Could it be????

Cooper is doing so great!! They took him off the vapotherm Friday and put him on 1 liter of oxygen. He did so great all day Friday! I was almost expecting a bit of a setback Saturday, but he did great!! The nurses have even turned him down a bit, so he is currently on less than 1 liter! Today he was anywhere from .5-.7 liters. We are so proud of him!!!

The doctors have even began having the "home" conversation!! Originally we were told he could be home this weekend, but they have had to move it back some. He is having a test tomorrow where they insert a catheter and some dye to make sure his kidneys are not refluxing urine into his bladder. This condition has a LONG name (which I forgot!), is quite common, his case is mild, and most heal on their own. They are just doing this test to rule out any issues. He also has to be circumcised this week. He also got his 4 month shots today. This will be a LONG week for Cooper! They want to make sure he comes through all these "steps" doing well!! Then we will get to room in with him and bring him home!! Of course, as we have learned about life in the NICU, things can change! He is doing so great!! We are praising God for our 7 pound blessing!! We love you all and thank you for all your prayers and support!!

So far so good!!!

Cooper was moved to oxygen Friday around noon. They took him off vapotherm with a flow of 2 and put him on oxygen with a flow of 1. We have been praying for this moment for days and here we go........... Immediately after the change he was doing well!! We realized there is a period of adjustment, so we watched and waited. He did great!! His oxygen saturation stayed in the 90s most of the day!!

I was exhausted from the excitement so I went home. I knew he had a blood gas the next morning to test his CO2, oxygen, and ph levels and this will show how well he is doing. I called several times during the night to make sure he was still doing great, and he was!!! His test was not bad either. His CO2 levels were around where he always is, so we are staying where we are. I am so proud and thankful!! God is so good!!

Could it be that we are close to home??? We will have to wait and see! The doctors are calling the clinic about meds on Monday and he has shots on Tuesday. They usually want to keep them for a day or 2 after the shots to make sure there is no reaction. So, after that???????????? We will see..............

A lot of pressure!!

Our sweet boy will get to try out a nasal cannula tomorrow!! The doctors are going to take him off the vapotherm and put him on oxygen and see how he does! I am excited because we are moving forward. To put this in perspective: if he does well, he can come home very soon. If he does not do well, they will put him back on the vapotherm and we wait some more... I am so excited and proud of our little guy! We have prayed so hard for this day. I feel like he is ready. I will be by his side cheering him the whole day! I will let you know how he does!! Stay tuned..... Our lives can change pretty quickly depending on how tomorrow goes. (You would think we would be used to that!!)

BTW~Cooper weighs 6lbs 12 oz. (2 more ounces and we have a 7 pound baby!!) LOL

What a difference a day makes!

Well I had a bad day yesterday. What I needed was a dose of perspective! God is so good!! We spent the day looking at all the amazing and wonderful things in my life! I realized that I was focused on all the wrong things. So this is my change of perspective blog....

Cooper is an amazing miracle baby! He was born at 26 weeks. He was only 1 pound 11 ounces and 12 1/2 inches long. He has avoided many issues faced by being born premature such as brain bleeds, digestive issues (NEC), and eye development issues (ROP). He has consistently put on weight. He takes a bottle like a champ! He survived heart surgery at a month old. He kicked the ventilator after 6 weeks. He only had to be on cpap for a few days. He went from 6 liters to 2 liters on the vapotherm in 7 days! He is still fighting! He is incredibly patient. He loves to be held. He can flirt like a pro! He makes the cutest faces! He melts my heart! He weighs 6 pounds and 6 ounces!

There are some amazing things about NICU life. I have a tremendous amount of medical knowledge, especially about lungs!! I have met some amazing families that are going through the same things! I love talking with them, encouraging them, and being encouraged by them. We cry together and celebrate the little and BIG accomplishments together! The doctors know us and we know them! They greet us like friends and always make sure they stay to answer any and all questions we have. I have also made some wonderful friendships with some AMAZING nurses (Both at Baptist and Vandy!) They work so very hard and take time getting to know us. I have had some of the best conversations at Cooper's bedside with our nurses. They always greet me and ask how I am doing. I feel like they genuinely care about my family! We laugh and share about our lives! They are wonderful! There is a lady named Joyce who works in the booth at the parking garage. She is so sweet and thoughful! She is always remembers me and is so friendly and asks about Cooper! I always meet someone in the elevator in the garage and say hi and smile! (There are people who actually think I work there and ask for directions! LOL!) These have been some of the best experiences I have had!

Yesterday I complained about the drive. It is long, but I get to listen to and be encouraged by WayFM. This is one way I try to stay focused. There are a few songs out there that have helped me, especially today: Hope Now by Addison Road, Let the Waters Rise by Mike's Chair, and Safe by Phil Wickham. These songs really speak to my heart and what I am going through. God is so good to me! When I am in a funk, he gently pulls me out and focuses my attention on all the blessings I have. Once again, I have been able to hold, touch, kiss, and love my son all before he was supposed to be here! What an amazing miracle!

Thanks for letting me share both perspectives with you! Keep the prayers coming! They are talking about starting steroids Sunday! God is so good!! ALL THE TIME!

A little truth...

Cooper is now 6 pounds 3 ounces. He has not changed much since the blood transfusion, so we are bummed. The doctors came by today to talk to me about the plan. I am a planner, so this was very nice!! He is currently on Viagra (ok, insert joke here!). There have been several studies that show it can be useful in treating pulmonary hypertension and chronic lung disease. Cooper does not have pulmonary hypertension, but we were hoping it would improve his chronic lung disease. The doctors have not been impressed with the results. We are going to up the dose and give it a few days. If he does not show improvement, we are going to try steroids again. Again my prayer is for God to give the doctors the solution to Cooper's lung issues.

I am growing so tired of driving to Baptist hospital! Don't get me wrong, Baptist is a great place, but I have experienced all I need to. Cooper is now 110 days old and we have driven to Nashville all but 4 days of his life. I am not good at balance and I am very aware that I can have control issues. In the beginning, Cooper was unstable and I wanted to be with him every minute to soak up all I could, just in case. Now that he is stable, I want to be with him to take care of him and get to know him. I have to travel for 40 minutes to see him. If I am not there, I feel like a HORRIBLE mother and I worry about him. If I am there, I am not getting anything else done and when I get home I am exhausted. (As I am typing, I am ignoring the laundry I need to move over! WOW! Irony...) My "normal" day is to be there before his 11am feeding and I stay until the 6pm break. I try to go back at 8pm for bottle and bath, but lately I am coming home to spend some time with Kevin. Since he got moved to 3rd shift, we are seeing each other for about an hour a day. He has only been on 3rd for a week, so I need to figure out my new schedule...

I am so ready to have Cooper at home with us! I wonder if we will ever be able to have a "normal" life. We have been told that he will most likely come home on some form of oxygen. That coupled with his lung issues, we will be home for a while! I am sure we will find our "normal" soon...I hope :-)

Please don't get me wrong; I love having Cooper here! I feel like the luckiest woman on the face of the earth every time I see him! God knew that pregnancy was stressing me out, so I believe he brought Cooper early to let me watch him grow. I got to see him, touch him, hold him, kiss him, read to him, and worry about him all before he was "supposed" to be here! I would not change anything about his life! I am just ready to have him all to myself (ok and Kevin too)!! I am excited for the things to come!! Thanks for letting me share a little honesty! Thank you God for our precious miracle!

Blood Transfusions

Every Monday the doctors in the NICU check blood counts. Last Monday his hematocrit was 33. This Monday it was 26...This means that Cooper gets a blood transfusion. He has been requiring more oxygen in the last few days and Monday morning he was looking quite pale and acting tired. All are symptoms of low blood count. Within a few minutes of getting blood, he was acting a little better! After the transfusion was complete, his color was much better and he was acting like he felt better!! He got another transfusion today. He got 30 mls of blood over 4 hours. While he was getting his blood, they withheld his feedings to prevent stomach issues. They also held the next 2 feedings. They did give him pedialyte so he would have something. Fat boys don't like to miss meals!! He was quite hungry, but was surprisingly not irritable! He is such a good baby!!

Thank you for your continued prayers!! God is so good and will see us through this little bump in the road! We are still waiting on the new meds to kick in. It is more of a long term drug instead of a quick fix, so we will have to wait and see. Love you all!!

Sorry its been so long.....

Cooper is now 6 pounds!!! Mostly in his cheeks and chin!! LOL!! He has not had any setbacks from being off the steroids. Praise God!! That being said, he hasn't really improved much either...His chest x-rays show that his lungs are about the same, but not worse. The doctors are trying him on a longer term drug, but the results are not as quick as the steroid! We are praying his lungs get stronger day by day!

He is taking every feeding by bottle! He is a champ with the bottle feedings!! He gets fed every 3 hours, but wakes up and is hungry after 2 and a half. Part of the treatment for his lungs is to keep him fluid restricted, so he only gets a certain amount for each feeding. He is currently on 47 ccs/mls (30 is an ounce). He is such a good baby! He rarely cries! He is so content and sweet! And his voice is back! It is a beautiful sound when he does cry.

Well his due date came and went, and we are still in the NICU. I was a little disappointed. This date was looming over us, so I am glad it is gone! Cooper is where he needs to be for the time and will hopefully be home very soon! Today the doctor told us that we may just have to "bite the bullet" and try him on a low flow cannula to see how he does. He can come home on oxygen, just not flow. It is nice that they know we want him home and we are all working together to reach this goal! Like I said before, we have had a pretty good NICU experience, I just can't wait to have him home and ALL to myself!!

I will keep you posted! We are praying he will be home soon and his lungs heal and grow! This is a lesson in patience. I wonder how I am doing?......