his appts are being scheduled 2 weeks out means the eye doctor isn't concerned. If his eyes continue to get worse they will probably do a laser surgery to correct the problem. Your homework for the week is to pray, pray, pray Zachary's eyes get better.

Zachary and I get to spend a lot of time cuddling. I live for my visits with him. He's swaddled snugly and the two of us get in the recliner and snooze a bit or either talk to each other. When we talk his eyes will follow the sound of my voice, he'll smile, give me a small giggle and even frown if he doesn't like what I have to say. It's wonderful seeing him smile. I love the smiles we get when he's sleeping and has a good dream. He loves Eskimo kisses too! Generally Eskimo kissing will produce a smile every time.

Last but not least, we got the ol' "Move" talk. Things have been too quiet, so this doesn't come as a surprise. I've missed the weekly "We'd like to move Zachary" talks. They'd like to move him to a level 2 hospital. He's supposedly the most stable baby in the TCN, they need to make room, yadda yadda yadda. Are you ready for our option? Durham Regional Hospital. Are you kidding me? Did you actually let those words come off your tongue? How is that hospital any closer than Duke AND are you kidding me? For those of your poor souls forced to use Durham Regional... my sympathies. Back in the day Durham Regional (growing up it was Durham County General... sounds like a soap opera, eh?) wasn't so bad. We've since moved forward from "back in the day" and quite frankly I wouldn't take my dog there. I think that place is gross, it stinks and is nasty. Secondly we know of 2 babies sent to DRH and they had to be brought right back to Duke. We are NOT, repeat NOT willing to take that chance with Zachary. They can either send us to another level 2 or send us home. Those are the options. Of course the NP was concerned with moving him out of the Duke system. If they are truly concerned they will let us ride our time out in the TCN or move us to the SCN. Durham Regional is not an option for the Perry family. Of course she mentioned WakeMed Cary as the closest level 2 to our house. I'm sure you remember we weren't willing to have Zachary moved at all, but our stint with the TCN has been less than stellar and we're wondering if a move to another facility might be a good thing. We'd miss our favorite nurses dearly and the comfort of knowing what we're doing at Duke, but the care has been half priced most days lately. Don't get me wrong, we've had some fantastic nurses, Dr. Malcolm is a dream to work with, Panna, the NP is on the money, but the hiccups and snafus along the way have really overshadowed. A change might be nice at this point. WM Cary is certainly a lot closer to home, but is that worth my son's medical care? We'll see if the convo comes up again. Stay tuned.

Ok, I got up extra early to pump so I can attempt to run this a.m. It's slow going, but I've got to get things in gear if I'm going to run the City of Oaks again. I'll keep you posted. Off I go...

Writer's note: I haven't proofread this. Forgiveness requested.

A Little of This and a Little of That

Weight: 1705 grams (3 lbs 12 oz)
Feeds: Q3 (eat an hour off 3 hours)
Desats: A few
Bradys: None

We had a couple of spats with reflux yesterday, which led to the bradys. He also sounds a little congested, which the nurse said is reflux. I'm so sick of reflux I don't know what to do. That is really the only thing dragging us down. We're not alone. Most of the preemies in the ICN/TCN/SCN struggle with it.

We saw Gavin's mom yesterday (he and Zachary have been roomies a bunch of times) and Gavin "may" go home next weekend. He and Zachary were due a day apart. We certainly hope Gavin gets to fly the coop soon! We'll miss him and seeing his parents.

We're back in our old spot in the TCN. We get to share a room with the triplets, which is quiet and most peaceful. The LB triplets (they have a hyphenated last name) are adorable. Pray for the brother of this trio. He's supposed to have a reservoir put in soon to help with fluid build up in his head. If that doesn't work they'll have to put a shunt in. This sweet little buddy has been through a bunch. His sisters are chugging along, but pray for them too. Their mom and dad are the greatest! I'm sure this is taxing on them, so add them to the prayer list as well.

Did you catch the Blue Devils and the Pirates? Man, this football season is some good stuff!

Photo Time

A little smile while I sleep

Aunt Christy lovin' on me

And talking to me...

Bryn, Andrew and Reese. Don't you love Andrew's "see food"?

Silly kids

I love my daddy

Cuddle Bunny

Getting big

First bottle attempt

Yep, Mom, this tastes G.O.O.D

Growing Part Deux

Saturday, September 13, 2008
Weight: 1661 grams (3 lbs 11 oz)
Feeds: Q 3 - eats for an hour and is off for 3
Desats: A couple
Bradys: None
Latest development: Diaper rash - Mama NOT very happy

There many other developments with the Perry family, but I'll save that for another blog. Stay tuned...

Thanks Elizabeth!!

There are rules in accepting this award. I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only (which has proven difficult)! Then I must pass it on to seven others!

The questions are as follows:

1. Where is your cell phone? Couch
2. Where is your significant other? Here
3. Your hair color? Blond
4. Your mother? Amazing
5. Your father? Estranged
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Absent
8. Your dream/goal? Heaven
9. The room you're in? Bonus
10. Your hobby? Running
11. Your fear? Spiders
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Tall
15. One of your wish-list items? Money
16. Where you grew up? Durham
17. The last thing you did? Pump
18. What are you wearing? Jammies
19. Your TV? HDTV
20. Your pet? Barks
21. Your computer? On
22. Your mood? Tired
23. Missing someone? Yes
24. Your car? Black
25. Something you're not wearing? Bra
26. Favorite store? Loft
27. Your summer? Miserable
28. Love someone? Absolutely
29. Your favorite color? Yellow
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Recently

Now, I get to pass on the award, which is also proving difficult! I'm picking folks that I think need some bloggie-lovin', so please stop by give them some love in the form of a comment. Here are my Seven to pass along:
1. Rachel – She’s a long, long way from the US doing the Lord’s work in China. She’s missed greatly!
2. Jessica – Her little man, Miles, is having a rough go at it this week being sick and all. Pray Miles gets to feeling better soon.
3. Erin – It’s got to be tough waiting for “the” phone call.
4. Holly – She’s just a great friend and MC Angel.
5. Beth – She makes me laugh hysterically AND she’s a MC Angel too!
6. Heather L. – Wonderful friend and new to blogging. Show her some major love!
7. Christian – I love reading her blog. She’s a southern girl at heart and I love it. Fellow MC Angel and Admissions Office compadre... we go waaaay back.

Thanks Elizabeth, you’ve been a great source of encouragement and support these past few months. I’m glad we’ve had a chance to reconnect.

Who's a Big Boy?

We're working on day 2 in our new digs... a bassinet. Dr. Malcolm thought Zachary could handle the transition and so far he has done wonderfully. Moving to the bassinet is just one of the many changes we've had this week. Today we started a new feeding schedule, drank 2 ccs from a bottle and practiced nursing for 5 minutes. What a great way to end the week!

Here's an update on his stats.

Thursday, September 11, 2008
Weight: 1681 grams (3 lbs 11 oz)
Feeds: 2 on 2 off
Desats: None
Bradys: None

Friday, September 12, 2008
Weight: 1631 grams (3 lbs 10 oz)
Feed: 1 on 3 off - how a full term baby eats
Desats: None
Bradys: None
First bottle feed: 2 ccs
Practiced nursing for 5 minutes. We got 5 successful latches! Way to go Zachary!!!

Zachary starts his "Sticky Mitten" study on Monday. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

The Duke police decided I needed a parking ticket for parking in the visitors section of the parking garage. Only the good Lord knows why in the world they gave me one seeing how I'm a visitor to Duke and will continue to be until Zachary comes home. They gave me a ticket for the low, low price of $50.00. I truly believe the rent-a-cop at Duke gets bored and wants to see how many faux violations he can score on. Beat it, Buster! I ain't paying that ticket.

Who's Getting to be a Big Boy?

Zachary is!!!

Current weight: 1667 grams = 3 lbs. 11 oz
Feeds: 2 on 2 off
Desats: None
Bradys: None
Nurse: We avoided the hateful ol' crow and got Tanna during the day and Sherita at night. Good day and love his nurses!
Cuddle time: 2 hours and we both fell asleep in the chair. He's a good cuddle bunny.

I ran into Bridgett, one of our favorite nurses from the NICU yesterday. She's very impressed with how he is doing. She told me once he hits 4 lbs the only thing keeping him at Duke is feeding. Once we get feeding down pat we get to exit the doors of Duke and hopefully we don't have to come back. Yee haw!

Zachary and I have our first session with the LC to work on feeding today. We'll do one non-nutritive feeding a day. I do believe my boy will pick up on what to do quite nicely. He works his binkie over, which only leads me to believe he'll work me over good fashion as well.

Growing, Growing, Growing and the Not So Good Nurse

Tuesday, September 9, 2009

Current weight: 1631 grams = 3 lbs 10 oz and huge gain of 66 grams
Feeds: 2 on 2 off
Desats: None
Bradys: None
Love tonight's nurse - one of his ICN primaries!!! We've missed you, Sherita!

Day nurse today - I never, ever, ever, ever want her again. For the fear of getting thrown out, I could have punched her running lights out. Her rudeness factor was at an all time high AND she'll throw all the other nurses under the bus just so she doesn't look like the schmuck she really is. Nurse Renee (yep, I'm calling her OUT) obviously pays ZERO attention to Zachary's cardex (sorry if I spelled incorrectly). The PT specifically wrote Zachary is to be placed in a medium snuggly to keep him contained. She believes keeping his feet contained promotes the fetal position he would be in if still in my tummy. She also wants the froggies (beanie bag) to be placed on top of him to keep him snuggled tightly. If he gets hot they can use the little straps to keep him cuddled. Today Zachary was cradled with rolled up blankets that did not keep his feet anywhere near how they should have been. He was swaddled, which will do, but that should not be done in lieu of the PT's instructions, but can be done as an added bonus. When we brought this to the doctor's attention he let the nurse know Zachary was not positioned correctly. She came over, popped a rude pill or two on the way and said, "I understand you have a problem with the way he is set up." Um, yeah, I have a problem with how he is set up and that just scrapes the surface, Sweet Cheeks. She completely paid no attention to the instructions and blamed last night's nurse for the improper set up. Nonnie came straight over after I texted her about my interaction with Renee when I got in the TCN. Nonnie was already aware of Zachary not being snuggled correctly from Robbie's description of the setup at lunch today. Needless to say she was not happy and hasn't been very pleased with the overall TCN experience.

I arrived at the TCN today after lunch. Keep in mind Robbie left today around 12:15 to have lunch with us. He said they were starting to put in the new monitors when he left. I arrived at the TCN at 2:00pm to visit with Zachary. I was told I needed to wait b/c they were putting his monitor in. The HUC said I could go back and wait outside the TCN if I wanted. I chose to wait in the waiting room and attempt to work while I waited (that's another story). I waited 40 minutes, went to the bathroom and headed back to the TCN. Surely they were done with his monitor. Afterall, it had been 40 minutes since I arrived AND they started this project around noon today. Would you believe they were not done? I came in the TCN, Renee comes over and says, "Did they tell you you could come back? We didn't call to let them know it was ok." First off, you know dern well you would have never called to tell me it was ok. Your sorry tushy can't even read the cardex for very plain instructions! I know full well you had forgotten I was even out there. Secondly, I don't need your permission to visit my child. I gave you 40 minutes. I gave her my matter-of-fact tone and let her know it had been since noon when hubs left that they started this project and that I had until 4:30 to visit before I had to get Andrew from school. She did not need to cop her tude with me. Insert rude pill #1, "Well you can have a seat near his area, but you won't be able to see visit with him." I kid you not! We are not starting off on the right foot. I couldn't find a chair and the TCN was packed tighter than a can of sardines. I found a foot stool to sit on at the foot of his isolette while Trixie read the paper instructions on how to use the new monitor. Thankfully Dr. Malcolm and Panna (Nurse Practioner) came in to talk with me about Zachary's wonderful progress. They could both tell by my facial expression that I was a little perturbed. They both apologized numerous times about the current situation. They asked the loaded question "How are you doing?" My response, "I am doing well. I would really like to visit with my son and I only have until 4:30 before I have to get my 3 year old." At this point I am tryin my hardest not to cry. I'm tired of being at Duke, ready to have my child home and our experience with the TCN thus far has been less than stellar. There are many good aspects, but the negative thus far have trumped the the good. Panna asks if I'd like to hold him. I told her yes and she marched right over to his isolette and got him ready for me to hold. Dr. Malcolm asked the tech to move over, turn the monitor and pulled the curtain so we could have our time. Not once but twice Dr. Malcolm and Panna came over to check on us and to apologize. They were the saving grace for today's visit. Zachary and I got to snuggle for an hour or so before I had to leave. Nonnie was there and took over where I left off.

Tomorrow is a new day. I'm praying Renee is someone else's problem tomorrow. I don't think I can even stomach dealing with her.

There may be errors with this post. Sorry. I'm tired and not willing to proof read right now.

For Karen - and all the RNs out there

Monday, September 8, 2008

• Current weight: 1565 grams
• Feeds: 2 on 2 off
• Nasal cannula may come off today if little man did well during the night with his feeds, reflux (hopefully he's getting over this), and desats (hopefully there were none)

Zachary will need to meet the following criteria in order to go home:

• Weigh over 4.5 lbs
• Be able to suck, swallow and breath (all at the same time)
• Hold his temperature

Essentially he needs to be able to function like a full term baby.

****************************************************

Sunday, September 7, 2008

• Current weight: 1496 grams (RN talk), normal, US citizens = 3 lbs 5 oz
• Feeds: 2 on 2 off (RN talk), normal, US citizens = He eats for 2 hours and then gets a 2 hour break. This is to help him get on a full term baby schedule (eating every 3 hours).
• Desats: NONE - PTL! PTL! PTL!
• Bradys: NONE - PTL! PTL! PTL!
• Cuteness level: Through the roof. Cannot be calculated as the amount is beyond human comprehension

Splish Splash

Our favorite nurse went out on her own and bought picture paper so she could print us the below pictures. Have I mentioned how much we love her?

I got to give Zachary his first bath on Labor Day. His bath time was complete with bubbles and lavendar bath wash.

Can you stand the cuteness?

Ahhh, this is wonderful!

Cutie Pie Catch Up

July 30, 2008

I finally got these pictures from my mom's camera. Some of them you'll scratch your head and wonder what the actual subject of the picture is. I'll do my best to paint the picture for you. Enjoy!

17 hours since contractions started. Mama = muy exhausted. One epidural later and I was feeling G.O.O.D! Praise you Lord for epidurals!

Robbie scrubbing up. He had very few minutes to get his gear on.

Dr. D - my resident. Dr. F was supposed to deliver Zachary, but she got pulled into a c-section. Dr. D came in to check on me 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. Her next words to me were, "Do not cough or he will come out." No worries, I didn't cough.

Nonnie wasn't quick enough to catch them pushing me out. Literally, when Dr. D said move, we moved like lightening. They wheeled me out of the room at 11:48 a.m. and Zachary was born at 12:05 p.m.

Julianne - the best L&D nurse. She took very good care of me.

Dr. D rushing the anesthesiologist. She could not stress the urgency to this doctor enough. She was ready to yank the epidural off the wall. I pleaded with her NOT to leave it behind. Thankfully she didn't.

We're rolling...

Our first visit to see Zachary.

My little buddy turned 5 weeks old yesterday. He's doing well and seems to be on the upswing. Robbie and I were able to give him a bath yesterday. Zachary really loved the part where Robbie bundled him in his towel and dried him off. I do believe he's going to be a Daddy's boy. Doesn't seem fair since our past is rather colorful and we go waaayy back. The doctors ordered more tests to check Zachary's lungs and reflux issue. The x-ray came back great and his tests were negative for any issues. He still has the nasal cannula, but his nurse last night let us know he pulled it out twice and so she left it off. He's also pulled his feeding tube out, which is no good. Maybe he's trying to tell us he's ready to feed like a big baby. The LC comes in daily to check on us. She told me we can start the non-nutritive feedings this week or next. I'm sure he'll do really well with that since he sucks the color off his binky most days. Zachary gained a little more weight last night. He weighs in at 1,356 grams = 3 lbs. We had a little decrease in weight earlier this week, but have since gained it back. Yesterday Zachary was on a little oxygen, but was turned back down to room air. His oxygen desaturations finally have moved back into the mid 90's (very good) instead of the 80's (ok, but not where we want to be). Our favorite nurse is on tonight. Hopefully she'll have Zachary.

I'll post more pictures tonight.

Ups and Downs

This past week will be classified as our "Up and Down" week. Our favorite nurse was taking care of Zachary today (UP). We are very thankful for her and the care she gives our little guy. She loves him like we do and it shows. I worry a little less when I know he's in her care for at least 12 hours. She was as upset (if not more) as we were/are about Zachary being moved to a bassinet prematurely. I outright asked her if the problems (though minor compared to some) he started having this week could be attributed to the "snafu" (DOWN) and she believed there was a direct correlation. I asked her to make sure the party(ies) responsible be put on the list of people who are not allowed to take care of him. She went one step further and let me know she reported what happened to the nurse manager. There may be a lot she's not telling me for fear it will literally send me over the edge (she's well aware how I feel about the TCN, etc.), but I know she was fair in what she told the NM and wouldn't throw anyone under the proverbial bus.

Robbie held Zachary for the first time today. He's been a little skittish when it comes to handling him since he is tiny. I believe Zachary thoroughly enjoyed being cuddled in his future best friend's arms. He looked extremely content and stared at Robbie for a long time. We'll both be glad when he's home and we can cuddled all the time.

Zachary's feeds have been switched from on 2 hours, off 2 hours to on 3 hours and off 1 hour. The doctors are hoping this will help reduce the amount of reflux he has while still getting him to a regimented feeding schedule. The goal with the on 2, off 2 is to help his little tummy expand and eventually get him eating like full term babies do (on 1, off 2 - 3). He still has the nasal cannula (DOWN), but it's only giving him air pressure to help the sacs in the lungs that closed to open back up (snafu related). Hopefully this week he'll really get over the air/oxygen desaturation hurdle and the nasal cannula can come off soon. I want to be able to look at his face without all the tubes and tape.

The big UP today is our little man gained 84 grams today!!! We are now at 1359 grams = 2 lbs 15.93 oz. If you're not up on the metric system, let me help you. There are 16 oz in 1 lb. If you round up 15.93 you'll come to the # 16. It appears to me that Zachary could essentially be considered 3 lbs in weight if you round up. I am clearly going with this train of thought. We are at our highest weight yet!!! WOO HOO, praise the Lord. Tomorrow night I get to give Zachary a bath. I'm excited about scrubbing my little guy down.

It's way past my bedtime. Looks like Gustav is about to hit Louisiana. Pray for those residents.