Almost 3 weeks old, and up to 2lbs 15 oz! Almost three pounds! When you think about the weight gain, from what he was down to (2lbs 2 oz) to this, in about two weeks, that's a big difference on such a small body!! We've had a few visitors in the past few days, and they've all commented on how much better he looks, and how content he looks.
I saw the cardiologist on Wednesday morning, and they did another echo. The murmur is still very large. She told me that he was kind of borderline - he would certainly qualify for the surgery and it would benefit him, but he is doing really well, and still not showing any symptoms. She consulted with her colleagues, and they have decided to continue on a "wait-and-see" basis. This way he can keep growing and getting stronger, so if he does have to face the surgery, he could handle it better. Apparently, though, it is a very quick, routine surgery, about 45 minutes. I am glad, though, that we are waiting - I wouldn't want to put such a little one through all that until absolutely necessary.
Other than that, there is nothing else new. We lost our good spot by the window, and are now parked right by the door. Anyone who comes to visit has to stand up every time someone walks by. Oh well. We're just putting in time until we get transferred to Oshawa. No word on that yet, but hopefully soon.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Evan
Happy Birthday, Evan!
(funny face-boy!)Monday, May 24, 2010
Day 18
We had a nice (early) birthday celebration for Evan on Sunday with his VanBreda cousins. The kids had a great time, and it was so nice to see the boys again.
Eric came down for the weekend, spending time with the older boys and the youngest one.
Little Isaac is not sure if he likes having a bath. Believe it or not, he's actually gained weight - he's up to 2lb 9 oz. He still looks pretty skinny when he has no clothes on, but we noticed he had a hint of a double chin!
Trying to give you an idea of his size (that's a quarter). We tried Eric's wedding ring on his wrist, but it didn't fit - that's probably a good thing!
They removed the PICC line yesterday, which means no more big splint on his arm. It also means that he's receiving the full amount of fluids he needs through breastmilk (in his feeding tube) and doesn't need supplementary fluids. Other than that, there is not much else going on. I hope to speak with the pediatric cardiologist on Wednesday to see what the plan is for this PDA valve, which still has not closed.
Eric came down for the weekend, spending time with the older boys and the youngest one.
Little Isaac is not sure if he likes having a bath. Believe it or not, he's actually gained weight - he's up to 2lb 9 oz. He still looks pretty skinny when he has no clothes on, but we noticed he had a hint of a double chin!
Trying to give you an idea of his size (that's a quarter). We tried Eric's wedding ring on his wrist, but it didn't fit - that's probably a good thing!They removed the PICC line yesterday, which means no more big splint on his arm. It also means that he's receiving the full amount of fluids he needs through breastmilk (in his feeding tube) and doesn't need supplementary fluids. Other than that, there is not much else going on. I hope to speak with the pediatric cardiologist on Wednesday to see what the plan is for this PDA valve, which still has not closed.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Day 15 - Two weeks old
Isaac is enjoying the quietness of his current location. The room is for "Feeders & Growers," basically just babies who have no serious concerns and just need to get bigger. The murmur is still there (a "whopping murmur," I heard one of the nurses comment to another) but since he is asymptomatic, they will leave it. The doctor stopped by yesterday to comment that he is doing really well.
They did the head ultrasound yesterday and as was expected, there was a small bleed. Babies born before 32 weeks have ultrasounds to check for bleeding in the brain. They categorize bleeds as Grade 1 - least troublesome, to Grade 4 - most severe. He has a grade 1 bleed and possibly a grade 2 bleed. The doctor explained that the Grades 1 and 2 bleeds will not result in any long term problems, and even 70 % of the Grade 3 bleeds will not be a problem. There is no change since the ultrasound last week, so they have not grown or progressed. They will likely resolve themselves and not cause any problems. Again, he is completely asymptomatic, so the doctor has no concerns. As a parent, of course I am concerned - this sounds quite serious. But looking at the percentages and the different grades of bleeds, he seem to be in a pretty good position, though we would still like to ask for prayer in this area.
They might remove the PICC line already today (the IV) because he is tolerating his feeds quite well. We were told that it might stay in for up to a month, so that is good news. Other than that, Isaac is looking forward to Daddy coming to visit after we have a birthday party for our almost-5 year old on Sunday. Thanks again for your prayers. If I don't update this very often, it means that things are going pretty smoothly and there's not much to say. Hopefully I'll have a camera battery after this weekend and can take some more pictures.
They did the head ultrasound yesterday and as was expected, there was a small bleed. Babies born before 32 weeks have ultrasounds to check for bleeding in the brain. They categorize bleeds as Grade 1 - least troublesome, to Grade 4 - most severe. He has a grade 1 bleed and possibly a grade 2 bleed. The doctor explained that the Grades 1 and 2 bleeds will not result in any long term problems, and even 70 % of the Grade 3 bleeds will not be a problem. There is no change since the ultrasound last week, so they have not grown or progressed. They will likely resolve themselves and not cause any problems. Again, he is completely asymptomatic, so the doctor has no concerns. As a parent, of course I am concerned - this sounds quite serious. But looking at the percentages and the different grades of bleeds, he seem to be in a pretty good position, though we would still like to ask for prayer in this area.
They might remove the PICC line already today (the IV) because he is tolerating his feeds quite well. We were told that it might stay in for up to a month, so that is good news. Other than that, Isaac is looking forward to Daddy coming to visit after we have a birthday party for our almost-5 year old on Sunday. Thanks again for your prayers. If I don't update this very often, it means that things are going pretty smoothly and there's not much to say. Hopefully I'll have a camera battery after this weekend and can take some more pictures.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Days 11 & 12
Once again, things are relatively quiet here with Isaac. We are enjoying the quieter room, and Isaac is sleeping peacefully for most of the day. Other babies wake and fuss, but our little guy just sleeps and smiles. I did kangaroo care again this afternoon for a few hours, and that's a nice way to spend some time, other than reading and Sudoku. I have been crocheting as well, and will include that in future pictures (once I find a way to charge my camera battery).
Not much to report in terms of his care. They are finally increasing his feeds, and he's up to 4 mL every 2 hours. That doesn't sound like much, but for the first week he was only getting 1 mL every 4 hours. He is almost back to his birthweight - he had been down about a hundred grams.
The medication did not fully close the valve. The doctor is not going to order another echo because they already know it is still there, and they are not going to do anything right now to fix it. If he was really struggling with his breathing, they might consider surgery, but he is doing so amazingly well that they are going to leave it for the time being, and follow up with it later when he is older.
Not much to report in terms of his care. They are finally increasing his feeds, and he's up to 4 mL every 2 hours. That doesn't sound like much, but for the first week he was only getting 1 mL every 4 hours. He is almost back to his birthweight - he had been down about a hundred grams.
The medication did not fully close the valve. The doctor is not going to order another echo because they already know it is still there, and they are not going to do anything right now to fix it. If he was really struggling with his breathing, they might consider surgery, but he is doing so amazingly well that they are going to leave it for the time being, and follow up with it later when he is older.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Days 9 & 10
Two nice, quiet days in a row - no procedures, no big concerns. Isaac has remained off of C-PAP- breathing entirely on his own for almost 3 days now. We have been moved to a quieter room with only 5 babies, and we get the window view. Isaac rests so peacefully and his respiration and heart rate are all very steady. The nurses and doctors comment that he behaves l ike an older baby.
(Eric commented that it looks like he is wrapped in a tea towel)
Eric came down on Friday and spent the day with his older boys. He was able to hold Isaac for the first time on Saturday. We had some visitors and it was great to see them.
Isaac has finished the second course of medication for the valve, and we haven't officially had it scanned yet - the cardiologist should be around on Wednesday to do an echo. The nurse and doctor have each mentioned that they can still hear the murmur though. The doctor did not seem terribly concerned, since he is doing so well with his breathing. If the medication has left the valve slightly open, they could leave it for a year or so and do follow-up as needed. Then they could treat it when he is older and it would be a much less invasive procedure. So we are pleased with that, and continue to pray that it will be healed.
We had assumed when we arrived here in London that we would stay here only until a bed opened up in Toronto. The idea of being in Toronto was not very appealing to us - we'd rather stay here and go straight to Oshawa. We got news this morning that we might get our wish - apparently Isaac is too healthy to go to Toronto!! They only want the sicker babies. So when he is ready for transfer (days? weeks?) it will be to Oshawa. We are so thankful for that.
Once again, I am feeling so incredibly blessed. I just attended a get-together for parents of preemies, and there are a lot of sick babies out there. There are so many things that could have gone wrong for little Isaac. God has listened to the prayers of so many people out there, and has given us a relatively healthy, tiny little baby. We still may have many obstacles to encounter, but for now we are content.
(Eric commented that it looks like he is wrapped in a tea towel)Eric came down on Friday and spent the day with his older boys. He was able to hold Isaac for the first time on Saturday. We had some visitors and it was great to see them.
Isaac has finished the second course of medication for the valve, and we haven't officially had it scanned yet - the cardiologist should be around on Wednesday to do an echo. The nurse and doctor have each mentioned that they can still hear the murmur though. The doctor did not seem terribly concerned, since he is doing so well with his breathing. If the medication has left the valve slightly open, they could leave it for a year or so and do follow-up as needed. Then they could treat it when he is older and it would be a much less invasive procedure. So we are pleased with that, and continue to pray that it will be healed.We had assumed when we arrived here in London that we would stay here only until a bed opened up in Toronto. The idea of being in Toronto was not very appealing to us - we'd rather stay here and go straight to Oshawa. We got news this morning that we might get our wish - apparently Isaac is too healthy to go to Toronto!! They only want the sicker babies. So when he is ready for transfer (days? weeks?) it will be to Oshawa. We are so thankful for that.
Once again, I am feeling so incredibly blessed. I just attended a get-together for parents of preemies, and there are a lot of sick babies out there. There are so many things that could have gone wrong for little Isaac. God has listened to the prayers of so many people out there, and has given us a relatively healthy, tiny little baby. We still may have many obstacles to encounter, but for now we are content.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Day 8 - One Week Old
A good day!
They took him off of C-PAP at 4 am just to clean his face, and he did so well that they left him off. No more tubes for breathing - he's doing everything on his own!
I got to hold him this afternoon for the first time. They really encourage skin-to-skin care (Kangaroo care) here. It regulates the baby's temperature and breathing. I held him for about 2 hours this way. He was very content. He's looking a little jaundiced again, so he may need the UV lights.
All-in-all, the doctors and nurses are impressed with what he's doing, especially based on his age and size. He is behaving like an older baby. He received another dose of medication for the valve, and has one more dose to go. They will repeat the echo on Sunday or Monday. As of this afternoon, the doctor could still hear the murmur, so please pray that it will close up soon.
I spent the morning with the rest of my boys (Evan, Darren, Liam & Eric). It was great to see them all, and hard to say goodbye. They seem to be enjoying their time at Oma and Opa's and have no shortage of stories to tell. Thanks, Oma & Opa. And thanks to all of you for your prayers, visits, and many offers for help. We are so blessed.
They took him off of C-PAP at 4 am just to clean his face, and he did so well that they left him off. No more tubes for breathing - he's doing everything on his own!
I got to hold him this afternoon for the first time. They really encourage skin-to-skin care (Kangaroo care) here. It regulates the baby's temperature and breathing. I held him for about 2 hours this way. He was very content. He's looking a little jaundiced again, so he may need the UV lights.All-in-all, the doctors and nurses are impressed with what he's doing, especially based on his age and size. He is behaving like an older baby. He received another dose of medication for the valve, and has one more dose to go. They will repeat the echo on Sunday or Monday. As of this afternoon, the doctor could still hear the murmur, so please pray that it will close up soon.
I spent the morning with the rest of my boys (Evan, Darren, Liam & Eric). It was great to see them all, and hard to say goodbye. They seem to be enjoying their time at Oma and Opa's and have no shortage of stories to tell. Thanks, Oma & Opa. And thanks to all of you for your prayers, visits, and many offers for help. We are so blessed.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Day 7
As long as I have a chance, I'll continue to update on a daily basis (don't get too used to it though!) It's kind of a nice way to keep track of everything that is going on with little Isaac.
When I came in this morning, the nurse said he had a good night. They turned down the oxygen in his incubator to room air. The C-PAP that he is on is actually Si-PAP, which is a step between C-PAP and the ventilator. It provides continuous positive airway pressure as well as some breaths. When he started on this, he was getting 40 breaths a minute. As of last night it was 20 and just this afternoon, he was put onto just the C-PAP (don't worry if that doesn't make any sense - I'm still learning about it myself).
They put in a PICC line - basically an IV with more permanent site (it can stay in for up to a month, as opposed to a few days for IVs). It's long procedure, and once it's in, they x-ray it to check the position. Then they adjust it, and x-ray it again. It seems to be in a good spot now and he is rid of a few tubes and wires.
They repeated the echo to check the valve. The doctor said it has changed from "large" to "moderate." He was hoping it would have closed completely. Isaac will receive 3 more days of medication, and hopefully that will take care of it.
I had a great sleep in a real bed, thanks to my cousin. Tomorrow, the nurse said I may be able to hold him and try Kangaroo Care, so I'm looking forward to that.
When I came in this morning, the nurse said he had a good night. They turned down the oxygen in his incubator to room air. The C-PAP that he is on is actually Si-PAP, which is a step between C-PAP and the ventilator. It provides continuous positive airway pressure as well as some breaths. When he started on this, he was getting 40 breaths a minute. As of last night it was 20 and just this afternoon, he was put onto just the C-PAP (don't worry if that doesn't make any sense - I'm still learning about it myself).
They put in a PICC line - basically an IV with more permanent site (it can stay in for up to a month, as opposed to a few days for IVs). It's long procedure, and once it's in, they x-ray it to check the position. Then they adjust it, and x-ray it again. It seems to be in a good spot now and he is rid of a few tubes and wires.
They repeated the echo to check the valve. The doctor said it has changed from "large" to "moderate." He was hoping it would have closed completely. Isaac will receive 3 more days of medication, and hopefully that will take care of it.
I had a great sleep in a real bed, thanks to my cousin. Tomorrow, the nurse said I may be able to hold him and try Kangaroo Care, so I'm looking forward to that.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Day 6
Isaac remains off of the ventilator. He had been struggling overnight and working hard to breathe today, but every time they checked his blood gasses, they were good. So he remains on C-PAP, and was resting very peacefully as of a few minutes ago. He is sleeping on his tummy - that makes it easier for him to breathe and open up his lungs, and he looks more cozy. He is done with the UV lights - his bilirubin levels are good. The nurse could still hear his murmur as of last night, but she could hear it less this evening. Hopefully that means that it is closing up. We'll have a better idea tomorrow. All in all, a good day. I was discharged today after a somewhat prolonged stay due to an epidural headache. While I wouldn't wish that on anyone, it was a blessing because I got to stay close to Isaac for a few extra days.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Day 5
Isaac began the 3 days of medication last night to close the vessel (PDA). Hopefully this treatment will take care of it and they will not need to repeat it or do surgery. We should know the results of this by tomorrow evening or Thursday. They are not increasing his feeds during the medication because his stomach may become upset. He is only receiving 1 cc every 6 hours currently. He had a head ultrasound this afternoon as a precaution, since babies under 30 weeks may be at risk for some bleeding. The doctor has no reason to be concerned, and will interpret the results later.
It was a nice surprise to walk in this afternoon at 4pm and see the ventilator gone! He "graduated" to C-PAP after 4.5 days on the ventilator. This gives him continuous positive airway pressure, and lets him do most of the breathing on his own. It may be adjusted as necessary, and he might need to go back to the ventilator for a break, but this is good news for now. Unfortunately, the C-PAP looks worse that the ventilator, and there are more tubes/wires and a little hat, so you can't see his face very much.
Once again, we're taking everything one day at a time. We're thankful for the blessings, but we know that there may be challenges to come.
It was a nice surprise to walk in this afternoon at 4pm and see the ventilator gone! He "graduated" to C-PAP after 4.5 days on the ventilator. This gives him continuous positive airway pressure, and lets him do most of the breathing on his own. It may be adjusted as necessary, and he might need to go back to the ventilator for a break, but this is good news for now. Unfortunately, the C-PAP looks worse that the ventilator, and there are more tubes/wires and a little hat, so you can't see his face very much.
Once again, we're taking everything one day at a time. We're thankful for the blessings, but we know that there may be challenges to come.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Isaac Aaron Renkema
How things have changed since I last posted on here. Little Isaac Aaron Renkema was born on May 7, 2010 by c-section at St Joseph's hospital in London. My water had broken about 36 hours earlier and the only hospital that could take me was in London. He had to be delivered by c-section because he was transverse (sideways). The procedure went relatively quickly and they wheeled him out of the room. We got a quick look at him, and he was staring at us, wide-eyed.
His weight was 2lbs 5oz, which is fairly good for 13 weeks early. His length and head size are all in the higher percentiles, which is also good. They put him on a ventilator right away, and gave him surfactant for his lungs. They put an umbilical catheter in so they could draw blood and monitor blood pressure with less disturbance. He was put on antibiotics for 48 hours until they got the blood work back checking for infections. The test came back negative, fortunately.
Most doctors and nurses that we have seen are quite impressed with him. He is doing everything that is expected for a baby this premature, and his blood pressure is very stable. His bilirubin levels were borderline today, so they did not put him under the full set of UV lights - he's just lying on a UV mat, wearing sunglasses.
The doctor mentioned a murmur in his heart valve, which is quite common with babies born under 30 weeks. They did and echo to see the size, and it is fairly big, so they are treating it. The ideal situation is that it would clear up after 3 days of medication. If that didn't work, they would try a second round of treatment.
The staff here are very friendly and good at what they do. We are just taking things day-by-day. We likely won't be back in Oshawa until he gets to about 32 weeks. They will be doing a head ultrasound later this week to rule out any problems. The ventilator is gradually being turned down, allowing him to do more breathing on his own.
We are so thankful for all your prayers, and we would ask you to continue praying that things will keep improving. He still has a long way to go, and could face many challenges. I'll try to update this as often as I can.
His weight was 2lbs 5oz, which is fairly good for 13 weeks early. His length and head size are all in the higher percentiles, which is also good. They put him on a ventilator right away, and gave him surfactant for his lungs. They put an umbilical catheter in so they could draw blood and monitor blood pressure with less disturbance. He was put on antibiotics for 48 hours until they got the blood work back checking for infections. The test came back negative, fortunately.
Most doctors and nurses that we have seen are quite impressed with him. He is doing everything that is expected for a baby this premature, and his blood pressure is very stable. His bilirubin levels were borderline today, so they did not put him under the full set of UV lights - he's just lying on a UV mat, wearing sunglasses.
The doctor mentioned a murmur in his heart valve, which is quite common with babies born under 30 weeks. They did and echo to see the size, and it is fairly big, so they are treating it. The ideal situation is that it would clear up after 3 days of medication. If that didn't work, they would try a second round of treatment.
The staff here are very friendly and good at what they do. We are just taking things day-by-day. We likely won't be back in Oshawa until he gets to about 32 weeks. They will be doing a head ultrasound later this week to rule out any problems. The ventilator is gradually being turned down, allowing him to do more breathing on his own.
We are so thankful for all your prayers, and we would ask you to continue praying that things will keep improving. He still has a long way to go, and could face many challenges. I'll try to update this as often as I can.
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