We had a lot to digest yesterday with all the test results, but have had a good day with Baby Jacob today. We got to see him during "CARES", so Jake Sr. was able to change Jr.'s diaper again and Jeanne was able to take his temperature. The little things are still so sweet to us. Baby Jacob's skin is looking better each day. The black and blue bruising from his emergency delivery is slowly going away. It looks like he has grown a little bit too! His weight swings quite a bit depending on how much blood/fluids they have to give him, so take it with a grain of salt, but his weight is currently 1 lb 6 oz.
Jr.'s blood gases were stable and they only had to take a couple of blood draws today, where yesterday they had over 10 draws in one day. His blood pressure is still low, so he got another transfusion today. His white blood cells are up but somehow they can tell that many of the cells are immature, which means he is still fighting an infection. They are still not sure which infection he might have so they are keeping him on a few different antibiotics.
He got an IV placed back in his head for the transfusion. It was nice to have both of them out for a day so he looked more like a regular preemie, but we knew they would return. We are just so grateful they can help him. The regular IVs (where he gets blood plasma and transfusions) usually only last 1-2 days. The PICC lines where he gets all of his fluids and antibiotics can last up to 30 days. He also has an umbilical arterial line where he gets his blood drawn and they can continually monitor his blood pressure accurately. Those last 10-14 days after birth before they become a large infection risk, so it will have to come out shortly. They will have to replace it with another arterial line in his wrists or lower legs. Our poor little guy is a pin cushion!
We were able to view the ultrasound images with the head neonatal specialist for the NICU. She showed us where and what the bleeds on the brain looked like and discussed short term and long term outcomes. It is possible that the bleeds could stop as well as for the bleeds to get worse. They will continue to monitor the bleeds with weekly ultrasounds.
The doctor also showed us his history of lung x-rays. He will have chronic lung disease for sure, but can hopefully grow out of it as he will continue to develop new lung tissue until age 6. She said that if and when they finally get to the point where they can discharge him to come home, he will need to be on supplemental oxygen for at least a few months and maybe up to a year.
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