1 day old

I was able to speak with Becky this afternoon and heard that Joshua did well overnight and was taking in room level oxygen without any extra levels necessary. The  CPAP was also turned down. On several occasions during the night he stopped breathing, but the good news was that he was able to self-regulate and begin again on his own without intervention. Since he is slightly jaundiced, which is very normal for premature babies, Josh is also undergoing photo therapy (light treatment) to eliminate bilirubin in his blood.  

Today, the doctors were also able to remove the arterial line into his abdomen which had been used for drawing blood. This means that Becky and Evan will be able to hold him for the first time this afternoon and will learn about “kangaroo care”. Another great sign is that Josh is also drinking his mother’s milk like a champ. 

Today, Becky and Evan are both learning from the nurses how to take Josh’s temperature and to change his diapers through the incubator. This is a delicate process because of the fragility of his skin, so it takes the “first time parent diaper changing learning curve” to a whole new level. 

Becky and Evan plan on spending the next couple of days in the hospital where they are camping out in a room provided by the NICU. Becky received some lovely flowers from her office, which she said are cheering up their hospital room. As part of next steps, Joshua will be undergoing some additional tests this week to check his health in other areas, but it seems that his condition is about as good as we could expect and everyone is cautiously optimistic.

(Posted by Becky's sister, Kari)