Sleepy

Archer attempted to take a bottle today but he acted too tired and did not seem very interested. If he seems awake and alert later on tonight then the night nurse may give it a try.
Archer had another eye exam today and the results were the same as before. His eyes are between levels 1 and 2 ROP, and it is good that they have not gotten any worse.
Archer gained two more ounces and his weight is now 4 pounds 8 ounces.

Pictures of Archer's Room

Archer's picture board and schedule. Schedule shows his nurse for the shift, assessment schedule, feeding amounts, and weight.

A shelf for Archer's Kate's Kart books and gifts.

A work area for Mom and Dad.

A reclining chair for kangarooing and swaddling, and a small couch to relax on.

His Vapotherm machine that feeds him oxygen. Set at 2.0 liters per minute, 28% oxygen,  and a humidified oxygen temperature of 35 degrees celsius.

A larger view of the Vapotherm stand that holds other equipment needed and liquids.

A monitor that shows the statistics of the leads that he wears. The green number is his heart rate (beats per minute),  the blue number is his oxygen saturation number (ideal number is between 88 and 98), and the white number is his breaths per minute. The box below this monitor shows his incubator temperature (27 degrees celsius), and it has other options to weigh him and such.

A refrigerator to keep milk, a food warmer, a scale to weigh dirty diapers, and a sink to help Mom and Dad stay clean when they handle Archer.

Archer is in here somewhere in his incubator. There are valves along the wall. At some point when he is off Vapotherm (when he can handle small amounts of liter flow) he will be receiving 100% oxygen "off the wall" from one of these valves.

Where Mom has stayed everyday since December 1st.

37 Weeks

Archer continued his one-a-day bottle feeding again today. His milk intake was increased from 37 ml to 40 ml and he has increased his weight to 4 pounds 6 ounces. Archer was quite fussy for about 45 minutes before his bottle feeding. He then downed just more than half of his bottle and got worn out. The rest was sent through his feeding tube. Mom observed the nurse feed him again because it is a difficult task to tackle.

Bottoms Up

Archer had his first try at feeding through a bottle for one of his feedings today. The nurse taught Mom how to hold the bottle, to take it out slightly when Archer forgets to breathe, and to allow him time to burp. So Mom observed while Archer downed all 37 ml of milk like a champ in less than 30 minutes! He was very good at burping too! It took a lot of work for him to do this and he was worn out when he had finished. He had a brady about an hour afterward which was expected after this difficult task. The staff will most likely continue to give him one bottle a day, and then gradually add more bottle feedings until he is taking a bottle every three hours. Until then he will still take most feedings through his feeding tube. Archer's oxygen has been around 30% and the nursed raised it to 35% only while he was feeding. The nurses mentioned that he did much better with a bottle than they had expected.
Archer received a new Kate's Kart book today: The Grouchy Ladybug.

Tugging

Archer started his day out today by giving his nurse a run for her money. He pulled his feeding tube out... twice! This was the first time that he has accomplished this task. His breathing was also fairly periodic (up and down). He is most likely getting used to the 2.0 liter flow setting that was changed yesterday.
Archer also put on 20 more grams, bringing him to 4 pounds 3 ounces. His reflux medication was increased because of this weight change, and also to help with his reflux issues he has at the end of feedings. His meals were increased from 35 ml to 37 ml.
Archer has received quite a haul as far as gifts, cards, and love and support from family members and friends. Mom and Dad would like to thank everyone who has showered Archer with their gifts and support, and those who have followed this blog. Archer still has a long road ahead, but your support makes the road much easier to travel for the Kumfer family.

Thirteen Weeks Old

Mom and Dad arrived this morning to find Archer dressed in a onesie for the first time! He has been maintaining his own temperature more and more as the incubator's heating level has been turned down. His weight for the evening was 4 pounds 2 ounces. The more weight he gains the less work he has to do to keep his temperature steady.
Archer was able to wean down from 2.5 lpm to 2.0 lpm on his cannula liter flow. His oxygen level has been in the high twenties. He will have a brady once or twice a day, usually near the end of feeding or right after. This is most likely attributed to reflux issues.

Swinging

Archer maintained his weight today, in fact he jumped up 20 grams (still at 3 pounds 15 ounces). He also made it into a baby swing for the first time today. He has been maintaining his temperature just fine on his own when he is swaddled, and he is usually calm as well. One of the main steps to weaning out of a closed incubator is taking in half of the feeds from a bottle. Archer is not really close to this step, so he will still stay in his closed incubator the majority of the time (unless the staff decides to make an exception).