Pictures from Last Week

Cason Sleeping

He's got a mad face just like his brother

Burping

Cason drinking his bottle

Cason's baths

I finally get to dress him!!!

4/27/2010

Hi everyone, sorry I have not posted in a while. we have had quite the week with Cason. For the most part things are sailing smoothly along. He has been progressing wonderfully. He is now about 4lbs 4oz. He was able to start taking a bottle twice a day. He has done awesome with his suck/swallow/breathe coordination. His first shot at the bottle he drank 21mls out of 35 mls in about 30 minutes. His nurse had to take the bottle away from him a few times because he was forgetting to breathe but for the most part he caught on. His second bottle he was champ. He drank the entire bottle [35 mls] in 10 minutes, pacing himself very nicely and he remembered to breathe the whole time.

We have had one fairly large setback in the past week. Cason's head circumference was growing rapidly due to his hydrocephalus. Last Monday [4/19] the neurologists decided to do a series of lumbar punctures [spinal taps] to try to alleviate the pressure and build up of the excess spinal fluid. Cason responded very well to them but they were not able to get as much out as the had hoped for. A total 10mls was all they were able to extract. His head circumference also kept expanding despite the lumbar punctures. Eventually at the end of last week his head circumference stabilized, however the neurologists decided to perform an operational procedure to take care of the problem. On Monday [4/26] They performed a procedure [with a REALLY big name I can't quite remember] where they basically poked a whole in the bottom Cason's 2 bilateral ventricles in his head to that spinal fluid could more easily flow down to his third ventricle and then into his spine. They also inserted a reservoir in his head. The best visual I got for the reservoir is that it looks like a tiny breast implant with a tube on the bottom. They insert the reservoir on top of his ventricle [where his skull hasn't fused yet]. When there is an excess of spinal fluid in the ventricle it should flow into the tube and then into the reservoir and the doctors will then extract the excess fluid from the reservoir. We are praying and hope that this will solve Cason's hydrocephalus and it will eventually normalize. He did have to have to go under, but did great. He is intubated [not breathing by himself] and cannot eat right now as he comes out of the anesthesia but should be back to the nasal cannula and eating very soon. Monday was a very stressful day for me [being there by myself] and Calvin [being in Colorado]. But we managed and everything went beautifully.

Calvin, Austin and my mom are headed out here to San Diego this afternoon [4/27] to spend the rest of the week and weekend with me and Cason. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them and pray they have a safe drive out here.

Thanks again for everyone's positive thoughts and prayers. Cason is definately a fighter and we are looking forward to introducing him to you all!

4/15/2010

Cason just got the PIC line out of his arm

I have been spending a lot of time with Cason this week since Austin and Calvin have gone home. We have been doing "skin to skin" twice a day all week. It is going really well. He is up to 30 mls feedings every 3 hours. We are going to try to dry breast feeding next. Dry breast feeding is when the preemie is placed at the mother's breast [after she has pumped] and lets the baby smell, and play so that he may get used to the breast. They try to do this before they begin to bottle feed so that baby will be familar with breast and have an easier time starting to breast feed.

Cason also got his PIC line taken out this week. The PIC line is where the antibiotics, the TPN [liquid multi-vitamin] and lipids [liquid fats] went. He is done with his antibiotics and he is off the TPN and lipids now that he has the nutrition of the breast milk.

He is still having some "events" where he forgets to breathe but they are short and most of the time he recovers himself very quickly. This is just another "preemie thing" because his lungs and coordination are not completely developed yet.

He has had a great week and just needs to continuing growing and developing so we can take him home to meet everyone!

4/12/10

Cason is doing wonderfully. He now weighes 3.3 lbs. So some people have asked what his original measurements were and we are not quite sure because they think that he was mismeasured. They had the measurement 3lbs 12oz and 15 inches long when he was born. I think this is what either what the paramedics weighed him at or maybe the hopsital but then his weight decreased significantly the next day so they think it was a mistake. The nurses have not been clear with us if they will mark the 3lbs 12oz his official weight or not.

His feeding are going wonderfully and he is up to 22mls a feeding. They foresee him being on full feedings [28mls] by Wednesday [4/14/10]. He has come off of the liquid multivitamin because he is recieving enough nutrition from the breast milk. He will stay on the lipids [fats] til he reaches a full feeding so that he may continue to gain weight.

His nasal cannula is still in place and he is doing well on that. His lungs are still underdeveloped so sometimes he forgets to breathe but always recovers nicely. They give preemies caffeine to help them remember to breathe while they are in this stage.

His head circumference has increased a marginally [on Friday 4/9/10] so they are still on alert for Hydrocephalus. They will continue to monitor this closely by measuring his head circumference and doing weekly head ultrasounds. This weekend his head circumferences were stable so that is a good sign.

Other than that he just busy growing and being cute. We have continued our skin to skin care every night and he seems to really enjoy that. He lets out loud, mad cry every time the nurses have to take him off our chests and put him back in his little bed. Calvin and I have never been so happy to hear a baby cry.

Calvin and Austin Headed Home

Calvin and Austin left yesterday [4/11/10]. Calvin, Austin, Eric and I all drove to Phoenix on Saturday [4/10/10] and met Tamra and Shannon there. We all stayed at Calvin's cousins' [Anne and Young] house. We are very grateful for their hospitality and had a great time catching up with them. Then on Sunday, Calvin and Austin headed back to Durango with Tamra and Shannon. Eric and I drove back to San Diego. It was very emotional to have to spilt our little family up and not knowing how long we will all be apart. But we can't wait til we are all reunited again [with our newest member] in Durango! I feel a little lost today without my boys.

4/8/2010

Cason getting his diaper changed [he is not a fan]
Skin to skin [he kept peeking at us]

Cason is now 15 days old and is doing really well. He is eating up about 13mls of breast milk every 3 hours now and is starting to gain weight. He now weighes 3.14lbs. His goal for feeding is get up to 26mls a feeding. [That is a full calorie feeding] In a few weeks [if he continues to do well with his feeding] they will start to feed them with a bottle. This is sometimes a challenge for preemies because they have to coordinate suck, swallow, breathe. After he is comfortable with a bottle we will try breastfeeding. This is still a few weeks away.


He is definately starting to grow and open his eyes and yawn and act like a baby. He is aslo off CPAP and is on a nasal cannula, which is less invasive, more comfortable and a step down from CPAP. His heartrate has also come down from 180's/190's to 150's/160's. The doctors had to give him some caffeine last week and they think that the caffeine has left his body and therefore regulated his heartrate. Calvin and I have continued to do 1-2 hours of skin to skin every night and he is still responding phenomenally. He does get mad when we have to put him back and sometimes cries. He definately has lungs like his big brother, Austin.

Easter Earthquake

We have officially topped off our wild vacation with an earthquake experience! Supposedly the biggest earthquake in southern California in 18 years! We were outside with some friends and family dying easter eggs with Austin and all the sudden I felt really light headed, I was really concerned that maybe something was wrong but when I looked up I realized everyone else had the same look. [except Austin] I literally watched the ground shake and cars roll back and forth for a couple of minutes. One of the nighbors pointed out that this was an earthquake, we Coloradoans had NO CLUE what was happening. After I realized I was standing 2 blocks from the bay in San Diego in an earthquake a small amount of panic set in. I have no idea what to do in an earthquake. I am sure the once in grade school they told us but New Mexico isn't exactly earthquake zone either! I learned later it was great that we were outside. The ground kept shaking and all the California residents kept saying this is the longest earthquake we've ever had. Very Comforting! Anyway everyone and everything was fine. We were all just a little wierded out and Austin never even noticed anything abnormal happened. He was too busy dying easter eggs!

Thank you for the prayers

Yesterday [4/2/10] many of Calvin's family made a trip to El Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico [http://www.elsantuariodechimayo.us/]. They make this trip every year on Good Friday. They walk a distance to the church to pray. I know many of your prayers included Cason and our family and we deeply appreciate the support. Thank you to Aunt Tamra as well who took pictures of Cason to put in the church.

4/3/10 Update

On Friday 4/2/10 Cason started recieving colostrum [the first of mom's breast milk] and has tolerated it very well. He started with 1 mililiter every 6 hours and has done so well with it that he has increased his feeding times to every three hours and just recieved 3 mls this afternoon [4/3/10]. It sounds like Cason is going to be just like his big brother, a milk monster!

Cason is slowly coming off of his breathing support. He was extubated with a ventilator [tiny tube] down his throat that offered him quite a bit of breathing support. He is now on what they call CPAP which goes in his nose. This basically puts pressure in his nose to remind him to breath. CPAP is a bit uncomfortable and and the tubing is bulky. If he continues to do well he will be moved down to a smaller, more comfortable nasal tube.

Cason's head ultrsounds are also stable and after close monitoring this week the blood in his ventricles in his head are stable and don't look like they are expanding. This is a huge victory for us. We are still praying but this is a huge sigh of relief. He will now get head ultrasounds weekly instead of daily.

I have gotten to do four skin to skin sessions so far and he is responding very well. The nurses are all very pleased with how tolerant he is [many preemies do not tolerate handling and feeding so well]. Tonight 4/3/10 Calvin is going to get some skin to skin time with Cason, we are very excited that they encourage both of us to actively particpate in skin to skin time.

I will post new pictures soon.

Skin to Skin [Kangaroo Care]

Skin to skin contact also known as "Kangaroo Care" is very important to premature babies. It let's them bond with their mother while listening to her heartbeat and breathing. This helps them coordinate their heartbeat and breathing. It also has numerous other advantages and has been known to help the development of the baby. Some babies do not respond well to this, however, Cason did amazingly well. He has been having some small issues with his gas levels and regulated them significantly during our skin to skin time. I LOVED our skin to skin time but it has made me more emotional that past couple days!

Baby Cason [The day he was born]