Jaxon's time in the NICU...

I kept a hand written journal while we were going back and forth to the NICU all the time.... I know a lot of people have asked why he was in the NICU or how things went, so I'd like to share... Get comfy, it's a long story! I will just start where I left off with the birth story.

They wheeled me into the nursery to see him. When we first walked in the nursery doors there was a huge sink with two huge faucets and soap pumps. There were little egg timers and we had to scrub up to our elbows for 3 minutes. I still had an IV in my hand (Just in case I passed out or anything. The nurse said red heads do that a lot) so I just used this lotion/soap stuff that could be rubbed into my hands but still sterilized them. Jaxon was clear at the back of the nursery in his own little corner. He was hanging out in a warmer, hooked up to a ventilator. He had an IV in his umbilical cord and was on fluids and antibiotics. The IV was in his umbilical cord so they didn't have to stick him with a needle in his hand or head. He didn't even feel the IV in his umbilical cord. We were not aloud to hold him or even stroke his head. The nurses told us that if we stroked his head, it would be too much stimulation for him so we should only touch him with one solid touch. I held his hand and foot a lot!






-Waiting to hear about block in intestines (which can cause polyhydramnios)

After we hung out with him for about an hour they took me back to a recovery room (which I had to share) so once Jesse got me situated he went ahead and saw Jaxon some more and went home. He came back a few hours later and we went down to the NICU and visited a couple different times throughout the night. When we weren't in the nursery Jesse stayed on a couch in the visitors lounge. The hospital has a policy that if you have to share a room (there were no private rooms, and L&D was FULL that night!) your spouse cannot stay the night. But my room mate had her TV on til like 3am! Please explain to me how that is allowed?! She also had her baby in there with her multiple times, which I understand completely, but that was really hard for me. She would just call the nursery and have them bring her baby down, and when she was "done" she would call the nursery to come get her baby. I couldn't help but think that if I could, I would keep Jaxon with me all night and snuggle him to no end!

Thursday (5-13)
We read Jaxon his first books. We read "Peter Rabbit" and "Are You My Mother?" Jaxon stayed on the vent, but depended on it less and continued to improve. They gave him curocef to keep his alveoli in his lungs from "sticking" together. It makes them slippery. He really well to that. His white blood cell count was low and there was some mucous in his lungs so they sent cultures down to the lab to test for pneumonia.

Friday (5-14)
Morning visit: Read "The Cat in the Hat" to him. He was taken off the vent and moved to an incubator. We got to hold him for the first time! He took 5ml of breast milk in a bottle but also was given a feeding tube for when the bottle was too much work.





Noon visit: Had a bowel movement! Helped to start ruling out an intestinal blockage!

Saturday (5-15)

Morning visit: Got to hold him for about 30 minutes (Jesse and I both) Started to try breast feeding. He did okay but not great. Then they gave him 10ml through his feeding tube. Held him and rocked him til he calmed down. "Swaddled" him in my hands. Have to keep him covered in blankets all the time when he was out of his incubator because premies sometimes cannot regulate their own temperatures.

We read to him "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Just go to Bed!"

Afternoon visit: We read to him again "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" His fluid level in his IV was at 14mls/hr and he still had 3mls of breastmilk in his belly from his last feeding. They means he digested 7ml out of 10ml. He was still breathing on his own with a feeding tube in his nose. He got 10ml more through his tube. He had another bowel movement and a "Very wet diaper!" Looked a little jaundice so they are checking his levels tomorrow morning. Blood sugar looks good. Blood gas test tomorrow morning. Got a new rocking chair from Grandma and Grandpa V for Mommy's birthday! Mommy also went home today!

Evening visit: He had his feeding tube out when we got there. Come to find out he pulled it out on his own. Stubborn baby we have! Breast fed again. Tried belly to belly but Jaxon didn't like it and didn't do well with it. He did better in a football hold. He weight 5lbs and 13oz. He wet his bed while the nurse was changing his dirty diaper so she had to change out all his bedding. He cried and cried when they took him out of Daddy's arms to go back into his incubator. We read him two bed time stories. "Oh the Places You Will Go" and "Just go to Bed!"

Sunday (5-16)
Called at 9:30 am. They asked us to call back around 11am because they were getting a new baby in the NICU so we had to wait to go visit. I decided to pay our bills and organize a few things at the house. Grandma and Grandpa D will be here next week for a few days!

Went to visit a 1pm. Gma and Gpa V came too. Got to hold him lot's. Gma V held him for the first time for a few minutes. Gpa V took lot's of pictures! Jaxon decided that he really likes his pacifier. He especially likes it when Daddy's finger is pushed into the paci. Read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" When I was holding him today he opened his eyes and made eye contact with me. I think he's got it figured out who mom is!




We ended up staying so late that we decided to run down to the cafeteria and grab some lunch and headed back up to the NICU. We tried breastfeeding again and he got about 1ml from me probably. I pumped for about 30 minutes while Jesse snuggled with him. He opened his eyes again and looked right at Jesse! The nurse pushed about 2ml of my fresh breastmilk into his feeding tube. She said he could use some of the vitamins from my fresh milk instead of more frozen stuff. They also told me to start freezing my milk at home because I was filling up their fridge/freezer.

Still not digesting his food really well so they gave him some Azithromycin to "get things going" He had a poopy diaper today while Jesse was holding him. When we hold him his respiratory rate slows down to a more normal rate and he snuggles right up to us and seems so content. We put him back to bed and came home to eat dinner and rest. We will go back at his 10pm care time to visit some more. Maybe they will let us try breastfeeding again.

Nighttime visit: Breastfed really well, then took 10mls from a bottle. It was a faster flowing nipple (Clear nipple ring) but he wolfed it down fast! He had really good suction on it and actually needed to be burped! So exciting! While we were there we found out that he peed on another couple while they were walked past (They are taking their daughter home on Tuesday!) while he was naked so the nurse could weigh him. He weighed 5lbs 15oz! 2 more oz, come on baby! We read to him "Oh the Places You Will Go" and "Just go to Bed!"

Monday(5-17)

Morning visit: He is digesting his food like a champ! The medicine they gave him seems to really be helping his "gut" He is now up to 20mls of food every 3 hours. today I nursed him for 25 minutes so he didn't need a bottle or to be tube fed afterward. After I nursed him he stayed with me for about 30 minutes. Jesse read "Green Eggs and Ham" "Mulberry Street" and "The Bernstein Bears get the Gimmes" He took a pacifier really well today and they are turning down his fluid level on his IV from 14ml/hr to 11ml/hr since hes doing better eatig and digesting. He is regulating his temperature almost completely on his own now so hopefully that IV line will come out Wednesday and he can go into a regular crib in the nursery!

I am pumping all the time now it seems like because he is eating so much more. Our freezer is full of milk and I am taking some to his 4pm care at the hospital. My parents left this morning on the train. We had a fridge full of food. Dinner tonight is left overs from my Mama. Tonight I need to bake the lasagna she put together. Starting tomorrow we can just heat up what we want out of it.

Afternoon visit: He nursed a little bit. We read a story to him and Jesse held him while I pumped. He regulated his temperature while he was out so they turned his incubator down! It's at the level it needs to be at now. He can't come out of it til his IV comes out though because they can't swaddle him with the IV line in his belly button. He isn't having any residual food in his belly so he is digesting all his food! He pulled his IV line out from 17 to a 10. It he pulls it out any further the line will have to come out. His mittens are taped on his hands now :(

Evening visit: Papa read "Oh the Places You Will Go" Jaxon nursed really well for at lease 15 minutes! His nurse thinks he got way more than the 20mls they would have given him in a bottle had I not been there. Still regulating his temp wonderfully and he hasn't pulled his line out any further! When I nursed him sometimes he would "unlatch" but would latch back on by himself without someone helping him. Nurse Nicole was back tonight! She is awesome! He weighed 6lbs 1oz. We held him for about an hour tonight. Nicole said that if he keeps eating like this he won't be in there very much longer and we will probably get to take him home soon. She get his last dose of the medicine for his belly in the morning. Praying he doesn't backslide and stop digesting his food again.





I can't believe how much he seems to change from day to day! His little personality is really starting to shine through. Now that he's staying warm he doesn't stay curled up in a ball so much anymore. He sleeps just like his daddy with all his limbs sprawled out! Tonight when he was nursing we could actually hear him sucking and swallowing. Jesse has been really supportive of breastfeeding and he helps make sure Jaxon is staying latched on and in the right place. It's so nice to have his help and I don't know what I would do without him. Jaxon got his first set of hiccups tonight. I felt so bad for him because he just couldn't seem to shake them! He did though, after about 10 minutes. More tomorrow morning. We are going back for his 10 am care. Jesse is snoring now. I guess it's bed time. 1240am is really too late to be up!

Tuesday(5-18)

Morning visit: Not regulating his electrolytes really well. Definitive test being sent to lab. He nursed for about 20 minutes. They upped his feedings to 25mls every 3 hours. Still regulating his temp on his own and they took the O2 monitor off his foot! We read "Peter Rabbit" and "Cat in the Hat" Talked to Dr. Carver today. Jaxon looks good! Nurse Sylvia has 6 days off starting tomorrow. She said she will be so sad if she misses us going home! She told us that nurse Nicole was bragging about Jax at shift change saying how much she loves him.

We got pipes fixed in our basement today. Ran to Target to run some errands and bought a few more books.

Afternoon visit: Jaxon nursed actively for 13 minutes but stayed latched on for about 25 minutes. Jesse read "One Fish, Two Fish" to Jaxon and me. Then we swapped. Jesse help him for a little bit.

While he was nursing he got really upset and unlatched. I burped him and he burped really well and pretty fast and then had a big poopy diaper! (We could hear it!) Then he was much happier and nursed much better! While Jesse was holding him he pooped again. He got really upset and was screaming and spit out his pacifier. His heart rate went up to about 212 (normal for babies who are throwing a fit) Jesse got nervous because his stats were shooting up. He would not settle down. I got down next to his face and talked to him and got him to take his paci back. All his stats went back to normal then. Damn monitors! He needs calm parents to keep him calm and monitors make that hard. Nurse Sylvia came back and we put him back in his incubator. She asked Jesse if he wanted to change his diaper and Jesse jumped at the opportunity. Neither one of us have changed his diaper yet so that was neat! Jesse did an awesome job and changed the diaper like a pro!



Jaxon is off the Azithromycin now and he is still digesting his food! Hopefully he continues to do well with that! Today he has taken all his food from breast or bottle! All good news! We are going back for his 10pm care. I am so excited to see how much he weighs and see how he does with breastfeeding.

10pm care: 6lbs 4oz! I got to change his diaper tonight. He got the hiccups. He took breast milk in a bottle!

Wednesday (5-19)

Morning visit: Got to the the NICU and Jaxon had no feeding tube! This time it was on purpose! The nurses took it out, not him! They took it out since he has been eating so well and digesting all his food. The doctor is still waiting on the electrolyte test to come back. He said he expects the results back Friday. Breast fed actively for about 13 minutes again. Had a big burp and a big dirty diaper while we were there. Jesse and I changed his diaper together. We read "Are You My Mother?" and "Love you Forever" We told the doctor that we noticed that Jaxon's toes were turning purple/black. The line in his belly that got pulled half way out (By him!) can cause that when it's "shallow" The doctor decided to just take his line out and start a regular IV. So, lines out, regulating his own temp, eating and pooping, should go to a regular crib tonight. Going back at his 4pm care then maybe we can go home soon???

4pm: No change, still looks good! Nursed for 18 minutes total. Wearing clothes for the first time! All he had left were a heart/breathing monitor and a regular IV in his hand!





10pm: Did great! 6lbs 8oz! Everything gone except IV and monitors! In a regular crib!

5-20-10

Spending the night at the hospital! Breast fed this morning. All monitors and IV gone! Went and looked at a base house, accepted it. Passed his car seat test! Pack n play ready to go!





*Car seat test: Premies have to pass a car seat test. This means that Jaxon had to sit in his car seat for an hour with his monitors on and maintain his stats for that time period. Nurse Jane said he passed with flying colors!

5-21-10
Spent last night in the hospital. Jaxon slept all night, had to wake him up to feed him. He got up at 2am and 5am to eat. Jesse gave him a bottle at 2 and I fed him at 5. He was awake for a while after that.



He passed his hearing test. His electrolyte test came back normal! (Praise God!) He lost a few grams last night but they still sent him home.



We has been home for a few hours now and he's an awesome baby. He peed on Jesse already and had to have his clothes changed! Ha!

5-22-10
Our first night at home went really well. Fed Jaxon at 1130pm 330am and 730am. He went back to sleep til 9 so we did too! Today was my 22nd birthday. Hubby got me an external flash. Between that and having Jaxon home, this really has been the best birthday ever! Jaxon has been such an awesome and happy baby!

Today we went on our first little outing as a family. We went to Target, Orange Julius and Marketplace to get some groceries. Jaxon did really well the entire time! Jesse and I picked up a small birthday cake for me too, maybe we will eat it once Jax is asleep.

When we got home Jesse cooked dinner while I nursed the baby. He nursed really really well last night, but tonight he wasn't really digging it. Ha! Jesse grilled steaks and we had those with baker taters, and corn on the cob. I had veggies and ranch too. After dinner Jaxon had his first sponge bath at home. He didn't mind having his hair washed too much, in fact he slept right through that part, but once I started wiping him down everywhere else, you never would have known he was early, those lungs sure do work! He didn't mind being naked when I put lotion on him after his bath though, in fact I think he sort of enjoyed it.

I think I am getting a stupid rash on my arms from scrubbing so hard going back and forth to the NICU, and my stretch marks (That showed up after delivery) itch terrible!

I'm healing pretty well everywhere else. My sore and achey feeling has passed for the most part unless I stand too long! I'm back within 5lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight. Yay!