Mommy and Daddy Celebrate Tonight

Amber just called and said the baby is doing great! In fact, the nurse weened the vent down to 21% and if Lucas keeps tolerating it he should be off of it by next week sometime. Also, the nurse removed one of the monitoring devices. I believe it monitored a part of his breathing. Of course Amber and Josh said Lucas was much calmer after it was removed. Josh was jumping for joy when Lucas's night nurse allowed Josh to pick up Lucas for his evening weigh in; and surprise surprise, guess who gained an ounce! Yep, Lucas is up an ounce. I can see why Josh and Amber are so excited tonight. Of course this is the night I stayed home and missed it. Hopefully the kids got pics for me. I bought them a camera to keep all of us in the loop when I am not there to take them. Well I am calling it a night with all this great news. Good night everyone.

Day 4 is a Better Day

Well Lucas finally calmed down this morning and has been good all day. Unfortunately the doctor could not get the spinal tap done, Lucas was just not hydrated enough to be successful, they will try again tomorrow. I arrived around 3:30 this afternoon to find Lucas mad at his nurse. She had me scrub up and place my hand on top of body (it almost covered all of him) and stop him from frailing around. He calmed right down for grandma. I had the magic touch! He is sooooooo little we were taught not to stroke his skin, or make any loud noises; both would hurt him. We have found Lucas doesn't like the noises of the alarms on the equipment. He also likes to pull his little mask off to see out, but he will be under the lights until his bruising has stopped and his billiruben is gone. The good news is it was down today.
Amber is much better today and will be discharged from the hospital by midnight tonight. I got them a room at the motel across the street for the next two nights. Hopefully then we will know more regarding our little boy. Amber needs to supply milk for the hospital so it is more convienent being so close rather than almost an hour away. We will have pics later tonight.

It Takes Two

Day 3 Not so Good

Now everyone can see how big I really am, the nurse has her finger at 12"

Hi everyone, it's grandma. I just got in from the hospital where I sat with Lucas for several hours. When I arrived it was quickly apparent he was not having a good day. His heart rate was constantly just under 200 beats per minute and anything he didn't like would send it soaring into the 210-225 range. The nurse gave him a sedative to calm him down, but it only lowered it down into the 180 range. The average is 130-160 for him.

We would find out why when the doctor showed up. It turns out both Amber and Lucas's culture results had just come in and they were identified having a nasty infection from one strain of the Haemophilus bateria. Bad bug for the both of them, but especially for Lucas. The doctor informed Amber and Josh that little Lucas was going to get a spinal tap tonight to determine if the bug got into his spinal fluid. Please pray that it did not. This bug is very vicious and can cause meningitis, very dangerous for someone Lucas's age and size. The good news is it is a bateria and can be fought using antibiotics. The doctors had placed both Amber and Lucas on these drugs in anticipation of finding a bug, just not this bug. So Lucas's meds are being changed to attack this specific bug now. The doctor thinks this is part of the reason his heart rate is elevated and his fluid intake needs to be adjusted. Lucas did receive another round of platelets today to keep him strong.

Amber is improving and still very sore from the spinal block and needs strong drugs for the pain. Hopefully this will improve quickly. Josh was showered, shaved, and in clean clothes. I almost didn't recognize him.

I have a few more pictures today. The baby will be under the blue suntaning lights for a bit while he combats a high billirubin count.

Tough Night for Amber and Josh

I just heard from Amber and Josh, Amber had a really rough night (so did Josh), it was due to a lot of back pain. Amber had a rough time in surgery with the spinal block. They tried 6 times before the doctor was successful and boy is that painful. Also I guess the nurse on duty last night for Amber wouldn't show up when called for meds or assistance. I heard Josh got so mad he tracked her down and let her know he was very upset. Amber will be staying another night for pain management and antibiotics.
We heard the baby had a good night and is due for the doctors to visit at noon. Josh and Amber will be there for the assessment. Everything is looking good for Lucas, the nurse said he really gets mad with a diaper change. Mommy and daddy will be there for the next one, so maybe they will continue to have better luck with keeping Lucas calm.

Day 2

Blue light tanning booth! Getting the tan even.

Hi everyone it is grandma again. I just got in from the hospital. Amber's surgery went great and she is back in her room recoverying. The doctors found what was causing all the trouble, part of the stuff that should have come out with the delivery stayed behind and was causing havoc. Amber should feel much better in the morning.

As for Josh, I told him he needed a shower, shave, and rest; trust me he needs all of it (LOL), but he has been great throughout all of this ordeal.

Now for the best news...Lucas is doing great today. He is much more active, pooped his drawers, and had no problem peeing all over daddy as daddy got to change his bed and touch him today. Since Amber was in recovery and Josh was with her I went up to see Lucas get his dinner. I also watched as he got really mad at the nurse fussing with his diaper and stuff (he doesn't fuss for mommy and daddy). He lost a little weight as expected and doesn't have as much fluid buildup. In fact, his diaper was really soaked. Well that's the news for today...bed for me...night all.

Rough day for Amber

Hi folks it is Grandma again. Amber will undergo surgery tonight due to some complications, please keep her and the family in your prayers.