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!

Bradley's first bath :)

October 29th 2012

Yesterday was a big day for Bradley. He was moved to the "Graduate NICU" and they started feeding him breast milk. Dave and I were told this news last night when we returned to PSL and were so surprised! We bolted to the 7th floor to see our little graduate and were shocked to see him without any tubes on his face! This was the first time we saw our precious boys face without anything taped to it. Yet, another amazing moment for Dave and I. We got to feed him his tiny little bit of milk and he drank it faster than I've ever seen a baby drink anything. He handled the first few feedings before he threw up the milk. Our doctor informed us this happens 100% of the time with the first time feeding. The baby's insides need to wake up and start working and this is where it can get tough. They like to get the baby eating and digesting for five days without complications before they send the baby home. After he couldn't handle the milk the doctors put the tube back in to his stomach to draw out anything in it before they start feeding again. He had a tough day today since he had a taste of food and now had that taken away from him. I was with him for 12 hours straight today and held him for a good portion of it. He loves being held and is such a good baby. Dave has returned to Loveland to work and has been coming to the hospital after work and doing the night time changing. We are really trying to stay positive and hopeful for taking our miracle baby home within the next few weeks or less. He is such a healthy boy and is so close to being done with all of this. We can not believe that tomorrow he will be one week old!

October 26, 2012

Today they moved Bradley in to his own room where it is darker and more quiet so he can recover a little faster. He has not had any significant weight loss or gain which is good. The swelling on his stomach is going down more every day. He has had a few poopy diapers which is a great sign that his insides are waking up and working. This is huge for a gastroschisis baby only being 3 days old. The skin on his stomach is stretched causing some scabbing which is common in post term babies. Dave and I are staying at PSL one more night and hopefully I will be moving to the Ronald McDonald house tomorrow and stay there until I am able to commute to and from Loveland. Dave will return to work Monday and travel between PSL and our house throughout the week.

October 25, 2012

On Monday October 22, 2012 I received a call from one of the nurses on our team asking if we could move Bradley's birthday up two days to the 23rd instead of the 25th due to his "small size". Talk about a rush of emotions! We got home and packed up our bags and headed to St. Luke's hospital Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM. We checked in to the hospital and the show began! Our family showed up right behind us and they were there the entire time. Bradley Michael Eads took his first breath at 10:44 AM on October 23rd 2012. He surprised everyone by weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long! He looked very healthy so the pediatric surgeon decided not to wait, and to do his surgery immediately. We got a quick glimpse of our miracle baby and Dave left with our team of doctors to get his surgery started. They finished with Bradley's surgery in 20 minutes. They finished Bradley's surgery before I was out of the operating room get. He has been such a strong boy and is constantly impressing our doctors and nurses with his speedy recovery.

As of last night, they took him off of his ventilator, and Dave and I were able to help with his "changings". Dave took his temperature and I got to change his diaper and lift him up off his bed so the nurse could change his bedding. That has been the only time I have been able to hold him so it was a big moment for us! This morning they took him off of his oxygen and he is now breathing on his own. That is pretty unusual for a gastroschisis baby to be able to be so independent so soon after birth. We go down to the NICU as often as we can to kiss him and talk to him. The nurses in the NICU have been absolutely amazing and they let us be as involved as we would like to.

Bradley is still very wired up with tubes and probes, but they have slowly been disapearing. He has sensitive skin, and his little stomache area is very red from the streching. The surgeons created a bellybutton for him.

The plan for this evening is to help with Bradley's changing at 5:00 PM, and if all goes well we will be able to hold him for a minute!

Pictures to follow!!!!!!!!!

October 11, 2012

For those of you that do not know about our baby's condition, he has been diagnosed with gastroschisis. Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which an infant's intestines stick out of the body through a defect on one side of the umbilical cord. We found out about his condition at a 13 week ultrasound that we thought would just be a normal doctor visit. We quickly met with some of the top surgeons in Denver and came up our game plan. We have been having ultrasounds every four weeks since then to monitor the baby's growth and keep an eye on the bowel.  After birth via cesarean, Bradley will have surgery immediately and will be in the NICU at Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital for a few weeks to recover. I will be staying with him the entire time while Dave will be returning home to work and take care of our pups. We are hoping that Bradley will have a very speedy recovery and we can be home as a family for the holidays! We want to thank everyone for all of the thoughts, prayers and support because that is what is getting us through this journey.

October 9, 2012

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first born, Bradley Michael Eads! His expected arrival date is October 25th at 9:00 A.M. We thought this would be a great way for friends and family to track how Bradley is recovering after his surgery and see pictures of his progress.