Kangaroo Care

Ever since Davis was born, we've seen signs all over the NICU to ask your nurse if your baby is ready for kangaroo care. Kangaroo care is when you hold your baby against your chest; it can help babies sleep better, help moms with milk supply, and in general make moms and babies happy. For the longest time, these signs would just kill us- especially when Davis was on minimal stimulation and we couldn't even touch him. We'd scrub in and go sit by his bed, wishing we could get some kangaroo time. Today, finally, we got to do it! Davis and I snuggled for a couple of hours, and Michael got to hold him too after the shift change break. I loved it :)

Davis is still doing really well, but he is struggling with a couple of issues. One of them is morphine withdrawal, as they've been coming down on his dose gradually. He's still on about 40 mcg- not a huge dose- but his body has become dependent. He started on phenobarb today to help with the withdrawal symptoms, which break my heart. He has tremors, a higher heart rate, and is generally fussy and uncomfortable. We heard him cry for the first time today. He's still hoarse from the breathing tube, so it was a little bitty pitiful cry, but he is definitely letting us know that he's uncomfortable. 

The next step for Davis is to start feeds. There are a couple of things holding him back from feeding right now. His "gut motility" (movement) is impaired by his recent surgery and the morphine he's been on as well as his abnormal anatomy. He still has a replogel, which is a tube down his throat that suctions bile and air from his stomach and intestines. This will stay in place until he can process things on his own. He may start feeds with an ND tube tomorrow, which is a tube that bypasses the stomach entirely. It all depends on how much his replogel outputs. He'll let us know when he's ready. He hates the replogel and is constantly trying to spit it out, so we'll be glad when he no longer needs it. 

He has another issue to work out, which is that all his nutrition and medication is delivered through a UVC line, which is like an IV that goes through his umbilical cord. The UVC is meant to be a temporary solution, mainly because the umbilical access should already be closed. He's already had the UVC longer than is ideal, which makes him at risk for infection. Most kids have a PIC line by this time, but the nurses have tried 5 or 6 times to place one and have been unsuccessful. Unless he tolerates feeds within the next few days, he'll have to have another surgery for a Broviac line so they can deliver medications and nutrition effectively. The Broviac line is a heart catheter that goes through a major artery. It is a surgery so it will mean temporary reintubation, general anesthesia, etc... not the optimal situation, but it may be the best solution until he can eat and take medication orally. 

Was that too much information? I didn't mean to write a novel here. As always, thank you for your love and support. It means so much to us both that so many people are thinking of and praying for our family.