6 week Birthday: April 17, 2008
I wish I could say the past week had been smooth sailing. There are many things to be thankful for but Hunter’s condition has been on our mind 24/7.
Hunter: Hunter had a PDA ligation on last Friday 4/11/08. The surgery was successful at closing the hole but he has had a horrible recovery. His lungs have been damaged from weeks on the ventilator that has been helping him breath. He started out in this world so strong and not even needing help breathing. He unfortunately got an infection from his PIC line and that has made a huge ripple effect over the last weeks. The infection caused the PDA to open and it caused him to need extra help breathing because he was weakened by the sickness. The PDA did not close on his own so we had to do surgery because his oxygen requirements were so inconsistent. Prior to surgery he had already had chronic lung disease (basically his lungs are just damaged from the vent). So, after having surgery his lungs are just struggling even more. He’s been in a life/death situation this past week. Lungs do heal and grow so it is something that he can overcome but he is really really sick right now. I think this is the hardest thing in our lives to watch. To see your baby going from kicking and opening his eyes to now being under drugs to keep him paralyzed and just hope his little body can recover. There is still a lot of hope but we have a very long road ahead. So far so good, it has been one week since the surgery and today was a good day for him. His oxygen is down from 100% to 68%.
Weight: almost 3 lbs! (1345 grams) *note he is has not been weighted since his surgery
Length: 36cm ( 14.17 inches)
Matthew: Matthew has been pretty steady which is surprising because he has more complex heart issues than Hunter. He has a PDA and a VSD, so, two holes in his hearts and a possible narrow aorta. I must add that these holes are completely normal in unborn children. These two holes are how the baby breaths when in the uterus. They are supposed to close at birth but with preemies they very often stay open. Matthew is still on the ventilator but he’s pretty consistent with his oxygen so there is no rush to do surgery. It would be nice if he could wait and do any surgery later when he is maybe 4 years old. Matthew is active and opens his eyes and looks your direction when you talk to him. He’s still the smallest but he’s not far behind his brothers. Matthew is just adorable and has a quiet strength about him. He seems a little more laid back than his brothers. He likes to hold your finger.
Weight: 2 lb 6 oz. (1210 grams)
Length: 37cm (14.57 inches)
Dylan: Dylan was the one that they didn’t know if he would make it on Day 1 because he was not able to breath on his own consistently. So, he had a rough start but he came from behind and passed everyone. He is not on the ventilator. He has a CPAP which is a little nose prong that shoots a little extra oxygen to him. H hates the blowing air in his nose so he constantly is fighting to take the CPAP off as you will see in the attached picture. It is so much fun to watch how he has these little tricks he has learned to push the device, kick it, or turn his head side to side and then surprise the nose prongs are out. Haha. Yesterday I watched him and he had them out completely for 30 minutes and his breathing was just a good as when he had them in. This is a great sign! Soon he will not even need his CPAP. He’s also infection free and has no IVs! Yeah! He is still eating through a tub in his mouth like his brothers but in the next two weeks he may get to start learning to take a preemie bottle. Dylan is feisty but has an angelic look about him. He looks just so sweet.
Weight: 3 lb 6 oz. (1530.87 grams)
Length: 41 cm (16.14 inches)
