Nelson Family

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...

Today Burke was holding his own. Blood pressure, heart rate, respirations, etc are looking good. He is getting ready for a big day tomorrow when they will check his esophagus to see if it healed properly and is not leaking. If there is no leak, the doctors will take out his chest tube and remove the ventilator!! (that will be wonderful). He is showing us signs that he can breathe well on his own without support...he is now "chomping" down on his ventilator tube and we can almost hear him say "get this thing out of my mouth!" He is opening his eyes more now and responding to our voices and gentle touch. Yesterday afternoon our eyes locked in a gaze and it was one of the most special moments I've had with my boy! He is soooo sweet and definitely knows when his mommy & daddy are there with him. We've had to move back to Seattle until Tuesday so it's hard to be so far away. We're commuting to Tacoma every day to spend time with him. My mom i...

Lots of progress over the past 2 days! Baby Burke is now getting my breastmilk through a feeding tube placed in his nose and is tolerating it well (he's never had anything in his tummy until now!). Prior to this he's been fed via an IV directly into his veins but now he's able to get a good dose of mommy's "medicine". He had a big poop this morning...we are thrilled about poopy diapers (never thought I'd say that!). They are weaning him off the ventilator and he is breathing more on his own. They say that he should be completely off the ventilator by Sunday night. Monday he will have a esophogram which will evaluate the surgical repair to his esophagus and detect any leaks or problems. Burke is trying so hard to wake up now...he opened one eye and looked at us yesterday! So cute! He moves his hands and legs and acts like he's trying to cry...this is good as it shows us signs that he's waking up and acting more like a healthy baby! Yesterday w...

Isn't he cute! :) He looks like daddy but with darker hair! He's doing ok today (post heart surgery) but still needs help breathing as his medications for pain cause him to not take as many breaths on his own. We are very very proud of his strength and endurance for the past 10 days of his little life...what a fighter! Thanks for your continued prayers...we feel them!

Burke did well through his surgery today! Praise Praise!!! The cardiac surgeon closed the open vessel in his heart . This was a huge step for his baby steps toward improvement and healing! Post surgery he is sleeping soundly and comfortabley (with lots of meds on board). The nurse said his bloodwork and blood pressure are starting to look better already. In the next few days they will be weaning him off the ventilator and blood pressure medication. Hopefully by next week we'll start introducting fluids into his little tummy through the tube in his nose (NG tube). We are doing ok...it was a long day at the hospital but we took a short nap this afternoon. We're about to head back to our little apartment down the street, make dinner and go to bed early. I think we'll both have a glass of wine to celebrate a good day! (yes, for all you breastfeeding folks, I'll "dump")! Thank you for your prayers today...we felt them and so did Burke.

Burke's proud family: Papa Tom, Nina (grandma) his Uncles and Aunties on mom's side! Thanks for your support...we love you! More photos of dad's side of the family to come... For more photos you can check out Uncle Derek's photo page at: photos.yahoo.com/dnelson_1971

On Wednesday 7/5/06 Burke will under go his second surgery of life. Before birth, there is a natural opening between the aorta (the main artery to the body) and the pulmonary artery (the main artery to the lungs) called the ductus arteriosus. This opening usually closes shortly after birth. PDA occurs when this opening fails to close; PDA occurs in about 10% of infants. PDA is often treated initially with a medication called indomethacin but Burke's PDA didn't close on its own or with indomethacin so surgery will be performed. A small incision is made on the left side of the chest. The ductus is either ligated (tied off) or cut. We are hopeful that this surgery will go well and have been reassured that it is simple and quick. After this surgery, we look forward to Burke coming off the ventilator and his blood pressure stablizing without the need for medication. Please pray for a safe surgery & quick recovery!