26 weeks today, 5 days old

Lucas is five days old today and would have been 26 weeks along. He had a challenging morning today as his oxygen levels dropped and his lungs appeared to collapse some. His heart rate was irratic while they worked to stablize him. The NICU team put him up to 100% oxygen for a while but by 11 AM when I could see him, his heart rate and blood oxygen levels were all stable. This is one of the first scary moments but it was a relief to have it explained starting with "Lucas is stable now, but..." The doctor still has him off the photo therapy light for jaundice but reminded again that the jaundice will likely get worse and need to be treated again.

Because of the episode this morning, the ultrasound tech was unable to do the scan of Lucas's heart again to see it the PDA treatment worked. The next biggest hurdle for us is getting this heart valve closed. Until it is, Lucas will continue to have issues like this morning because his heart is not pumping blood and oxygen the way its supposed to. This may mean Lucas will have to have surgery which means he'll be transferred to Children's Hospital. It increases the risk we'll lose him too. The doctor is looking at his options to remove Lucas's umbilical cord IV and insert a ***PICC line because it lasts longer and is more suited for the efforts of giving Lucas medicine

 We are gathering hope in the success stories of other micropremies, but are reminded daily to be prepared to lose our son. Going home without him today was hard but not nearly as hard as being home alone with an empty crib knowing it may never have my baby in it.

The bright news today is that the new medication I started last night has brought my blood pressure down well and I'm maintaining below 150's/90's. I'm moving slowly, but my furry babies were as excited as I've ever seen them to have me home. I've got plenty of chocolate to make me feel better and most of my fish lived through me being away though Brandon forgot to feed them most days. Thank you for follow our story and I hope you have a blessed night!

~Kristen
P.S. Prayers and best wishes to Aunt Alisa and her family for her surgery and recovery today.

***     Definition: Percutaneously inserted central catheters (PICC lines), are long, thin, plastic tubes that travel from a vein in an arm or leg into one of the large veins near the heart. In premature infants, they are used to deliver fluids or medications.

A PICC line is similar to a peripheral IV, but is longer and lasts longer. Premature infants have fragile veins, and peripheral IVs usually last only 1 to 3 days. A PICC line, though more difficult to insert, can be used for 1 to 2 weeks or more.  PICC insertions are less invasive, have decreased complication risk associated with them, and remain for a much longer duration than other central or periphery access devices.