7/11/06 Yipee...No Leaks!


Baby Burke has had some very exciting and positive happenings over the past 2 days! On Moday the 10th, he had his esophogram. A radiologist put a dye contrast down his esophagus to test for any leaks in the repair that the surgeon did 2 weeks ago. Nate and I anxiously watched the procedure (it was intense...we think Burke handled it better than we did)! We received the great news that his esophagus has healed well and is not leaking fluid out into his lungs or abdomen!! The esophagus remains small so there is some pooling of fluid that causes him to gag a bit but the surgeon seems to think this will go away with time. Since then, his chest tube was removed and he was weaned completely off the ventilator! He is such a trooper! He is now breathing well on his own without support (he just gets a little oxygen (the concentration of room air) through a nasal canula in his nose)! He looks much better without all that sticky tape on his face! He has a NG tube (feeding tube) that goes from his nose to his tummy. He started getting more of my breastmilk today through the tube so this will help him get stronger. He is already very fiesty and tried to literally stand up in his crib today when he got upset...I didn't think a 33 wk old baby could be so strong! He has a sweet little cry...it's a bit hoarse from the ventilator tube being near his vocal cords but it is the sweetest sound we've ever heard....we LOVE to hear our baby boy cry! :) Now that we can see his face a little better, we've decided he looks even more like his daddy and even has his handsome dimples!

Nate and I are back in the parent apartments here in Tacoma until Saturday. The doctors are already discussing the option of moving Burke to Children's Hospital in Seattle sometime soon (this could be days to weeks as "time" has it's own meaning here in the NICU). We are thankful to be so close now that Burke is more awake and active....we hope to be able to hold him tomorrow if all goes well!

Please continue to pray that he gets stronger and that his breathing is maintained without the need for more support. Praise that his esophagus is healing and that he started feeding today. Our little boy is such a miracle!

Thank you for your support and love....we are so grateful! Lots to come in the next few days...we'll keep you posted!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey guys! We are SO happy for the great news. He is a fighter!! He even looks stronger in the pictures. We will continue to pray for you and your sweet little baby boy! He truly is a miracle of God :)
7:07 AM
Don't know yet... said…
Hallelujah! What glorious news. We've been waiting on pins and needles to hear the results. Can't wait to see a picture of you holding your little one. What a special moment that will be for the three of you! Much Love - Elle
8:36 AM
Anonymous said…
I second that brother Tim!
-derek
8:14 PM
D-Lo said…
Thank God for the good news! It's wonderful to see him with his arms and legs flexed little baby style!
11:46 PM
Anonymous said…
Love to you all, my prayers have been and will continue to be with you. It appears he is on track for his soccer and hockey destiny with such amazing strength. I am so happy for all three of you. The beauty of your relationship with each other and with God is shining through.
11:41 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-26-06 We're Going HOME!

YES, it's official!...we're GOIN HOME! OH MY! In exactly three months Burke has managed three major surgeries, two major procedures,3 nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections, two rounds in the NICU, a million x-rays and florostudies, rounds and rounds of expert opinions and even more trials of ways to feed and gain weight. As of today, Burke has doubled his weight to 8 lbs and is taking in the appropriate amount of milk by a bottle (binky trainer good bye!)! His esophagus and stomach are slowly but surely starting to coordinate themselves appropriately and Burke is now HUNGRY when his tummy is empty and HAPPY when his tummy is full of mommy's milk! We've managed to convince Children's Hospital Surgical Team, Dieticians, Residents and Feeding therapists that premies with surgical complicaton CAN grow and gain weight on breastmilk alone through a process called Lactoengineering...I've even been asked to publish an article for the Journal of Human Lactation a...
Read more

7-15-06 I'm so cute

Image
It was another good day today. Burke rested peacefully and continues to breathe well...so well that they discontinued the oxygen that was being given through his nasal canula (yay..one more tube gone). He's also in the process of being weaned from the morphine...it's a slow process but the doctors have reassured us this is very common and the babies do just fine without any long term side effects! We are super proud of his progress. Monday he will be transfered to Children's Hospital...we are very excited to be closer to home. Please continue to pray that the transfer goes well and that he responds well to being weaned off the morphine. Thanks...we appreciate you all so much!
Read more

8-20-06 Surviving the Hospital

Image
Well...we're still hanging in here at Children's and trucking along in the right direction (homeward bound). We're still just "talking" about going home so there are no official plans yet but we hope it will be sometime later this week. Burke's official due date is Aug 24th so we hope to be going home around then! In order to get there, Burke must gain weight steadily and have stable breathing. His weight gain has been slow but is on the rise and he weighs 6lbs as of yesterday! He continues to have 1 to 2 episodes of oxygen desaturations during the early morning hours which has been somewhat concerning as the doctors can't quite figure out why they're occuring. Burke hasn't been negatively affected by these episodes and doesn't require extra breathing support/oxygen which means his body is strong enough to recover nicely on his own. An expert plans to visit us tomorrow to help uncover the meaning behind these episodes and we pray she'll b...
Read more