"Little Chow Hound"
That's how Bean's nurse described him after she fed him at 9 pm last night. He downed 3 oz easily and probably would have eaten more if she'd warmed it up. I came in at midnight and he nursed enthusiastically on one side. Probably got about 3 oz then too, judging by how little I was able to pump on that side afterwards compared to the other.
His color looks fantastic! Even just 6 hours earlier when I had left him he was pale, pale. He is now a lovely rosy color. They took the oxygen off of him too, because he's able to maintain good levels on his own. An hour after his midnight eating, his sugar level was 195 which for him is pretty good! The results of the pancreas ultrasound came back normal. At least his pancreas looks normal, if only it would act normal!
I'll return in a few hours and hopefully catch his doctors during the morning bedside rounds so I can listen in on their ideas and game plan for him.
The Good, the Bad, and the Terrific
And a view from the NICU...
And actually he's looking much better than he was.
First the terrific:
Bean's blood sugar continued to yo-yo through the night. This morning they tried taking him off of the insulin again to see how he'd respond. 25 minutes after eating his sugar was 135! An hour and 10 minutes it was 165. He hasn't had such low numbers after eating while off of insulin. His sodium and potassium levels were likewise good. His blood sugar went up again to the 200s several hours later, but for a brief time he didn't need the insulin. They are now going to try shots of insulin to see if they are able to control his sugar that way. He doesn't have much in the way of fat to disperse the insulin so it's an iffy proposition. All those blood draws leads into....
The Bad:
Even though they draw tiny amounts of blood, he's a small fellow to begin with and can't spare a whole lot of blood. The phlebotomist (she tests the blood) ran a hematocrit. He's a bit anemic and somewhat dehydrated. The doctor recommended either more saline or a blood transfusion, while strongly recommending a transfusion. Eek! I truly wish I could give him blood (he only needs a few teaspoons and we share the same blood type), but there's a delay with screening it, plus they probably wouldn't let me since I gave birth so recently. In all the times I have given blood, I never thought it was something one of my children would need. It's kind of a mixed feeling; I'm grateful, and I'm a little leery. I went ahead and authorized it though, because I do think it is something he needs. Since he has a low RBC his oxygen levels have been on the low side, so they've put him back on oxygen. Darn.
The Good:
Bean is a very good eater. When I'm not there they do bottle feed him the expressed milk, but he still knows how to nurse well. I asked if they could cup feed, but apparently that isn't something the nurses at the (children's hospital) are trained in and they aren't comfortable with it. The only other option is tube feedings, and I can't imagine Bean being happy with another tube down his body. Plus, he seems to relish eating and I don't want to take that pleasure away from him.
Since he is eating so well now, they removed his artery line that ran through his umbilical stump. I guess there is a higher risk of infection and complications with leaving the line in place now that he's eating regularly. Instead the line is now through his wrist (not pictured because this was taken earlier). This way he doesn't have to be poked in the heel every time they want some blood from him. He's also much, much more alert. I got to hold him for about an hour while he looked around, gazed at the lights, me, anything that moved... I think he is feeling a little better.
And I wrote a bit about all the wires in little Bean:
What are all those tubes and wires?
You can't tell from the previous post's picture, but Bean is one wired baby. His blanket covered up much of the tubing, and his head is angled so you can't see the needle in his scalp.
A lot of what is on Bean is just to track his vitals. His temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels, respiration, and blood pressure are constantly being measured. Each has its own sensor pad somewhere on his body.
The rest consists of lines to either take stuff out or put stuff in. He has an IV in his left hand with three connecting pieces that they can use for putting saline in, or antibiotics (which reminds me they took him off of the antibiotics because he doesn't have an infection- he was on as a precaution), insulin, or heparin etc. The needle in his scalp is likewise used for "putting stuff in." When I was up this evening they were using it for his blood transfusion. His artery line (previously through his umbilical cord, now in his wrist) is used for his blood draws so they don't have to poke him so much.
The thing around his face and nose is his oxygen. That tends to come on and off depending on how Bean is doing.
Honestly, it's a little intimidating at first, but you get (sort of) used to it.
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