I will combine a few days here to move the story along.
Tuesday morning brought us the pleasant surprise of Elijah being extubated just as we came into the NICU. He also had an EKG performed to check on a heart murmur. He was much more alert and responding well to his first feedings of breast milk via an oral gastric (OG) tube. I promised Jess that I wouldn’t go into too much detail of anatomical references to her person, but I leave it at this, her supply was good. His eyes were now regularly open and he was getting a bit feisty during his cares. We both were able to get in some cuddle time throughout the day.
Basically from this point on, it was a continual story of progress. He continued to wean off his IV fluids, increase his milk intake (via a nasal gastric tube toward the end of the week), decrease the amount of breathing support needed and warm the hearts of the nursing staff. We even heard a couple nurses fight over who gets to care for baby Elijah. This may have been due to the fact that he was probably one of the easiest babies to care for since he needed less and less support and we came for nearly every care session. In our opinion, it’s because he’s the cutest little guy in the world. Seriously, look at this face!
We felt sorry for some of the other babies in the NICU. We rarely saw some of the parents attending their children. In this we really saw the heart of the nurses and staff. Even the janitorial staff love the babies, even though they only get to watch. We were some of the few parents that stayed vigilant by the bedside, only getting rest when needed, doing as much as we could for our little ones.
As our stay continued, families continued to be discharged. Thursday night, our guy was moved to an open air crib on the periphery of the room (patients with lower needs move to the edges) and on Friday morning had his cannula, which at this point was just giving him very low doses of oxygen, removed. He was on room air! Finally. We were told to wait 24 hours before they would consider it a success. Our breath was baited enough over the course of that day that we could have probably used the oxygen ourselves.
Krista came up for the weekend. It was nice to have another adult to talk to for a couple days. Jess and I have been doing well with all of this, that’s never been an issue. But fatigue was setting in and having someone else around helped pass the time.
We also went over to Jess’s cousin’s house a couple times for a home-cooked meal. It was a nice break in all the dining out we have and continue to do. The other morning we were talking about all the foods we wanted to make when we got home, though I imagine it will take us a couple of days.
Over the weekend, we were also able to start nursing. The little chap did well at all the things a baby should do, but was just a bit tired and inexperienced, so it wasn’t until just yesterday that he started getting the hang of it. Also over the weekend, we were able to give Elijah a bath for the first time. One thing that we are grateful for is all the practical things we are learning here in the NICU: Swaddling, bathing, dressing and generally caring for our little one. The bath was some of the most fun we’ve had in the past couple weeks!
Now we wait. As soon as he is able to take in all he needs via nursing, we get to go home. Two days, three, maybe four? Whenever it is, it will be in his time and by God’s grace that we get to draw an end to this chapter and begin another.
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