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.