My boy was clogged up!

Well Jonathan had to be bagged with oxygen twice last night. Justin and I got to the hospital this morning and they were bagging him again, I am so worried about him so I talked with a nurse practitioner and she said it doesn't look like he has an infection but they do know he has a big air leak aroung his tube however they don't want to put a bigger size in because then he would get swelling and some more damage to his lungs so we will just have to watch him! So they increased his BPM to 32. They increased his feedings to 14cc and he is doing great with that, actually they are really happy with his feedings he hasn't asperated but traces of milk and his output is great but he really needs to go number 2 because I think thats what might be his problem. So if they increase his feeding again tomorrow it is a possibility that they can remove his PICC line (an iv that goes into his arm up into a major artery near his heart) which would be great because that line can cause infection however that is were he gets supplemental feedings until he is on full breast milk, which will be tomorrow or the next day. I did get to hold him today not kangaroo but cradle the nurses had to bag him while he first got into my arms which was extremely nerve wrecking because it brought back memories of little Preston! Well after they got him situated and me to stop crying he did fine for an hour!!!!! We put him back in the isollette and guess what he pooped, I think I am starting to get a complex because the last time I held him he pooped, but this poop still had some myconiam (sp?) the really hard tar like stuff so that is probably why it took him awhile to go, the nurse was happy and so were we he seemed a little releived. An hour went by and my big boy went number 2 again this time I was checking his diaper and sure enough he had a lot (good job) well when he got cleaned up he seemed to be doing a little better so we will just have to wait and see!

Not a great day

December 27
Jonathan has had to be bagged with oxygen twice today, they have tried repositioning him, tilted his bed up but something just seems to be bothering him. The doctor came in and I told her, Jonathan will bear down with all his might until his face turns lobster red like he is trying to go number 2. We watched him for awhile and he did it again she concurs with me that he is probably trying to go. They took an x-ray and the tube is in the right postion and his lungs look better than the last x-ray he had on the 22nd. He is just really ansy today so I won't be able to hold him:( I hope that is all it is and that poop comes out soon cause its causing pain to my little pumpkin! Oh ya they increased his feeding to 11cc today my boy is going to get bigger.

Very happy little boy today

Maybe because his favorite nurse is here today he is doing really well. Again they increased his feeding to 9cc he weighs about 2 1/2 lbs (he's getting chunkier)! He is smiling a lot today, he must be working on his next poop and has lots of gas.:) He's really moving around he stretches those little legs out and moves himself right out of his bed I've told him not to but he's not quite listening to me yet, we'll have to work on that!

Merry Christmas

December 25
Jonathan is doing good today, his feeding increased to 6.5cc and doing great with that. Justin held him and both did really good, after an hour Jonathan had to go back in the isollette. Grandma and grandpa shigley, grandma and grandpa vollbach and uncle matthew came up and visited. Jonathan had a huge poopie today so he was really happy when he got cleaned up. Daddy held him for the first time today and Jonathan did great for 1 hour then had to back into the isollette. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas Eve

Jonathan went down on his BPM to 28 he is still maintaining at about 35 to 40% oxygen. They increased his feedings to 4.5cc every 2 hours he is doing really good. I didnt hold him today just really busy in the NICU, Justin will hold him tomorrow for the first time!!!

A better day

Decmber 23
Jonathan had a good night last night. This morning he seemed relaxed he is still at 32 BPM, he was still needing a lot of oxygen to not needing a lot he just kept bouncing up and down on the oxygen percentage. I told the nurse I would hold him and see if that helps, it did he stayed at about 35% oxygen and just squirmed around a little but mostly slept on my chest. Well I went to take care of some baby bottles (they increased his feedings to 3CCs yeh)and Justin came to me and said Jonathan had a big poopie so I went and looked and he sure did everyone was happy his digestive system is working!!! he must of been working on that when he was on me, little stinker! He was the happiest camper in the world when his little butt was clean he kept smiling and just looking around I was so happy. He is maintaining a 38% oxygen and doing good maintaining his feedings. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!

No more CPAP

December 22

Well the doctor called me at 5am to say they had to put Jonathan back on the ventilator he had another severe apnea spell just 30 mins after the last one, he was just to tired but I am so proud of him he fought to stay on that CPAP for 17 hours!!!! He amazes me, the docotrs were very impressed on how long he did stay on (good job pumpkin)!! The doctors put him back up to 30 BPM because he was so tired. They then put him down to 28 BPMhe seemed really tired today when we went to see him he kept bouncing from needing a lot of oxygen to needing moderate oxygen, I could tell he was really upset he just wanted to be left alone. I held him for about 1 hour and then he went into a deep sleep and the nurses left him alone for a bit. He is still tolerating his feedings and probably next week they will try to put him back on CPAP, they just want him to grow a bit more and become stronger. the doctors did a blood gas on him (take blood from his heal and measure his oxygen level, CO2) it was not very good so they had to increase his BPM to 32.

CPAP very scary

Jonathan seems to be o.k with the CPAP is what the nurse told us, however when I first seen him he was crying, so of course I started to cry. How helpless can a mother feel when your baby is crying and you cant do a thing about it! The doctors kept telling us that this is Jonathans first time so he will probably go back on the ventilator because this is a lot of work for him on his own and he is still small. They told us that some babies only stay on for 15 mins while a few far and between slide through but its really up to the baby, about 90% of babies do not stay on the CPAP the first time. So from what I gather its a waiting game if Jonathan can do it he will and if he gets to tired they put him back on the ventilator. I officially think CPAP is the scariest thing, Jonathan stopped breathing and it took the nurse tapping his bed and me to rub his back and talking to him to stimulate him enough so he would remember that he needs to breathe, he turned blue and then finally he took a big deep breathe:) So when he does that (forgets to breathe) its called apnea there is just a little apnea to severve apnea where it will take the baby a long time to get his breathe, Jonathan just had a moderate spell:( When Justin and I left around 1030pm Jonathan was still on CPAP. I called around 4am to see how he was doing and he was still on CPAP however he had a severve apnea episode where the nurses needed to bag him to give him oxygen because he would not breathe. They said they were going to continue him on CPAP because this was his first during the night.

Doing Great

Jonathan got weaned again to 20 BPM the nurse said if he keeps doing this he will be extubated soon and be put on the CPAP (continuous positive airflow) where he does all the work and he just gets oxygen, scary thing is if he forgets to take a breathe you have to rub him, tap his bed anything to wake him up so he remembers to breathe. Well the doctors said he is doing good so they are going to put him on CPAP TOMORROW!!!! I am excited and scared this is a big jump so I just place it in the LORDs hands.

Just keep weaning!!

Justin and I arrived this morning and Jonathans setting went down again, to 24 breathes per min (BPM) and he is tolerating it just fine! I held Jonathan for 2.5 hours today, the nurse thought he may be getting cold so we checked his temp .2 degrees warmer then he should be, I love hearing how good I take care of him. Changed his diaper again just a little smear, he is still tolerating his feedings and his oxygen % is pretty good about 32%. The doctors did their round at 4pm and said he is doing so good lets wean him to 22 BPM!!!!!!!! Please dear GOD watch over him and give the knowledge to these doctors so they dont wean him to fast. I love hearing he is doing good because that means he will be getting off the venilator sooner but I dont want it to back fire because their weaning him to fast, I just trust the Lord that he will protect Jonathan and give him the strength to get through this. So a super day today. Tomorrow he is 1 month old!!

His first poopie!

December 18th
First thing, Jonathan has his and our favorite nurse today, her name is Kim she is great. She handles Jonathan excellent and he LOVES her, sometimes he misses her so much(even though she was just in there 15 mins ago) that he will start squirming so that his monitor will start ringing and as soon as Kim comes in the room and he hears her voice he stops and goes back to sleep, its pretty comicable. I finally talked to someone in charge and Kim will now be Jonathans primary morning nurse when shes there!!!
Lots of changes today, they lowered Jonathans vent setting to 28 breathes per min., hes doing good with that. They increased his feedings to 1cc every 2 hours!! So we know his digestive system is working, thank you Lord. He had his first poop it was quite funny it seemed like from 8am till about 3pm he kept sticking his butt in the air and making scringing faces as in maybe he was trying, the nurse said ya thats possible so at 4pm I changed his diaper and sure enough there was the worlds smallest poop, the down side is that his first couple poopies are sticky so some was sticking to him and the nurse wiped it off but it was really on his bum, long story short he did not appreciate his butt being touched and he held his breathe and turned blue, gave me a heart attack I was so scared! After about what seemed like forever he got his breath back. Ok so from now on he gets some vaseline on his bum so it doesnt stick because nobody wants to see him, especially mommy turn blue! I also got to cradle hold him that was the most wonderful feeling that I can't even explain it. We looked into each others eyes it was the first time I seen him that close while holding him I cryed and he just stared, he is so beautiful. I could only hold him for 1/2 hour beacause he doesn't know how to maintain his body temp., however when we put him back in his isollette he was still very warm so next time I can probably hold him for about 45 mins. So today was a great day beside the turning blue!

My Homemade Recipe

December 17th 2007
YEH!! Jonathan is getting milk for the first time its only 1cc which is like a drop every 4 hours but its something and I am so happy, he loves it. The nurse says its cause its my homemade recipe we even swabbed his mouth with a bit and he started to suck, they have been saying the last week he really is a sucker he trys so hard to get his tiny finger or thumb in that mouth! They also dropped his breathes per minute to 32 and again he seems to be tolerating it well! i held him today it seem like forever since I got to hold him its was great we both took a much needed nap! Overall its been a great day!

Officially 2 POUNDS!!!

Well saturday anad sunday went good. Jonathan is getting weened slowly off the ventilator he is down to 36 breathes per minute. He seems to be toleratting it well. They are going to start him on milk tomorrow 1cc every 4 hours, hopefully he starts to plump up. I changed his diaper today and took his temperature, I was a bit nervous the diaper and him are so tiny but I did it and he didn't seem to mind! All his levels are good the doctors are happy with his progress and so am I.

22 days old

We got a shocking call from the hospital at 9am, Jonathan is on very high settings 70% oxygen and his carbon dioxide is also high. We got to the hospital and weren't allowed to see him just yet. The nurse practitioner thinks his high levels are due to his et tube because Jonathan has not been that high on any of his settings since his second week of life! They changed his tube and it had a lot of mucus in it. When we went in to see him he was doing better, they say that was it they just needed to change the tube. In my proffessional opinion he knew mommy was there and started to feel better but for real he went back down to about 35-40% oxygen, his co2 was lower and he was resting well. They took Jonathan off pain medication this afternoon so far so good he doesn't look to be in any pain. Well Justin and I left this evening and Jonathan was still doing good, please God watch over him tonight.

3 weeks old

Jonathan is still doing good, he is very picky he does not like anybody talking loud, he doesnt like lots of touching he just wants to be left alone and rest, I would too if I just had surgery!!! Jonathan has been bouncing from high to low on his ventilator, the docs warned us this would happen its all part of our roller coaster ride, still it hurts to see his little face scringe it pain, the nurses say hes not in pain but I beg to differ hes my son and it looks to me as if hes in pain, however he is still on pain medication but the nurses had to stop it because Jonathan needed a blood transfusion so duh he is in pain he is on no medication! Jonathan is back on pain med. and his transfusion went well. The doc said some great news today they will start Jonathan on breast milk monday!!!! Thats all I wanted for Christmas!!!!!!!

Day of surgery

Jonathan is doing good this morning. Surgery was at 8:30 but the surgical team moved it to 940am I got to kiss Jonathan on the head before they took him right around the corner for surgery, I think he may have gotten some of my tears on his head. The surgeon Dr. Chan said he will be out in about an hour to tell us how it went. Justin, grandma and grandpa Shigley, uncle Matt, grandpa Vollbach and I went to the family waiting area, I was a nervous wreck, my sweet baby boy please God take care of him. Well Dr. Chan came out after 53 mins. and everything went better than a lot of babies, he said Jonathan was strong and tolerated it well. We haven't seen the cut since its covered but they did not cut in the front its about 2 inches on his left side. WE all went back to his room and he was resting, which he will do the next two days because of all the medication and anesthesia, he looks peaceful! Everyone went home, I am staying the night at the hospital and its 11pm Jonathan seems to be waking up from the anestesia he had to be put on dopamine for his blood pressure because his bp was lowering and his urine output is slim to none nothing to be worried about the doc said he could be on this medication for a day or so. He is not in pain , he is on a constant drip of pain medication (fentanyl). His doctor said she is very pleased he is actually doing better than she thought he would do. 4am he is still doing good his urine output at 415am is 32cc which is a lot and his bp is going back up to his norm. 8am Jonathan is off the dopamine already and he is maintaining his bp and urine output on his own, he is so strong and God is so great!

The day before surgery

Jonathan is having a good day today, his mouthpiece has changed. The nurse said he graduated and is to big for the other one. Its just a little different but now I can see his lips and little itty bitty tongue! I held him for 2 hours today he did great he is getting so active he moves himself up to my chin, granted it takes him an hour to get up 3 inches but its so cute. He was abusy body today moving his legs and arms all around, he was petting me at one point the nurse said he was trying to tell me everything will be ok tomorrow!! The surgery will be tomorrow at 830am, I will be spending the night at the hospital tomorrow, I am so worried. I don't want to see him go through this pain, he crys just when a nurse picks up his foot because he thinks he is going to get a shot, it breaks my heart to pieces, I just want to pick him up and tell him everything is going to be o.k, one day I know! Please keep us in your prayers and I just know God will watch over him, he is a great God!!!!!!!! LOVE TO YOU ALL

Day 18

Jonathan had his ultrasound today of both his head and heart. His head is great no brain bleeds, thank God! His PDA did not close, he will need surgery. The surgery will be on wednesday, it takes about 20 mins for the doctors to do the procedure but from when they start to administer his anastesia to cleaning him off and getting him comfortable on some pain medication it will be about 2 hours till we can see him. The doctors say it will be about a week and a half till Jonathan is back to himself. This is so hard to deal with he's our little boy and don't want him to go thru any pain let alone a surgery. I know that God is and will be there with him and he will see Jonathan thru this. I guess I never realized how much you don't want your child to go through pain and you would do anything to take it away, oh how I love this boy of mine!!!!!!!! On a better note I held Jonathan for about 2 hours it was much better than yesterday, he got cozy and so did I (I actually fell asleep). They put Jonathan back in his isollette and he was nice and toasty as the nurse said (remeber he can't maintain his body tempature) it is so amazing just what my body can do for him, if he is cold my body and only mine will warm him up!! Over all he had a great day today!

Day 17

I got the boys birth certificates and Jonathans ss card, this is so real hey I'm a mom and I LOVE IT! Well Jonathans settings went down again last night around 11pm from 44 to 42. When Justin and I got to the hospital around 1pm today he was down to 40 (GOD is so great). He looks very handsome today, ok so every day he is very handsome, I just cant help it he's cute he takes after me! I held him for an hour today but I wasnt happy, actually I was really stressed because the nurse couldn't get the tube right which made him a bit uncomfortable and I didn't like that. So tomorrow he gets an ultrasound and if its closed or small enough for him to tolerate we should be starting breast milk tuesday( oh pleaase be closed).

Day 16

WEll Jonathan is under ultraviolet light today, I guess they think he needs a tan! But really its cause his billiruben is a little high nothing really to worry about. He is doing amazing today!!! The neonatal doctor put his ventilator down from 46 to44 during the night. His carbon dioxide was 40 awesome. hopefully these changes mean his PDA is closed! He weighs 1lb 13ozs he may be small but he sure is tough he was waving his little arms everywhere (he like to show off).

Day 15

Jonathans PDA closed a little but it is still open. The doctors talked to us about surgery to clamp the valve shut. This surgery will take place on Tuesday morning however the doctors want to do another ultrasound on monday to see if it happens to close on its own.
Jonathans settings on his ventilator are really good his breathes per min. have gone done from 56 to 52 this is good sign not only is it showing that the valve is smaller but it also shows that he is trying to breathe on his own which means hes trying to get off the ventilator (we have a long way till then but at least hes already trying) his carbon dioxide was 50 which is good. His nurses say hes doing very well, thats what mommy likes to hear!! I held jonathan for about an hour and a half he tolerated that well, but of course he would he knows how much mommy loves him!!!!
We really need this PDA to close or be smaller so we can start breast milk, we need to put meat on these bones:)

Days 8 through 14

Jonathan has a heart murmur a valve is open near his heart. That valve (PDA) needs to close. The doctors say they will try a 3 course medication called indosin and that helps 70% of premature babies with this problem. It would take three days to get the results from an echocardiogram to see if it closed. On Monday the 3rd of december we found out it did not close. The doctors want to try another course of indosin this is the last course friday the 7th of december we would find out.

Life begins

On November 22nd I gave birth by an emergency C-section to two beautiful boys, Preston and Jonathan they were 25.3 weeks. However Prestons lungs were very underdeveloped and didn't survive. He passed away 5 hours later and took his last breathe in mommys arms.
The first 7 days with Jonathan were what the nurses described as a honeymoon stage, there was a scare on the 24th of November he had to be moved from the regular ventilator to a high pressured oscillator. He seemed to tollerate that better than the ventilator however it was a step in the wrong direction, as everyone says you have to take it one day at a time! On his seventh day of life he was transitioned back to the regular ventilator Justin and I were very scared but Jonathan wasn't he did alright. The doctor came in and said he is doing great given his gestational age (25 weeker) then asked if I would like to hold him, I looked at my son and couldn't imagine holding my son who is only 1lb 10ozs but of course I did! It was so amazing I held him for an hour and didn't want to let go, he laid on my chest his tiny hands on my chest he was warm and so was I. The nurse put him back in his little incubator and I had to go pump. Holding him meant so much to me and the nurse said it means a whole lot to babies, it helps them breathe better, it lets them bond, it relaxes their heart rate and it ultimately helps wean them from ventilator to a CPAP (a nasal ventilator) another step forward.