Starting to look like a baby

Wesley is finally putting on some baby fat. It's kind of cute!!! Nothing really new to tell. He's had a few good days in a row, almost for a full week now. He's looking better and quickly gaining weight. He now weighs 2 lbs 15 oz. I took some pictures tonight. The lighting was really low, and I'm no photographer. Sorry they are a little blurry.

Looking Positive

The last few days have not been good days but great days for Wesley! I noticed today that he was starting to breathe over the oscillating ventilator, which is a good sign that he will be moved to the regular ventilator soon. He seems to be back to where he was before he got pneumonia. I had a long discussion with the respiratory therapist who answered a lot of questions concerning his lungs and his progression. He told me that they actually discussed moving him to the regular ventilator last night, but decided to give Wesley just a few more good days before any major changes. He anticipates (although cannot promise) that Wesley will be moved to the regular ventilator by the end of the week. Now, of course, this is ultimately the doctor's decision. Even if he just stays where he is and they do not change anything this week, at least things are looking positive again, and we are not in that dark area like the past several weeks. Wesley has put on some good weight the past few days and weighed in at 2 lbs 8 oz. He's now in big boy diapers (well, not really, but they are the next size up). He is so precious, and hopefully I'll be able to hold him by this time next week. Please keep praying for him, God is not finished with him yet!!!

Finally..... a few good days again

Wesley has had a rough few weeks with his lungs. Things were starting to look a little better, then he started out last weekend on a bad day, and that continued through the beginning of this week, only getting worse. He started to stable out on Wednesday and has had a few good days now. He did have the hiccups today when I saw him, but it was really cute. It appears that it will still be a while before they move him off the oscillating ventilator, so therefore, it will still be a while before we get to hold him. He is just a few grams shy of 2 lb 3 oz, and is now 13 inches long. He's still as cute as can be!!!! He will be celebrating his first Halloween next Friday, but no trick-or-treating for him this year.... that will have to wait!!!

Nothing new

Nothing has really changed in the past few days. The doctors are still working with Wesley on his lungs. We are looking at long term or permanent lung issues as his lungs have already taken damage from the ventilator. Although he was doing very well up until this past weekend, we are now taking progression very slow with him to protect his lungs. We are still praying for the best! Please keep the prayers coming!!! He was sleeping so peaceful and calm last night, so I snapped a few pictures. Sorry about the reflection from the isolette, but I didn't want to disturb him by opening it.

Hoping for a better tomorrow....

Wesley's doctor called this morning. He said that Wesley's lungs are just in bad shape, and they have started steroid treatments to attempt to get him breathing more on his own. He was doing really well with his breathing last week, and they had hoped to move him from the oscillating ventilator to a regular ventilator this week. Obviously that will not happen now. I just hope and pray that he will get over this setback and move towards full recovery.

4 weeks!!!

Wesley is now 4 weeks old!!! He's up to 1 lb 15 oz. He's almost crossed that 2 lb mark!!! He has come down with another infection, this time in his lungs. The nurse said they were waiting on lab results to determine more specifics, but the doctor referred to the infection as pneumonia. They have already started him on antibiotics and will continue to monitor his progress. He's been a fighter through everything else that has happened, so I know he will fight his way through this as well.

On a fun note, we get to celebrate 1 month tomorrow 10/13/08!!! It definitely does not seem like he has been here a whole month. But I'm thankful for the time as it goes by, because that mean's he just that much closer to coming home.

Moving Forward

Wesley is doing great! He's gaining weight, breathing more on his own, and his feedings have increased. The doctors said he should be moving off the ventilator soon (possibly next week!!!), so we will be able to finally hold him once he is off the ventilator. That will be an exciting day!!! We will be celebrating his 1 month birthday on Monday, 10/13. He's come a long way in the last month!!!!

3 weeks and going strong!!!!

Wesley is now 3 weeks old!!! He weighed in tonight at 1 lb 10 oz, up from 1 lb 9.2 oz yesterday. He has grown from 11 inches to 12.5 inches. Yay for baby!!! He has recovered well from the heart surgery on Tuesday. He's still on some pain medications from the surgery, but that is to be expected. The doctors performed a spinal tap yesterday to ensure that his recent infection did not affect his brain. The results came back normal, and all of his blood tests since 09/25 have come back normal, so they were able to pull him off the antibiotics for the infection. So all around, he had an exhausting week, but today was a great day. Hopefully we are through the down times and looking forward to good times. Wesley still has 12 weeks before he would be considered "full term", but we've made it through 3 weeks, so hopefully the next 12 weeks will be over before we realize it. I never thought I would want time with my child to fly by, but the day by day highs and lows have been emotionally draining on everyone involved. I'm just so ready for the day when I get to hold Wesley, and our concerns can be focused on diaper changes and feedings, not heart surgery and other invasive procedures. However, I'm thankful for every day that God gives us with him.... he really is a blessing.

Heart Surgery

Our little boy had to have surgery last night. One of the many medical obstacles that we were warned we may face was this surgery. There is a valve in the heart which is supposed to close upon birth. With the premature babies, this valve commonly does not close on its own (just another complication since the baby is so severely underdeveloped). This is referred to as Patent Ductus Arteriosus or PDA. If you want to know more about the condition, I found this website that gives some good insight into PDA. http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/PrematureBabies/Treatment-of-Patent-Ductus-Arteriosus-PDA.aspx?articleID=7859&categoryID=PI-nh3-02b
Between 7:30 and 8:00 last night, they performed the surgery on Wesley to close this valve. The surgery took about 30 minutes, and the doctors came back with good news. Everything with the surgery went well, but we were told to be prepared for some minor setbacks the next few days as he heals and adjusts. The doctors had to put him back on blood pressure medications today for low blood pressure, he is still receiving a high amount of oxygen, and his blood sugars are high. They said this is all fairly common due to his level of stress after surgery. We are just praying for a full recovery and continued progress. He truly is our little miracle.