December 2, 2012

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November 26, 2012

It has obviously taken me a while to update our blog but that is for a good reason, we brought Bradley home on Monday November 19! We were surprised by the news from our doctor Monday morning and hurried to gather all of our things from the Ronald McDonald house. Since we didn't know in advance about Bradley's discharge we were able to surprise our families that evening. It has been a week of celebrating the homecoming of our sweet miracle baby. Dave and I are trying to adjust to our new life as a family. Bradley has been doing great since we have been home and our dogs are adjusting very well. We are so lucky to have such great support from everyone and we could not have gone through this without that. We will continue to update the blog on Bradley's progress. Thank you for your support!!!

November 15, 2012

It's been a busy few days here at PSL. We have hit some minor bumps in the road but are on our way once again. Unfortunately my milk supply has not been able to keep up with Bradley's rapidly growing appetite so we had to introduce formula. I was not expecting to have to do this, as most Mom's expect their bodies to do what they are made to do and provide their baby with enough milk for them to grow on. That has not been our luck here. On Monday night we had to give Bradley his first taste of formula and it did not take well. He immediately threw up all of the formula. The doctors decided after a second attempt to try a different formula. He didn't seem to mind the taste but his stomach could not tolerate it. Finally we switched to a formula that is "pre-digested" meaning his body does not have to work so hard to break down the formula and he seems to like it more than the first two, so we are sticking with it. I am still pumping and recently started nursing so he is still getting breast milk but we are having to feed formula when we run out of my supply. He had a rough couple of days trying to adjust to the formula since his stomach is more sensitive than a normal baby's. Last night was a successful night with his feedings and today he did great. We are hoping his body is getting use to having formula in it and can continue to function as well as it does on breast milk. He is making lots of new friends with all of the nurses and quickly becoming a NICU celebrity! One of the neonatologists today said that he is a miracle gastroschisis baby as most have a much more difficult path. We are so thankful for the positive thoughts and prayers we are receiving from everyone... it's working!

November 10, 2012

Yesterday the doctor came by and said how they were all so impressed with Bradley's progress. We learned that they want him to get to 50 ml, not 60 ml to be at full feedings. This means we are less than 10 ml away from full feedings now. The only problem we are running in to right now is Bradley will fall asleep while eating and not get his full amount down needed. This is common with most babies but with Bradley we really need him to get every drop in his stomach so it can grow. Yesterday was tough because he did not get very much rest due to an abnormally noisy NICU room. We decided to put in a feeding tube and do every other feeding through that which will allow him to sleep longer periods instead of waking up every 2-3 hours to eat.   This will get us to full feeds a lot quicker and still allow his stomach to grow while getting the rest he needs to be a strong boy. His body is functioning very well with no digestive problems. We have so much to be thankful for this month! We are finally feeling like the end is getting close and continue to find strength every day to get through this. We appreciate all of the support and love we are getting from our family and friends.

November 6, 2012

Saturday was a big day for us! We started Bradley on his second round of feedings with only 6 ml of breast milk. He did really well with that so on Sunday they increased his volume to 12 ml, quite the jump. He did great with that as well. The doctors are slowly increasing the amount of milk he gets at each feeding (every 3 hours) as he is able to tolerate it. Once he shows signs of not being able to handle the amount given they will back down a little and give his tummy a little break. As of this morning at 3:00 they moved him to 21 ml after slowly increasing yesterday and the nurses said he has done wonderful. Once we get to full feedings and he can hold it down for five days we can go home. With each increase of feeding comes more risk. We are prepared for a set back but hoping for a miracle. We appreciate every message and phone call and could not get through this without the support of our friends and family!

November 1, 2012

Today was a great day for Bradley. He was the happiest I have seen him since he was born (a whole 9 days!). The tube that is draining his stomach was set to gravity today which means he is about ready to start feedings again. We are hoping tomorrow morning to start feeding. Our goal is to get to full feedings without him vomiting green bile. They start very small with 3 cc's and a full feeding for his size is about 48 cc's. They will gradually move up with each feeding which will be every three hours. If we can make it to full feedings he needs to make it to 72 hours without vomiting. Then we should be discharged. It can sometimes take a few times of trying this for it to work. It is about a 5-7 day set back when the feedings don't take. Our goal is to be home by Thanksgiving but we know that this can be a long road. We are asking for all the prayers, positive thoughts and good vibes as we can get for his feedings to start!