One Ounce at a Time

Archer had another day of up and down breathing levels. He never seemed to get settled in, so a nurse gave him a sedative to help calm him. This seemed to help just a little. He required a little more oxygen today.
Archer's latest weigh-in was 1 pound, 14 ounces.
Archer's new feeding schedule should help him gain a little more weight and grow. It was increased from 1 ml of milk every 6 hours, to every 3 hours.

Whew!

Over the last 24 hours, Archer's breathing had been up and down. The nurses tried to retape his breathing tube three different times, but this did not seem to curb his behavior. His blood gas tests were not very good this morning either. After looking at a chest x-ray, it was determined that his right lung was collapsed and not expanding correctly.
The first move was to lay Archer on his left side, so his right lung would have more room to expand. Next, the nurses changed his TPN (nutrients) to a different mixture, hoping this would improve his blood gas. After a few more hours, a few more blood gas tests, and another x-ray, the NICU staff was successful at getting his right lung to expand correctly again!

Since this was corrected, Archer has been doing fantastic (according to the night nurse). Archer was given a bath, peed while getting a bath (ha ha), was given new sheets (the camouflage sheets appeared to make his skin blue and purple), and has been very calm.

Now if we could just get him to keep his thumb out of his nose...

Five Weeks Old

Archer had his diaper changed by Dad for the first time today! Thankfully, it was not a stinky one, and they both had fun during this experience.
Archer received a new Kate's Kart book: A Silly Snow Day.
Archer did not take part in Kangaroo Care today. His breathing numbers have been a little jumpy ever since his first experience with Mom. This is a common occurrence in between caring times, and the Kangaroo Care system usually begins with an every-other-day timetable.
Archer's oxygen levels are still floating around 45%, but he was able to go down a pressure setting over night.

Kangaroo Care

Archer's day was full of excitement. His blood pressure line (his second so far) quit working, so it was taken out. The nurses will rely on the blood pressure cuff again to check his levels.

Archer then had a new I.V. line put in. The nurses had a rough time finding a good spot in a vein to accomplish this task. He got a little bruised up on his right arm during this process. Mom was a little frustrated, but the nurses made up for it later in the day.

The nurses decided that it would be a good day to start "Kangaroo Care" because Archer has been doing so well the past few days. Kangaroo Care is a technique for preemies and parents that allows skin-to-skin contact, on the chest, with quiet time, for a few hours at a time. In short, After four weeks and six days, Mom got to hold Archer for the first time for almost three hours!

It was quite the process in watching four nurses prepare for this event. Several wires and lines had to be untangled, detached, and reattached. Mom learned how to properly pick him up, and then she stepped back with him into a reclining chair. Archer did very well with Mom. It was a very peaceful experience for both of them. 

While Mom was taking care of Archer, the nurses switched out his incubator for the first time. He had made quite the mess in it today! So when Mom was done with Kangaroo Care, Archer snuggled into his new bed (with camouflage blankets).

Dad let Archer grasp his finger while he was in Mom's arms. Don't worry Archer, Dad's turn is coming soon!

Gaining Momentum

Archer seems to be taking in the latest rounds of milk just fine. He is having good bowel sounds and movements. He is still on the 1 ml, every six hours, schedule.
Archer's latest weigh-in number is 1 pound, 13 ounces. Some of this weight could be attributed to all of the lines and padding he has on his arms.
Archer was able to wean a little more off his oxygen and seems to be heading in the right direction. He is currently floating around 45%, the lowest it has been since he's been back on the ventilator. We hope this trend continues. The next best thing would be to wean down on the ventilator's pressure settings. The goal is to get his lungs to be able to expand on their own, and the ventilator is helping him practice this task, along with the inhaled steroids.

Milk. Round 2.

Mom got to change Archer's diaper for the first time today! Eww. He left a nice one for her to change for the first time!
Archer started to receive milk again, since he is now off the blood pressure medication. His current schedule is 1 ml of milk every six hours. The six hour difference is based on giving him time to rest in between feedings.
Archer was also able to wean a little more off high oxygen levels. He had a good day while Mom read all of his Kate's Kart books to him.

Two Eyes Are Better Than One

Archer made it to the 28 week mark today and he waited until New Year's Day to fully open his left eye. Mom and Dad think it is pretty cool that he opened each eye in a different year!
Archer rested well today. He recovered from some high oxygen levels and he was not as squirmy as he had been. He received a new blood pressure/blood draw line in his left arm, the same arm that still has the PICC line. His blood pressure levels have still been good. If this continues then milk feedings should start again tomorrow.
Archer received another Kate's Kart book: Baby Bear.