Home Stretch

Gavin has been in the NICU eight weeks today.  He has made such good progress since he was first admitted.  He has graduated from his isolette bed to an open crib that does not control his body temperature.  They no longer monitor his oxygen levels and they removed his feeding tube today.  He is getting to be such a big boy!  He is now bottle or breastfeeding all of his meals and was moved to an "ad lib" eating schedule.  This means he can eat whenever he acts hungry.

We thought Gavin would be home this weekend, but we hit a minor bump in his progress.  The doctor's discovered that he has an inguinal hernia and he needs to have surgery.  His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow.  Inguinal hernias are very common in preemie boys, one in six boys will have one.  A person with an inguinal hernia has a piece of intestine that protrudes through an abnormal opening in the abdominal wall in the groin.  Gavin is not in a lot of pain, but has been more gassy due to the hernia and is having a difficult time passing stool.  We are told it is a very easy surgery and should last just about an hour.  If all goes well with his recovery, we should be able to bring Gavin home this Wednesday.  Erik and I are counting down the hours.  We are so excited to bring the little guy home!

Progress!

Sorry that it has been awhile since I've updated the blog.  Running back and forth from the hospital keeps me on my toes.  The great news is Gavin has made tremendous progress since I've last blogged.  He has been growing like crazy.  He looks like a completely different baby compared to the pictures we took when he was first admitted.  Gavin now weighs 4 lbs 11 oz.  He typically gains an ounce to two ounces a day.  We hope to celebrate his 5 pound mark by the end of the week.  He is learning to breastfeed and hopefully will graduate from the feeding tube in the next few days.  Babies his age don't always have the coordination needed to suck, swallow and breathe.  All skills necessary to breastfeed successfully!  He is a quick learner and making progress everyday.  We will soon start to master bottle feeding as well, so Daddy can help with the feedings at home.

Gavin was weened from the nasal cannula three days ago.  He is now breathing great on his own.  It is so great to see his face without all of the equipment attached.  He has been in the NICU 6 weeks today, so he's an old veteran around there.  We have seen many babies come and go through our stay.  We are anxiously awaiting our time to go home, which will hopefully be in in the next two weeks.  Cross your fingers that it's sooner!