I HATE the IV in the head. It is really good location to put one because the veins are easy to find and the baby doesn't move it like he would his hand. It is also not a place that they will pull so it works well. I understand the reasons they put it there, but I can't stand it. I don't think I have any pics of Amaree with the IV in the head because I didn't want to remember her like that.
I was brave and took a few pictures of him with the IV in his head while he was being held by Andrew. It is really hard to look at. We left him in the care of his nurses and went to get some lunch. We were gone for a few hours and this is what we found when we came back:
Notice anything? They took the IV out, took him off breathing support because he didn't need it AND put him in clothes. WHAT?!? He was doing great, no signs of infection, he is breathing entirely on his own and they put clothes on him in anticipation of transitioning him to a crib. Yea! But wait, this IS the NICU. Here we go...
The next day he was doing great but kept spitting up but that is what babies do. Because it was Sunday our family brought Amaree down. Even though she couldn't see her brother, she got to see me! We spent the time reading stories, talking and we even went shopping on Monday to Hobby Lobby in the Fagric section. We LOVE the FAGRIC section! (Translation: Fagric=Fabric, Amaree always calls it fagric and it is just too cute to correct)
After she left and I cried, I gathered myself and went to the NICU to see Dashiell. I was holding him and he was acting so strangely then he would spit up, and spit up and spit up. He was just really lethargic and the spit up was really curdled. I talked with the nurses and the NNP. (The NNP was actually the same NNP who took care of him when I delivered) She ordered a blood test and an X-Ray to see if there was a problem with his stomach. The blood test and X-Ray were normal. We decided to wait and see what was going on with him in the morning.
Tuesday when I arrived, they were really concerned. There was blood in the stool. There is a very bad disease NICU babies get and one of the first signs is blood in the stool. My heart stopped. He was still having issues spitting up so the NNP decided to remove the fortification from his milk, put him on no hold (Meaning I can't hold him at all), reduce his volume and just observe him. He need to be able to digest his food and grow more. He isn't gaining much weight because he needs more calories and they aren't sure why he is spitting up. He needs the food he is spitting up. The good news this morning is there doesn't appear to be more blood, we just need him to digest his food. It could be the fortification, the volume, his digestive tract is just underdeveloped or it could be something more serious. We are hoping that a couple of days will make a difference and he will be doing better. Once he gets this conquered we are hoping to be moved to a crib and start the oral feeding process. Hopefully the ride will take us back up soon!
Weight: 3 lbs 14 oz
