Eight Weeks Old

Archer's time on the nasal cannula was cut short. He was pausing too much in between breaths and the cannula does not have the technology to back him up. It was good for him to be off the ventilator and to start taking small steps to breathing on his own. The staff may give him another try in a week. They would like to give him time to grow more and take in more calories. His milk intake was increased from 156 ml to 168 ml per day, with a 25 calorie fortifier. Archer's oxygen levels for the ventilator are back in the thirties and his NAVA setting is back to 2.5. He recovered fairly quickly from all of the excitement he had yesterday. Another positive result of the excitement was that he was able to move to the largest available breathing tube. This will help reduce any air leaks that could occur.
Archer had another short period of high body temperature. His temperature reached 100 degrees. Mom and Dad helped cool him down and calm him by opening the incubator doors and kept him from squirming about. It's speculated that the incubator heating probe may be faulty.