Meeting Grandma

This weekend Jackson got to meet another family member, Grandma! Besides a nice visit he got spoiled with new preemie threads. Now that Jackson is in clothes the trick is to find options that don't swallow him up. He is just over 3 pounds so even newborn clothes can fit like a potato sack. There are many more family and friends for him to meet and it's been nice he has had a chance to meet his grandparents in his first weeks of life. Watch for photos of all my new outfits this week.

Baby Pictures

Hey there, these are pictures of Jackson, Clarissa, and I as babies. I believe I am slightly cross eyed in my picture, but that was just a fad - all the cool babies were doing that back in the day. Also, one of these babies was pretty chubby - which one do you think?

Jackson is now down to level 1 with his air pressure, which is progress. Clarissa's mom left this morning and we have been spending a lazy Sunday with Jack today.

Do I Look Like Mommy or Daddy?

Great news - no more annoying CPAP for Jackson! This means he no longer has the head gear and he is breathing better on his own. Instead, Jackson now has a nasal cannula to help him breath, like the ones they use to climb Mt Everest. This marks significant progress towards his respiratory goals and one more step closer to home. It is really great to see his face now and we can start to make out his facial features, see his eyes, nose, and ears, as well as get a better sense of his personality. So far doctors, nurses, and visitors agree, he looks like dad. What do you think? This weekend Jackson gets to meet his grandma for the first time as she made the trip from Tucson to see him.

Baby Steps

Jackson continues to make small, incremental process while in the NICU. Today's milestone;he is retaining his body temperature and although still in the incubator it's no longer heated. It was quite a treat to see him decked out in baby clothes today even if a bit oversized. The next big step mom and dad are hoping for is the removal of the CPAP or as the nurses refer to it, his fighter mask. If he continues to have less bradys (breathing issues) he can go down a level to what will look like an oxygen tube in his nose. It will be so much more comfortable and we'll get a glimpse of his face. Fingers crossed Jackson keeps making positive baby steps so he can come home.

Cribs

Hello Everyone, Welcome to my Crib! Well, actually it is not exactly a "crib" rather I was using the more colloquial/urban usage of crib as defined as place of residence. Anyway, I wanted to take this time to orient you all to my sweet neonate condo. The picture to the left is me in my living quarters. Its actually called a Giraffe OmniBed made by GE. My condo is approximately 5 square feet. It features wall to wall windows and a sweet climate control system. I can elevate and decline my whole condo as I see fit and I can actually literally blow the roof off this house as it lifts off altogether. I sleep on a bed with a number of blankets and pillows to support my head and just make feel snuggled in. They set me up with a "surf board" when I am sleeping. Basically, it is just a blanket that is folded tight and they place it around my body through my legs so my legs and joints grow appropriately. The fridge to the right of me is not full of Cristal champagne, rather I prefer a combination of formula and breast milk.



I have a bunch of wires and tubes in me at this point, not to mention the annoying CPAP mask. I am constantly being monitored by my nurses and parents which makes it difficult to get away with anything. Can't wait to get a curfew. The other picture is a view of my monitor. The top number in green is an ECG which monitors my heart rate. They get really annoyed with me when I slow my heart rate below 100 which they call a "brady" (bradycardia). The number second from the top in yellow is my respiration rate. Again, they get really annoyed and poke at me when my respiration rate dips, I think they call that an "apnea". I am a bit confused because I thought people with sleep apnea are older, overweight, and snore a lot? The third number from the top in blue is my oxygen saturation level, which I understand I have to keep above 87 or they poke at me again. The number fourth from the top in white is my blood pressure or what they call for neonates MAPS (mean arterial pressure). Well, it was nice showing you around, but I am getting tired and I believe I feel a poop coming on, so I am signing off for now. -JDP

Taking after Daddy!

Jackson has already started taking after his daddy. That is, he has been packing on the weight. Today he finally surpassed his birth weight (1.2 kg) and continues to increase in his feeds. He no longer requires additional nutrients and lipids via IV but rather is taking his feeds through a g-tube (tube that goes to his stomach). Apparently the magic number is 1800 kg when he will be able to regulate his temperature better and can come out of his incubator for good. He continues to require CPAP at pressure level 6 and we are hoping he can tolerate a decrease in the pressure over the weekend. Recently, we have been able to spend more and more time holding him. Today's picture shows a tube feeding in progress while Clarissa holds him.

Bath Time

Today Jackson had his first bath and mom and dad were able to help out. Jackson gets a sponge bath in his incubator and the key is to be quick so he doesn't lose too much heat. It's a bit scary trying to gently clean someone so little but our nurse was there the whole time to offer tips along the way. Jackson's breathing continues to be something to watch. We had hoped he could come off his CPAP mask today but he is just not ready yet and still needs to be reminded to breath. Today was a good reminder that his progress will be up and down for the weeks to come.

And my dad heads back to Michigan early tomorrow morning. It was a big help to have some help during my own recovery and I know he was excited to meet Jackson and hold him one more time today.

First diaper change by Mommy

Clarissa was discharged from the hospital yesterday and she is feeling pretty good. This picture was taken yesterday evening. I realize how stupid this sounds but it was really cool to watch my wife change her first poopy diaper. I suspect poop and the different consistencies of it will be our dinner conversation for next year. Please stay tuned as we are planning on posting pictures of every diaper change from here out!
We actually figured it deserved its own blog: jdpotterPOOPS.blogspot.com.

First time with Mommy and Daddy

We were very excited yesterday and today as we were able to hold Jackson for the first time. Clarissa held him yesterday and I got to hold him today. I was able to do a "kangaroo" hold which means skin-to-skin contact as his little body has a hard time retaining heat. His skin and hair is so soft. As the days go on we should get more time to hold him as he can tolerate time outside the incubator. You can't tell we are proud parents in these photos.

I'm not blue, just working on my tan

Jackson is taking in some UV phototherapy to help his jaundice. Checkout his cool sunglasses! The mask he is wearing is a CPAP machine that constantly blows air in his nose. Not sure at this point when he will be taken off the light therapy.

Jackson Dylan Potter

We are truly excited about the birth of our first child and I guess Jackson was excited too as he decided to come early. He was born at approximately 7:00 PM on Wednesday August 12th 2009. His birth weight was 2.6 lbs and was approximately 14 inches long. He is currently in the NICU at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin as he was born at only 30 weeks gestation. He has some issues with breathing (as most premature babies), but appears to be in good health and doing well. Clarissa was able to hold him for the first time today and I should be able to hold him later on today (hopefully). The NICU nurses and doctors have been taking exceptional care of Jack and have been very compassionate and understanding with us. And he even met some of the family already with both grandfathers dropping everything to be with our family this week. We look forward to sharing updates with you all and catching up with you.
Love,
Brian & Clarissa