Today had its ups and downs. Josh had some breathing issues overnight with six incidents where he stopped breathing up from two the day before. This resulted in the CPAP being turned up a bit. Seeing him stop breathing was difficult for Becky and Evan to say the least. They will continue to monitor his breathing in the NICU and may need to put him back on the ventilator if things do not improve. Josh also continued receiving phototherapy, and will continue to do so over the next few days. This resulted in a bit of dehydration (much like any of us would have if we spent a lot of time in the sun!).
On the positive side, he continued to do well with the milk. He also seemed to relax and breath well on his stomach during the kangaroo time with mom and dad. As a result, the nurses decided to see if he might do better on his tummy in the incubator. Test results for common hospital infections also came back negative. The NICU is also fairly empty with only 16 of the 25 beds filled - this has meant that Josh is receiving a lot of one-on-one attention from the nurses. Yesterday, Becky, Evan and Josh received a visit from friends Craig and Samantha, which really lifted their spirits.
Becky and Evan are adjusting to the hospital routine. This adjustment has been eased by the fact that they are able to continue to stay on site; they plan on keeping their room at St. Joseph's through Saturday. Every day, they have rounds at 10:30 am and 9:00 pm. The afternoons are spent doing kangaroo care. This is limited to once a day at present because even though it has great advantages, moving Josh in/out of the incubator is also quite hard on him. Becky and Evan were also able to meet with a social worker today. On Sunday, they will have their weekly check-in with the care team, where they will review Josh's progress from the past week and plans for the coming period.
On a side note, it seems that many of the medical staff are named Kari/Carrie. Coincidence? I like to think that it is a substitute for me not being able to be close by them all.
Hi Becky - well, as you know, I don't blog or follow them, until now!!! I'll definitely be following Joshua's. I can tell you that back at the ranch the fond thoughts of MANY are with Joshua, you, and Evan. I'm looking forward to seeing the three of you. Great pics. Many thanks to Kari for keeping us up to date. Warm and best regards, Larry
ReplyDelete