Life in the NICU

3 weeks ago today, Ben and I were whisked into the world of parenthood – as well as the world of being a NICU parent. Every NICU parent we’ve spoken to has equated it to being on a rollercoaster – and so far, we would agree.

Jackson has been at the Iowa City NICU now for just about 2 weeks – and we’d say it’s been a good 2 weeks. We’ve learned a lot about what is going on inside Jacksons body since we’ve been here. Here are some highlights of what he has going on:
1 – Prematurity – obviously, he’s a preemie, but it’s something that he has to overcome – he has to continue to grow and get stronger. That takes a lot of strength and energy for a person his size. The doctors and nurses seem to think he’s doing a pretty good job. He’s doing very well and the nurses call him a “self corrector” meaning when his numbers (heart rate, blood oxygen, ect) begin to dip, he can bring them back up. He needs help occasionally, but so far, he’s done remarkably well.
2 – Lungs – He is still on the standard vent, and is on somewhat low settings. They will continue to watch all his numbers, and as he is ready, will begin to wean him off of this vent. As the doctors have said – “his lungs are not his issue”
3 – Brain bleed – he ended up not having a scan on Monday to evaluate the bleed. The last scan was done on December 19th – and it showed no change. The next scan is scheduled for January 2nd. If this scan shows no growth, the next scan will take place around 36 weeks gestational age.
4 – Kidney function – every day we are watching the fluid output through his catheter and penrose drain. We don’t want too much, or too little. Since we’ve gotten to Iowa city, the total output has been high – which is what has lead the nephrologists to believe there is damage to part of his kidneys. Over the past few days, that total output has started to decrease. This is a good sign, and we hope that the numbers continue to go in our favor. We are hopeful, but are trying to keep ourselves in check; as we have learned, life in the NICU can change quickly.
5 – Bladder -As I said above, we watch the fluid output on both the catheter and penrose. As of Tuesday sometime, the amount of fluid coming out through his drain has decreased to almost zero! This is wonderful news, as we’re hoping that this means the “hole” in his bladder/ureter is healing!

Most of these are a "wait and see" things. We have a long way to go – but right now, we feel like we’re doing well.

We’ve been given some great advice, from some wonderful people; we’ve been blessed by family, friends and strangers – and we’ve been given the best gift of all, our son – both Ben and I are falling in love with him more and more every day.
It’s funny to see full term babies, all chubby and cute – and did I mention HUGE!
We’re just amazed when we look at Jackson, all his features – perfectly formed just like those term babies (just a lot smaller). His ears, toes, fingers, and nose (ha, that rhymed) but what really blows our mind is how strong he is – everyday we are blown away by our little man. God is good =)

Just for fun - we've been noticing that Jackson likes to suck on his tubes, or if we clean out his mouth the swab that we use. He got an IV line out of his hand tonight and his hand went right to his mouth.

Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Helland