7 Days

--A lot can happen in 7 days.
--God created the earth in 7 days (6 actually, he rested on the 7th).
--Daniel has performed some "miracles" himself in the past 7 days.
--Daniel reached the 3 pound mark. He is no longer a 2 pound baby! His offical weight is 3 pounds, 4 ounces. He is averaging an ounce a day in weight gain which is exactly what he should be gaining.
--A full term baby is born with the ability to suck, swallow and breathe. A premature baby has to learn how to suck, swallow and breathe. Daniel has begun the learning process. He gets one bottle a day for "practice". Daniel burns calories when he drinks from a bottle, it's an "aerobic excercise". Daniel does not have any spare calories to burn which is why he is only getting one bottle a day. Daniel's "practice time" will increase as he learns to suck, swallow and breathe.
--Daniel is not only learning how to drink from a bottle, he is also learning how to control his body temperature. Daniel has started wearign clothes to help with this.
--A lot of babies born premature have anemia and receive one if not more blood transfusions during the NICU stay. Daniel received an ounce of blood this week that "perked him up".
--Daniel had an eye test on Thursday. The test was done to check for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina, the tissue that lines the back of the eye. Daniel's test results were negative, meaning he does not have ROP. He will have a repeat eye test in 3 months.

1 Month - Awake and Alert

--Happy 1 month birthday Daniel!
--Newborns sleep a lot, preemies sleep a lot more. Daniel stayed a wake during our visit today. He was very alert (for a preemie) and checking out his surroundings. After he "ate", Mommy rocked him to sleep. What a precious moment!
--We got the results back from the repeat ultrasound. The bleed has not dissolved but it has not increased either. It's not that news that we really were hoping for but it is still good news. Thank you for your prayers.

Almost

--Daniel is almost 3 pounds. His current weight is 2 pounds, 11 ounces only 6 more ounces to go. Grow Daniel grow!
--Daniel is almost "eating" one ounce of milk every 3 hours. He is currently "eating" 22 ccs every 3 hours, only 8 more ccs and he will be "eating" a whole ounce. Eat Daniel eat!
--Daniel was not very happy when we arrived at the hospital today. It was time for him to eat and he knew it and he was making sure that everyone else knew it too. We "fed" him. Mommy held the feeding tube abd Daddy helped Daniel hold the pacifier in his mouth. (Daniel gets a pacifier during "feedings" so he will associate sucking with eating.) After Daniel was through eating we burped him, spent some time snuggling, changed his diaper before putting him in his isolette. We love getting to do the "little things" for Daniel, it makes us feel like "real parents".
--We want to end this post with a prayer request. Daniel will have a repeat head ultrasound sometime tomorrow. Please pray that the bleed has not gotten worse, infact the ultimate prayer would be that the bleed has totally dissolved.

Father's Day in July

--Daddy got to hold Daniel for the first time yesterday. Daddy and Daniel really enjoyed their time together.

--Daniel is steadily gaining weight. His current weight is 2 pounds, 10 ounces. The goal is that Daniel gains an ounce a day.

--Daniel's feeds have been increased, he is now getting 16 ccs of milk every 3 hours. As of Friday he is no longer getting nutrients and lipids through the IV, he is getting all his nutrients and fats through milk. He will stay off the IV as long as his blood sugar stays under control.

Time Out for Thanks

--We wanted to take some time to thank everyone for your thoughts, calls, visits, food, gifts and especially the prayers that have been received since Jenny was hospitalized and Daniel arrived. These past few weeks have not been easy, it's so hard to see Daniel lying in the hospital with tubes, etc. and know there is nothing that you can do to make him better. Your prayers and support have helped keep us going and even though we have not really taken the time out to thank you please know how much you are appreciated.

Tough Little Guy

--It is so hard to believe that Daniel is 3 weeks old. He has been through so much in the past 3 weeks, he is such a tough little man.

--Daniel was moved into an isolette on Friday. He has been in a warming bed since he arrived. This bed provided heat and easy access so the nurses and doctors could provide care and start IVs, etc. Daniel's move is a step up for a few reasons. 1.) Daniel is not as critical and the doctors and nurses do not need "easy access" to start IVs, etc. 2.) Daniel is ready to learn how to control his own boddy temperature and the isolette will help him learn how to do this.

--Daniel is being fed 8 ccs of fortified breast milk every 3 hours. (5 ccs equals a teaspoon) The breast milk is fortified to provide extra calories. We wish we could say that Daniel was handling all his feedings well but he has really been struggling to digest the milk. The doctor decided to keep trying because some babies seem to require a little more food to help push things through.

--Daniel is still having a few Apnea spells and is still receiving medication. The doctor said that a lot of preemies "outgrow" Apnea spells around 34 weeks gestation, Daniel is 32 weeks gestation.

--Daniel is being weighed more frequently now that he is not as critcal. He was weighed last night and we are happy to report the he has gained. His current weight is 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

Mommy Holds Daniel

--Daniel is doing great for a 2 pound baby, born 11 weeks early.
--He has been off CPAP and on nasal cannula since Tuesday. He has been having Apnea spells which is very common in preemies. An Apnea spell is when a baby stops breathing for 20 seconds or more and is accompanied with a slow heart. He is being treated with medication and will probably be on the medication for a week.
--Daniel turned 2 weeks old yesterday and recieved a wonderful birthday present...Mommy held Daniel for the first time.

Sweet Pictures

Fireworks

--When we arrived at the hospital today we were surprised to see Daniel off the CPAP and on the nasal cannula. An even bigger surprise was Daniel was breathing room air thru the cannula.

--When we called to check on Daniel tonight he had been given his first bath. He was doing well on the nasal cannula although the 02 had to be turned up.

--Daniel will start his feeds again tomorrow after a few days of rest. He will recieve 1 teaspoon of breast milk every 6 hours.

--Daniel has gained 5 ounces. His current weight is 2 pounds, 8 ounces.

Hanging In There

--Once again we apologize for the delay in posting.

--Daniel is doing pretty well.

--A head ultrasound showed that Daniel has a grade 1 intraventricular hemorrage (IVF). IVF is bleeding in the brain and will hopefully resolve itself. The doctor said that a grade 1 bleed is very mild. He explained it to us in this way, if you put several children in one room, half born with a grade 1 bleed and the other half born with no bleed you would never know which children were the ones with the bleeds. Our prayer is that the bleed will resolve itself and not increase. Another ultrasound will be done in a few days/weeks to see if the bleed has increased/decreased/stayed the same.

--A chest x-ray was done on Saturday that showed that Daniel has very hazy lungs. This could be a sign of Chronis Lung Disease which is very similar to Asthma. The doctor said that it is too soon to make a diagnosis, several more x-rays will be completed before Daniel is released.

--Daniel's feeds were stopped for a day due to residual (undigested food) in his stomach. The doctor feels like he just needs a break from eating. Daniel's digestive system is immature and may not be ready to handle food. This is a common problem in preemies.

--Despite oll the complications the past few days, Daniel is hanging in there.