15 May @ 1805 Update

Amber's update on 15 May @ 1805:

Day 12
Another restful day for our little man. Abdominal X-ray this am showed that he has better gas patterns in the intestines and less swelling. Ostomy is draining just a tiny bit. Nurse said she heard some bowel sounds in his belly which is good. Nurse has been good about giving him pain meds before we do his cares (cares consist of temperature taking, diaper changing, suctioning, cleaning of the mouth, eyes, and cleaning the ostomy site). We have been very lucky with attentive and caring nurses and doctors.

14 May @ 1930 Update

Amber update on 14 May @ 1930:

Parker had a very restful day today. They did a repeat head ultrasound that didn't show any changes in his bleed. His abdominal X-ray tonight showed better gas patterns but some ascities and swelling which is expected. He is getting some more FFP to help out with his swelling. We know that Parker knows when we're there with him. Whenever we say goodbye he always raises his eyebrows and moves a little. Love that little man!

13 May @ 2200 Update

Amber's update on 13 May 2200:

Day 10 

What a day, what a day, what a day! Baby Parker sure did make up today for all of his good days he's had in the past. We came in this morning with an ok report. He had some more bile come out of his OG tube. Abdominal X-ray was taken and Dr said there was one area they were going to watch, ordered another X-ray for the late afternoon. When I changed his diaper at noon I noticed his stomach was bigger and more firm and more dusky looking. Afternoon x ray showed some concern so they took another shot from a different view. The dr came over to the bedside and said she wanted to show me the films, I knew it was bad. He had some free air in his abdomen and was going to have surgery tonight. Surprisingly John and I were calm about it and felt that things would be ok. The surgeon came in about 2 hours later and explained everything to us. Sending a child, especially a newborn preemie to surgery is one of the hardest things to do! But we put our faith in the Lord and in those doing the surgery. As John and I waited in the waiting room we felt comforted and at peace. Thankfully everything turned out ok. He had a spontaneous perforation at the most distal end of the ileum. That was our best case scenario. We were thankful it was not necrotizing entercolitis. Parker now has a tiny temporary ostomy. He is doing well and should sleep well through the night. We are so thankful for those caring for him. We are especially grateful for all of our family and friends who have been praying, fasting and supporting our family through these rough days. we will continue to keep everyone posted on his status.

Surgery

John update on 13 May @ 1900:

Parker's stomach has been looking a little dark for the past couple days. His stomach has been soft so doctors were not too concern but keep an eye on it. Today the stomach got a little hard and they did a few X-ray. They will be taking him into the OR to open him up and see what is going on. He received a blessing from Amber's dad and myself and we all feel it is going to be good. We have faith in the doctors and the staff working on him. Let God's will be done.

May 12 @ 2030 Update

Amber updated on May 12 @ 2030:

Day 9: Parker is now weighing in at 940 grams! He's passed his birth weight! Yay! Had a pretty good day. Belly looked a little big, had some bile coming out of his oral gastric tube, but X-rays look ok. More X-rays tonight and labs. Oxygen levels went down a few times, so I don't think he's ready quite yet to come off the vent. We're ok with that, he will be off in due time. He continues to pull through. This little man is a fighter!

Light as a Feather

John Updated on 12 May @ 1518:

So I got to hold Parker today.  Man he is light even with him gaining some weight.  Today he was 940 grams, which is about 2.07 lbs.  I got to hold him while the nurse changed his linens.  Unfortunately it wasn't the holding as one would think; holding him close to your body or something in that nature.  It was more of cupping him in my hands and lifting him up while the linens were changed.  One hand held his entire body while in the other hand laid his sweet head and vent tubes.  I can't believe my precious baby fits in my hand but I am so grateful to a loving heavenly father who has given me the chance to be responsible for such an adorable person.

While venting his stomach for air, the nurse pulled up some bile and old blood.  The doctors are not too concerned about it as it is not fresh.  They were talking about putting him on stomach vent that pulls from his stomach every so often rather then having the nurse do it every four hours, but nothing has been decided upon yet.  He has been resting all day and looks so peaceful.  We are hoping that he continue to be able to rest so his body can grow without issues.

I posted a new video of how our nurse rotates Parker, called Time to Rotate.  It is amazing how quickly she turns him to adjust his position and makes it seem so effortless.

May 11 @ 2115 Update

Amber's Updated on May 11 @ 2115:

Day 8. Parker had a good night last night and a good day today. Weight is up to 880 grams BP finally where it needs to be. No more bleeding from the oral gastric tube. Doing well on the vent. He is breathing above the vent settings. Doctor is thinking about extubating (taking out breathing tube) in the next few days. We'll see how he does. We will probably start feedings again tomorrow. He was quite active this afternoon. Kept peeking his eyes open all afternoon. It was so fun watching his facial expressions. He just gets cuter every day! Keep it up little man! You're doing great!