My week in review...

Mom describes this past week as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. She says she got that from some book. I AM OKAY, but it was a little rough for everyone involved. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I sure do have a lot to be thankful for! So here goes nothing:

Monday: I had had a pretty good week the week before. I was doing well in my big boy bed, regulating my temperature, gaining weight, and it seemed as though my breathing episodes were getting better. Vapotherm was down to 1.5 liters, I was moved to my own little room/area (hasta luego mi amigo!), and I thought for sure I was heading in the right direction.

Tuesday: The clock hit midnight and I was a very bad boy. I kept having back to back apnea and bradycardia episodes and I really couldn't help it. The episodes were all bad enough to where I would not start breathing again until the nurses gave me manual breaths with that 'ol bag thing. Mom got a call at 1:30 am, she nearly had a heart attack, and I later got a spanking. The doctor was concerned with my episodes so they checked my Hematocrit, my red blood cell count, and found that it was at 22 when they like it to be 30. Basically, I was working with 2/3 of a normal blood supply which was making it hard for me to oxygenate and
start breathing again. They bumped me back up to 3L on the Vapotherm and gave me another blood transfusion early that morning. Mom and Dad came for a visit first thing in the morning and stayed for a good while. Mom left the hospital and got a call from the doctor telling her that I had a few really bad episodes once she left. The doctor suspected I was sick so they did a blood culture to check for infection, immediately started me on some antibiotics, stopped my milk (grrr), started me on fluids, and turned the Vapotherm up to 6L...I seriously thought I was going to blow away. Just FYI - they watch the blood culture over the course of 5 days. If bacteria begins to grow, they send it off to determine what the organism is and then adjust the meds accordingly. Mom and Dad came back that evening and while they were there, the iv in my arm infiltrated (came out of my vein and was pumpinlugluids into my hand and arm). Dad is the one who noticed that the tape looked really tight, he is my hero. I literally looked like Popeye, muscles and all. They immediately took the iv out and treated the burns/blisters on the top of my hand. Then, the nurses had to put my iv back in. That turned into about a 2-3 hour long process which consisted of them sticking me 8 times and it ended with the iv in a vein in my forehead. I did not cry once so Dad nicknamed me "Tough".
Finally, I was resting comfortably.

Wednesday: The blood culture came back negative at 12 hours, yay! Mom came to visit during the day and right as she got home, the doctor called and informed her that the blood culture started growing something at the 24 hour mark, and they were going to have to do a spinal tap to make sure that I did not have meningitis. They also did another blood culture in case there was a contaminant in the first. Pretty scary for my parents. That night I wasn't regulating my temperature very well so they put me in a warmer. I highly recommend one to all of you cold blooded people out there!

Thursday: Happy Turkey Day!! Can't a baby get some turkey around here??? I thought Mom would have at least smuggled me in some dessert or something...gees. Good news - all tests were negative at this point.

Friday: Happy Gameday! Geaux Tigers!!! I was doing well, I was out of the warmer and back in my crib, and they started partial feeds (ab half of the amount of milk I was getting before...such a tease!). The organism came back from the first blood culture and it was a type of strep, the kind that is found on the skin. Sooo, Doc said it was possible that it was a contaminant but since I WAS symptomatic, they were going to switch my antibiotics to
penicillin. My iv started leaking that night so they took it out and re-started it in my forehead. Too much cheering during the game, I guess!

Saturday and Sunday: The iv is now in my left hand, the burns on my right hand are healing, I am back on full feeds (45 mL every 3 hours, watch out!), I have only had a max of 1 or 2 episodes in a 24 hour period for the past few days, and the spinal tap and other blood culture results are negative...whew!!! I am still on the penicillin for a few more days; better safe than sorry. All in all, I am doing really well considering the week I just had. Did I mention that I am weighing in at 5 pounds 7 ounces?!?!?! Not too shabby if you ask me =).

Sorry I was so long winded, but in between the blood tests, attempting to rest, and the nurses messing with me constantly, I couldn't really find the time to blog. But I am here now and going strong! Hopefully we will not have any more weeks like this one, although I know that my journey here in the NICU will have its' ups and, unfortunately, its' downs. Things could always be worse, and my family and I are so thankful that I have made it this far! We are also thankful for all of you and your support! Love ya!

Beau

The Great Escape

Hola!

Como estas?  My amigo next door speaks Spanish so I thought I would practice a bit.  You didn't think I would leave this place bilingual, now did ya? 

Things are going well over here in the NICU.  The latest breaking news...I have escaped from my incubator and am now in an open crib!!  I have done really well regulating my temperature and maintaining my weight since the switch.  Now that I have to regulate my temperature on my own, I am having to work a lot harder, but life in the open air is good!

The doctors have been letting me chill at 3 liters on the Vapotherm, but decided to turn it down to 2.5 liters yesterday.  I had a few really good days without many breathing episodes and then I turned around and acted up a bit.  So Doc decided that we should see if turning the Vapotherm down very slowly makes much of a difference.  Basically, if I am going to have approximately the same number of episodes on a higher setting as I do on a lower setting, then they might as well keep me on the lower setting.  Again, I will grow out of this, but I am doing my best to give the nurses a hard time...Mom says that's what the second child is supposed to do!

Reid better watch out...I am 4 pounds 7 ounces as of last night!  I have been gaining about an ounce and a half per day the last few days!  The doctors like to see us gain about an ounce a day so I am doing really well with that...I like to eat, what can I say?

That's about it for now.  I'll be in touch and post pics soon. 

Buenas noches!!

Beau

1 Month Old!!

Go me...I am 1 month old today!  I kind of thought birthdays meant that you get cake, ice cream, and presents, but all I got was some milk and lots of kisses from Mom.  Don't get me wrong, I love Mom's kisses, but I need to get out of here pronto.  Milk does NOT suffice for birthday cake.  That's what my Big Bro tells me anyway...I think he has had his fair share of cake so he should know.

My apologies for not updating everyone sooner, but things have been about the same over the past week, nothing major to report.  Here is a rundown:

I have been acting up a bit here and there with my breathing.  It's not too often that I have an episode, but when I do, boy, I sure make those nurses work for their money!  As a result, I am still on the Vapotherm, receiving 3 liters of oxygen per minute.  If you remember right, the next step is the high flow nasal cannula which will deliver 1 liter of oxygen per minute.  Each time they try to turn the Vapotherm down, I act up a bit, so the doctor is going to let me chill at 3L for now.  He understands...I am still young and I will grow out of it.

I am weighing in at 3 pounds 14 ounces!  I am now being fed 1 ounce and 2 mL every three hours, still through a tube, but it's not a continuous drip like it had been the first few weeks.  They would have started "nippling" (bottle feeding) me once a day by now, but Doc's policy is that they don't nipple until I am off of the Vapotherm.  I'm trying, I'm trying!

The eye doctor came to check on me the other day.  He was looking for signs of Retinopathy of Prematurity, ROP for short.  In premature babies with a birth weight of less than 3.3 pounds, abnormal blood vessel growth may occur. Mom said that my report card said that my examination was normal now but there is still a possibility that I could always develop ROP later.  A+ on my first eye exam...not too shabby!

The physical therapist also comes to visit me every couple of days.  She stretches my feet out  because she says that my mid-foot is a bit tight.  Maybe it is similar to the "slight club feet" that Reid had.  So she stretches me, massages them a bit, and tapes them up for me.  Massage and stretch me all you want, but the next time she takes that tape off of me again, I may have to throw my pacifier at her!   I don't like that thing anyway. 

Well, I think that about wraps it up.  OH, except for the fact that I need to say, GEAUX TIGERS!!!  Dad TiVo'd the game for me so we can watch it when I go home, but I heard it was a nail biter!  Hope everyone is doing well.  See you soon.

Beau

It's Gameday!

Mommy sure is funny!

Morning stretch...

Lala came to visit, and I was giving her lots of smiles!

3 weeks old and my 1st Halloween!

I am 3 weeks old already (as of yesterday)! Sorry, I was busy planning my escape so I could go trick or treating around the NICU, so no time for blogging. In case you were wondering, the escape did not go as planned...turns out they have me trapped in this box and I have monitors coming out the wazoo. Nurses-1 Me-0. Nuts! I hear that Halloween stuff is pretty fun. That's what Big Brother Reid says, anyways.

Here is a rundown on what has been going on the past few days:

I had a busy weekend and got to meet more members of my family!! Saturday, I met my Aunt Chantal, Uncle "Zo", and Rere! They all live pretty far away so it was really good to finally meet them. Then on Sunday I got to visit with my Lala, Joe-Pa, and even my cool Aunt B!! Aunt Chantal and Uncle Zo couldn't get enough of me, so they came back for another visit too. Every time Aunt C comes, I try to climb out of my snuggler to see my future little baby cousin in her belly =). I'm going to have so many playmates when I finally bust out of this joint!

I have continued to misbehave with my A's and B's even on the Vapotherm. I think they have me figured out...I'm stubborn. What can I say, "I get it from my Momma...", well, and my Daddy for that matter. I'm so stubborn that when I have some of these spells, I keep holding my breath even when the nurses knock me around a bit. They usually have to "bag" me to give me some manual breaths before I say uncle. Mom was here today and saw one of my bad episodes for the first time. I didn't mean to upset her, but sometimes I just can't come out of it on my own. She rocked me after that, gave me a whipen, and threatened me a bit. Like I said before, poor Reid! The doctor also scolded me and turned the Vapotherm settings a little higher. Guess I like that little bit of extra air pressure because I have been on good behavior since lunch time.

Still tolerating the milk well. I'm up to a whopping 10 mL per hour that drips into my belly continuously. I kept trying to yank that little tube out of my mouth so they moved it to my nose. Ugh, these nurses just don't get the hint, do they?? But, the milk must be working because I am up to 3 pounds 8 ounces! They started adding an extra 4 calories per ounce of my milk. It sure brings a whole new meaning to the product muscle milk...I think my Dad has some in the pantry, lol!

Everything else is about the same, no real issues, and I'm going strong!! Can't wait to meet all of you! Here are some pictures from the past couple of days, including some pics of my cool Big Bro from Halloween!

Night everyone!
Beau Hudson

I can't figure out why the pictures post out of order, but you get the point!

A's and B's...

Well, I was definitely spoiling everyone with my good progress. I started having more and more "spells" of apnea and bradycardia...A's and B's, for short. I thought I was doing something good...you know, learning my alphabet, but Mom quickly informed me that I was misbehaving. Apnea is a period where I stop breathing and in preemies, like me, it is a pause in breathing that lasts longer than 20 seconds, which causes bradycardia (a drop in my oxygen level). Basically, I forget to breathe sometimes. This is something that is very common in preemies and it is something that I will grow out of, so no worries! My punishment - back on the Vapotherm nasal cannula. I'm still breathing on my own, but I just need a little extra air pressure, that's all.

On a good note, I am tolerating my feeds well. Within the next day or so I will be receiving 100% milk and no more fluid. Yay! I am weighing in at 3 pounds 3 ounces...gaining slowly, but gaining!

I got to snuggle with Mom today and Dad is hanging out with me now. Unfortunately, when Lala came to visit yesterday the old nurse wouldn't let her and Mom hold me. What does she know, hmmph. Maybe next time, Lala.

They took my girlfriends away =(. I will have to sneak out and find them when the nurses aren't watching.

Guess that's about it for now. Enjoy the pictures! Love y'all!

Beau

2 weeks old!

I am two weeks old today! I can't believe they didn't bring me a cake, but I guess I will settle for the milk they are giving me. We have a little catching up to do since Mom and I took a break from blogging this weekend...

I have graduated from the Vapotherm to the High-flow nasal cannula. To help you compare, the lowest setting on the Vapotherm delivers 2 liters of oxygen per minute. The high-flow nasal cannula gives me 1 liter of oxygen per minute and they have it on the lowest "setting" of 21% oxygen, which is like breathing "room air"...what all of you breathe. They say I am doing great! The next and last step would be to put me on the low-flow nasal cannula which delivers .1 liter of oxygen. We are NOT rushing things, but just FYI.

I now weigh a whopping 3 pounds 1 ounce and measure 15 1/2 inches. Yep, every ounce counts =). Dad was so proud when I entered the 3 pound weight class hah! Milk, it does the body good. Speaking of milk, I am tolerating my feeds well enough for the doctors to increase my milk intake to 3.2mL per hour, as of today. I am also dirtying plenty of diapers; something I learned from my big bro!

Other than that, things are moving right along. OMG, how could I forget, Mom got to hold me today!! She. Was. In. Heaven. Period. And I liked cuddling with her too! Now we both have something else to look forward to when she comes to visit. I bet we will have to convince Dad that he won't break me before he actually holds me. It's kinda funny to think that he will be the one tossing me around before we know it, but he is the most nervous about touching me right now.

Before I go, I would like to ask you all to add a few more little ones to your prayer list: the Ranzino triplets. The nurses brought them into the NICU Thursday and I said, "well hello ladies!". Unfortunately, the nurses wouldn't let me go visit, but I waved to them from my house in the corner. These girls are the daughters of my Uncle Lonzo's friend. They are all doing well!

Oh - and a big thank you to Maci Claire for the awesome signs she made for my hi-zouse! I defInitely have the coolest "crib" in the NICU!! From what Mom tells me, she is a pretty cool chick!

Everyone sleep well! Stay tuned for updated pictures...

XOXO,
Beau Hudson

A little note from Beau

Hey everyone!

I thought I would drop in and let you all know that I have had another really good day!  They took out the "lines" going in my umbilical cord so I can finally lay on my belly...I am a happy camper!  Dad came to visit today and said I looked so comfy that I was putting him to sleep.  I really like when he comes to visit, but I sure hope Mom gets better soon so she can come to see me; Dad says she is really grouchy because she doesn't feel good and because she can't come to visit...poor Reid!

I am still on the Vapotherm, but they have turned the settings down and I continue to breathe really well on my own.  I got a little tired of suntanning so I asked the nurse if she would please turn those lights off.  She did and said that I got an A+ on my bili score today.  Hopefully she won't turn them back on.  Mom thinks I like suntanning like her, but I think that stuff is for girls!

The milk is agreeing with me so far, but the nurses continue to monitor how well I am tolerating it.  If things continue to look good, then they will increase the amount of milk I receive.  Thank goodness, because I need to put some meat on these bones if I am ever going to be able to hold my own with my big bro.  He is a monster!

Well, I am getting pretty sleepy.  Thank you for all of your prayers; they are definitely working!  Hope to meet everyone soon!  Oh, and Geaux Tigers!!!

Love,

Beau Hudson

Mom loving on me

This is when the nurses were switching my masks out

Ahh...this is more like it

I have such a cool big brother...just not sure about that jacket!