Caringbridge Journal 3

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Brennan is still hanging in there! He had a few days where he was grumpy and didn't do as well with eating. Every time we woke him up, he remembered that he had a tummyache, and he would SCREAM. It was a bit frustrating to have this roller coaster of good days and bad days! But he seems to be getting on track again. On Monday, his hemoglobin was down a little bit to 9. The doctor wanted to try giving him a blood transfusion to see if that would wake him up a little so he'd eat better. It wasn't a necessary treatment though, so Ken and I decided not to do it. It was the first tough decision I had to make for my son, and it wasn't easy! I am glad that we made that choice since he seems to have perked up on his own. He was awake for three and a half hours last night! He also broke his previous breastfeeding record by 10 mls! That was very excited since he struggles with breastfeeding. He can't cheat when he's tired, like he can with a bottle, and I can't pace him like with a bottle, so he doesn't always remember to stop and breathe.
Brennan's little personality is coming out. He's a very good baby! He is a good screamer when he's in pain or uncomfortable, but otherwise he doesn't cry much. He does have a wide array of noises though! One of his primary nurses calls them dolphin noises. It's pretty cute! He's pretty easy to calm down with his pacifier or a good snuggle. He loves to snuggle! He's also starting to be a little stinker when it comes to falling asleep on his own. Last night he was very sleepy after being awake all night, but he wouldn't go to sleep! He started fussing from being in pain (from reflux), so the nurse said she'd snuggle with him so I could go home. I was so happy he'd get some love while I wasn't there. Oh, and he is now 3.1 Kg and 19 3/4 inches! I love my chunky monkey!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I am pretty sure Brennan is the cutest baby ever invented. One of the docs today said he'd put Brennan in a backpack and carry him around all day! He thought we could start training Brennan to be a neonatologist from an early age.
Brennan is taking baby steps towards coming home! All week, we debated giving him a transfusion. His hemoglobin went up to 9.4 on Monday, so now we don't have to worry about it anymore! We did start giving him a little bit of oxygen when he eats. The first time we tried it, he took a whole bottle! It took him an hour, but I was determined to get him to finish. Normally we only would let him go for 15-30 minutes. It was a very intense hour. When he was done, I made him a sign to hang on his crib that says, "I DID IT!". All the nurses were very happy for us! He hasn't taken as much since then, but just knowing he can do it was wonderful. Today we started him back on cue-based feeds, and so far he is doing much better than last time. He needs to take 119 mls by 3p, and he's already taken 100, and most of that was by bottle! We don't use the oxygen on him every feeding, but if he seems too tired or is having trouble we slip it on.
I'm pretty sure Brennan is going to be excellent at throwing temper tantrums! He can really scream. And he is strong! Last night he was lying on a pillow on my lap, and he was starving. He was so mad he actually pushed himself across the pillow with his feet. He certainly lets us know his opinion! Yesterday he had a big diaper blowout and I had to give him a bath. It was his first immersion bath - usually we just give him a sponge bath. I had to wake him up to change him, and that made him mad. (He has a hard time waking up, just like his mama!) He screamed and screamed until I put him in the tub, and then he didn't know what to think. He had a really cute confused expressoin. He didn't cry, but I am not sure he liked it because he kept trying to climb out of the tub! It was pretty funny.
Brennan seems like a giant now - he's somewhere around 7 1/2 lbs! He's twice his birthweight now. He's so big to me, but I suppose that's pretty small for most 7-week-olds. His due date is next Tuesday, so I am really hoping he gets his act together and comes home soon! Hopefully by Thanksgiving if he keeps doing so well!

Saturday, November 21, 2009
My beautiful baby boy is eight weeks old today! He's about 7 lbs 7 oz. He's still doing very well! He is taking almost everything by bottle. The last two days he lost a little weight, a little over an ounce total. Luckily the doctors decided to continue his current feeding plan instead of changing anything. Brennan is back on track gaining weight and doing awesome with eating. Ken, B, and I are staying together in the hospital boarding room now. It's like a hotel room (with strong hospital vibes of course) with a nurse outside. We feed Brennan and take care of him but he is still under nursing care for meds, vitals, tube feedings, etc. He's not quite ready to go home yet, but getting close, so we get to stay with him until he goes! It's wonderful having him in the room with us. It's how it should be! In order for Brennan to come home, he has to: be weaned off the oxygen; eat all feedings by bottle or breast; and continue to gain weight. Right now he is sleeping contentedly on his daddy's chest. They are so precious together :). Hopefully we'll be home SOON!!

Monday, November 23, 2009
Well, we were hoping Brennan would come home tomorrow, which is his due date, but now we will be lucky if he'll get home on Wednesday. He still isn't growing, and that's a huge concern. Today they changed Brennan's feedings to 24-calorie instead of 22, and we're hoping that will make a big difference. They also upped his minimum for how much milk he needs to take, which worries me because he is barely meeting the minimum now. We pretty much have to force feed him! I'm worried we'll have to put his tube back in today to get his required feedings.
Yestereday, for a few hours, Brennan was free of all tubes and wires! It was awesome. We could walk around the room with him. But last night they decided to put him on oxygen all the time instead of just with feedings, so now he's back on the monitors as well as the oxygen tube, and he can barely even reach our bed to snuggle with us. :(
B is getting hungry - I have a few quick prayer requests:
-That Brennan gains the stamina and coordination he needs to get all his feeds in
-that Brennan gains weight the next two days
-that he comes home Wed., or at least Fri.
-that the oxygen helps
-that we don't go crazy in this little room for the next few days!
Ok- get your prayer hats on!
Thank you!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Brennan is home!!

Monday, November 30, 2009
Brennan came home on Wednesday and we are so happy to have him here! He was waking up every two hours to eat for the first couple of nights, but now he'll sleep up to 4 hours - even though he's only supposed to go every 3! He's a little snugglebug who can really scream! Sometimes it can take him quite awhile to go back to sleep because he'd rather be snuggling. Also, his various tummy troubles seem worse at night, and he gets grumpy. Mostly he is a very good baby though! He had a kitchen bath sink last night, and he did great. He had a concerned expression the whole time, it was pretty cute! I underestimated how much work a newborn is! I was cocky from taking care of so many other babies :). Ken is an amazing dad, and I am so thankful for him. He even takes care of B during the night when I need to sleep!
Brennan came home on continuous oxygen to help him with his eating, and he's doing so great we'll probably be weaning him off soon. He's over 8 pounds now and growing like a weed! Yay!