Little Logan has been breathing around the clock for just more than 15,840 minutes! That's a lot of hard work for a little guy that just barely tipped the scales at 2 pounds this morning. And it would seem that all that breathing can simply wear him out.
Yesterday Logan would breathe for a while and then just take a break. Apparently babies do that all the time inutero because they can...Out here in the real world, it's not such a good idea. After a few too many pauses, it was decided that he needed a little more caffeine to keep him alert and breathing. (apparently, caffeine is medicine in the NICU) And yes, all I could think of was Starbucks and Diet coke when I heard the word "caffeine".
The little increase seemed to help a bit as the hours passed but by evening it was pretty clear he was just getting tired of trying so hard. The pauses increased in frequency in spite of the efforts to help him out and make him comfortable.
He had a pretty good night but by this morning he was done. When we arrived at the hospital he was all stretched out, lethargic and reminded me of a couch potatoe gone bad.
A couple days ago Grayson remarked, "What my boy needs is a big, juicy steak! We should feed him some good Alberta beef." It turns out that's exactly what he needed.
Today he had a blood transfusion which sounds kind of scary but actually turned out to be quite remarkable. The health care professionals spent most of the morning getting him ready for the big event. That included fishing an IV into a vein that is probably no thicker than some heavy cotton thread...a feat in itself. Then the red cells arrived arrived from the blood lab - all 14 mL nicely packaged in a little syringe. And the IV proceeded throughout the afternoon, literally one drop at a time. It was about 4 hours from start to finish to drip just over a teaspoon of fresh, healthy red blood cells into Little Logan's little vein.
By the evening he was wiggling and squirming and BREATHING again. It was exciting to watch Diana change his diaper as he complained, flailed his arms, kicked his legs and tried to pull at anything he could get his hands on.
So he's been tucked in for another night; safe and sound in the care of the most expensive babysitters on the planet. He's bound to get tired again. He's got a lot of breathing and growing to do but we're thankful for skilled professionals and a little guy that is doing the best he can.
logan tucked in with his new blanket and "the duck"
mom...i can't believe you spelled caffeine wrong! i will look past it this one time, 'cuz i'm excited that logan is feeling better. he's looking better too!
ReplyDeleteok...it was late and i needed a shot of something! but i think i've corrected my spelling and Logan liked it no matter how it's spelled! thanks for the heads up
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are there documenting all of this! It's so nice to see his progress! Keep going little Logan!! Way to go Mama Smart! You are an awesome Grandma!
ReplyDeleteMy sweet baby boy! You are now officially hired to be the blogger of Little Logan. I can hardly focus enough to tie my shoe and I am so glad you are writing these for me and Logan to read later on when he is like 8 lbs or so... Mmmm how I love my Logan!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that he is doing well. My thoughts and prayers are with him and you all. What a little trooper!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for keeping us updated on Logan's progress. I look forward to reading these and I know it's a blessing for Diana to have you there to document this amazing event in their lives. We love Diana and Grayson so much and we are all praying that little Logan continues to grow strong.
ReplyDeleteSend my love,
Michelle Carter
Wow--the poor little thing. Who'd ever guess that breathing was such hard work. Glad the blood transfusion helped, and glad you're keeping us all informed.
ReplyDelete