His oxygen levels continue to dip up and down and we remain concerned about that. They tried an experiment this week regarding the oxygen. They gave him a diuretic on Wednesday. As you know, our entire bodies hold fluid, including our lungs. So a diuretic flushes some of that fluid out of the lungs, making them lighter, which in turn can make breathing easier. I was hopeful we would see a change in Spencer's oxygen levels on Thursday, but unfortunately, his breathing doesn't seem to be responding any differently to the diuretic, so it has been discontinued.
In other news, this week Spencer got his first vaccine - Hepatitis B. This is the same one babies usually get at birth. Apparently preemies stay on nearly the same vaccine schedule as normal babies. Thankfully he has responded well to it.
Spencer also had an eye exam this week. An eye doctor came in to examine his eyes. It was difficult to watch. They dilated his eyes and used an instrument to hold the eyelid open. Then the doctor moved Spencer's eyeball around to try and see to the back of the eye. They were looking to see if the retina is attaching to the back of the eye as it should, and also checking out the blood vessels. Apparently babies on oxygen are more prone to enlarged blood vessels in the eye that can cause problems. The doctor said that Spencer was still too premature to see much, but from what they could see, things looked ok so far. He will be back in two weeks to check again.
If you are familiar with the Gallup Strengthsfinder, one of my top five strengths is Learner. That means when faced with a situation, I usually attempt to immerse myself in information about the subject to feel like I have a better grasp on what is going on and what to do next. I have been trying really hard not to give in to that tendency in this situation. As you can imagine, googling anything about a baby born at 26 weeks gives you WAY TOO MUCH information, and most of it is negative in nature. I did however, pick up a book on preemie development at the hospital and start reading a little.
This is what it said about babies born at 26 weeks -
"40% will have mild to moderate disabilities, such as respiratory difficulties requiring oxygen at home for a number of months, mild cerebral palsy involving poor control of some movements, vision problems that necessitate glasses, hearing problems that necessitate a hearing aid or learning disabilities like hyperactivity or dyslexia.
About 20% will have a severe disability perhaps requiring years of ventilator support for chronic respiratory disease, severe cerebral palsy, be blind, deaf or mentally retarded."
Wow. That was hard to read. For so long, we have just worried about Spencer living. Now that we believe he will live, the next step is to start to look forward. Of course all I picture is a perfectly normal, healthy baby coming home around 40 weeks. I hadn't considered the possibility of even half of those things being a problem for Spencer. We remain hopeful, but at the same time, there is a reality to having a preemie that I am also trying to acknowledge.
We would appreciate your prayers and we maneuver through each day. We are forced to remain dependent on God as we wait and see on so many things. But what we do know is we have an adorable little son who is doing a lot of things right - eating, sleeping, pooping, and occasionally giving us a smile and a wink.
Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers. We appreciate it!
Doesn't Spencer look big?? He's really getting some chub on his arms and legs! But his size is a little deceiving in this photo - - I'll post a picture next to his teddy bear again soon!
Deceiving or not, I still can tell those chubbier legs! Oh Stacey Learner, I think you are more Belief and Positivity, re-take the test! :)
ReplyDeleteDear Stacey,
ReplyDeleteSpencer is doing great! In my job I've seen lots of little ones born into families as preemies, and I have to say that 90% emerge with minimal problems that their families take on with pride and joy because they have that child alive and they have that child to worry about . I've seen them grow from babies to toddlers to preschoolers to school-age and then their parents come in and I ask how they are doing and they parents smile and say great! From a Librarian this might not be what expect to hear - Quit reading and start talking to those people who have had preemies and what their children have done- and then look into the eyes of your special little boy that God gave you and see what he is telling you -- believe me he will tell you what he is going to do. He has already amazed you and I'm sure he will continue to do so! God is on your side, trust in him!
Love, Aunt Mary Beth