Moving on Up!

No it is not a, deluxe apartment in the sky, but Jackson made a big move last night to the 7th floor. This means he doesn't need the constant care and attention offered in a NICU with a nurse always at his bedside. In the new room Jackson has no neighbors, moved into a big boy's crib, and nurses check in on him throughout the day. As the photos show he is getting big weighing in at 5 lbs. 5 ozs, just look at that round face for the proof.



Our journey focuses on mastering feeding. Jackson has done very well this week maintaining his heart rate and has few alarms or bradies now. Doctors say if he goes 5 days in a row without a brady that he needs help recovering from that is a marker he is ready to go home. And he needs to feed on his own without the tube. He takes anywhere from 2/3rds to a full bottle for each feed so we are close indeed. We hope we have days left to go and are focsued on getting our son home.

Nip Slip

No we didn't bump into Tara Reid or have a wardrobe malfunction. We spent the weekend with Jackson teaching him how to feed from the bottle and slipping that Gerber nipple in his mouth. We had a wonderful nurse this weekend who gave us great tips on how to watch Jackson's cues to ensure he has a good feed. Jackson is learning how to pace himself and coordinate breathing while feeding. We watch to make sure his breathing is consistent and he isn't working too hard. It's also important to look at his color, another indicator that he may brady if he gets pale. He is not consistent yet on the amount of formula he takes at one sitting which can vary from a few ccs to a whole bottle. Yet another small step closer to home at 4 lbs. 14 ozs.

5 Weeks and Counting

Yesterday marked Jackson's fifth week in the NICU and progress is slow but steady. He is now up to 4 lbs 10 ozs and nurses tease that for such a little guy he still has the triple chin action. He has set feeding times every three hours and when he is alert he is doing well even finishing a full bottle on his own. But he still gets himself into trouble sometimes forgetting to breath during a feed or failing to deal with reflux and then he has alarms and reverts to a tube feed. We know he is anxious for the feeding tube to come out as he has started pulling it out on his own just to keep the nurses busy.

We are busying ourselves to make sure the house is ready for his homecoming and anxiously awaiting word that he is strong enough to go home. In the meantime we enjoy spending time with him in Pod G and snapping cute photos of our little guy.

Exposed

Jackson graduated to big boy baths this week in the tub - no more sponge bath. As you can see he has yet to emrace the joys of bath time. However, he continues to have steady progress as he packs on the pounds and takes more formula from the bottle. He still struggles with "bradies" - a dip in his heart rate but recently he has been able to come up on his own rather than needing help. The doctors and nurses think reflux after feedings are to blame. Mom and Dad are patiently waiting for him to grow out of this common preemie issue.

One Month Old

Yesterday marked Jackson's one month birthday! It was four weeks ago he decided to make his early arrival and took residence in the NICU. His new neighbor, a preemie too, reminded us of how far he has come. Jackson has been packing on the pounds at just over 4 lbs 3 ozs and has switched from a high calorie formula to a regular formula.

And today Jackson had a developmental exam which compared him to other preemies. They looked at his reflexes, his muscle tone, visual tracking, and feeding cues. I can see this being the first of many exams to come in his life and like all parents we were eager for him to do well. We can proudly report in almost all categories he was on track or excelled for his age. JD was later quoted as saying, "That Shiznit was Easy!"

My New Crib

This weekend Jackson found himself in a new crib - literally. Even though he is just shy of 4 lbs. he maintains his body temperature quite well and was moved to a non heated crib, top off. This makes it easier for Mom and Dad to get him out for snuggling time and marks another milestone.


He also no longer wears a nasal canella, that tube in his nose providing oxygen. He still has a ways to go in maintaining his breath and heart rate but more often than not is able to self resolve any issues or the nurses help him out. Jackson needs to go 5 days in a row without any "bradys" which you may recall are a low heart rate before they would consider sending him home. It's good to get to see more and more of his face. We are hopeful he continues to have forward progress.

Jack's day

This week Jackson has continued to gain weight tipping the scales at 3-lbs. 9-ozs. today. He is tolerating feeds well and is fed 35 ccs of high calorie formula every three hours. The next step is to get him feeding on his own. We understand that most preemies who get to 4 pounds can come out of the incubator and into a crib without a roof.

What do Jackson's days look like? Feeding time lasts an hour to help minimize an upset tummy. Besides eating every three hours Jackson looks forward to visits with Mom and Dad who hold him, talk to him, and as you learned play music for him. Bath time is every three days which Mom and Dad do too and it's a good ol' sponge bath. Most exciting is he is more alert during visits opening his eyes to check things out, using his hands to grab on tight, and smiling.

Strange Condition?

The night before Jackson was born, way back when we thought we had at least two months to go and lived in blissful ignorance of a NICU, Clarissa and I attended a Pete Yorn concert. I am not saying that the music of Pete Yorn caused the early delivery - though some might - but figured I would give all mommies to be out there fair warning to decide for themselves. To start it was a nonsmoking small venue and we sat the whole concert with a decent view, so it was not like Clarissa and I were jumping around or body surfing (though that would have been an interesting sight).

What is Mr. Yorn really referring to in his well known hit Strange Condition? Some might argue that he is referring to the condition of love, but I surmise that he is really referring to the condition of pregnancy. And the nerve of him to call pregnancy strange- what could be more natural. Here is an excerpt from another one of his more well known hits Life on a Chain, "Waiting over here, for life to begin, Still looking for the new thing, And you were the sunshine heading my front-line,I was alone, you were just around the corner from me." Need I say more? If that was not enough evidence to sway you, over the past two weeks, when I hit random on my Ipod to play for Jackson - it invariably plays a Pete Yorn song! Coincidence? I think not! Considered yourself warned...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doY82-bQChs

The Next Goal

In order to go home Jackson needs to be able to breath on his own, hold his body temperature, and feed on his own. He is making steady progress with his breathing and temperature and now Mom and Dad hope to focus his attention on the task of sucking. Jackson continues to get his feeds through a tube and the next step is to get him strong enough to take his feedings from a bottle. In an effort to prepare Jackson to take to bottle feeds Mom and Dad are helping him by introducing a pacifier during his feeds so he makes the connection between sucking and receiving food. If he is alert he takes to the pacifier quite well and makes the most amusing suckling sound inspiring his parents to grin ear to ear. We hope to try bottle feeds in the next week so he can meet another key goal in his progress as a preemie.