Grow Baby Grow!

Jackson officially joined the 3 pound club on Wednesday (Jan. 25); today he is 3lb 3oz. Before we know it he'll be a chubby little baby! He is 32 weeks (gestational age) or, 7 weeks old!
Jackson was also moved into an isolete. He started in this style of bed when at Mercy (in Des Moines) but Iowa City they preferred the other style of bed because it allowed for easier access to him. Now that he is getting more and more stable, they want to put him back into the isolate style bed since that will help him grow faster. The next style of bed he will see will be an open crib (and then home)!

We spoke with his doctors and asked a few questions about his status and what to expect in the coming weeks. Here is what they had to say:
He is still on CPAP, and is doing well on that - we hope in the next few weeks, they will try to wean him off of this type of support and move onto the next.
His kidneys & bladder are functioning well at this point - they plan to run a few tests shortly before he goes home - this will hopefully give us a little insight into what has happened and what we might expect in the future.
We asked if he was on track to be able to go home around his due date (march 22nd) and they said that as long as he continues on the path he's on, they see no reason we shouldn’t be bringing our little man home in about 8 weeks! We are so incredibly excited to bring him home and can’t wait for the end of March to arrive!!

Progress

Jackson has continued to grow over the past week - he now weighs in at 2lb 12oz - only 2oz shy of 1lb over his birth weight of 1lb 14oz! Before we know it he'll have doubled his birth weight! That is not the big news of this post though!

Jackson is officially breathing on his own! Tuesday morning the doctors decided that they wanted to extubate him and put him in CPAP. CPAP stands for "Continuous Positive Airway Pressure". He does all the breathing, but this provides him a little extra back pressure to help him inflate his lungs. He has done a great job so far being off of the Ventilator - he really is a strong little boy!

With his breathing tube being removed, we have been able to hear Jackson's "voice". It's so nice to be able to hear him make noises, Our favorite thing is to hear him sneeze!

We continue to be able to hold him for longer periods of time, and more frequently - he really snuggles in when we get to hold him for a long stretch of time. Both of us are looking forward to many many more snuggles when we get home!

So through all this - we have come to rely on a lot of people - our parent's and siblings, extended family, and friends, even strangers...You have freely given us your love, and support with out hesitation - You have prayed for us, you have supported us, and you've given us grace. We've had to drop out on commitments, be away from work and family, and so many of you have stepped in to help, and for that we are so thankful. We won't lie, it's hard to be a preemie parent - It's hard to be away from Jackson when we have to be at work, and it's hard to be away from home when we're with Jackson - but with all your help, you have all made it easier for us.

We can't forget one person who without his help, we'd be more lost than we already are. Jesus - yes, it sounds a little cliche, but without a doubt he is the reason we are in the place we are now - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have felt great peace (for the most part) over the past 6 weeks. Now don't get us wrong, there have been times where we have been outright angry - At God, at oursleves, and others. So it has not been an easy 6 weeks full of roses and rainbows - but a lot of questions, and fear. We know God has a plan for our family, and we're excited. With a lot of Prayer, and a lot of Trust, we've gotten to a point of peace and excitement for what the future holds.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Time to Grow

Jackson is growing a little each day. The nurses have said that the next phase of his time in the NICU is called the "growing stage". We've been told that the doctors and nurses in Bay 2 are really good at helping babies grow! Jackson is now 2lb 8oz - nearly 1 pound more than his birth weight!!
His kidney's continue to develop - and as of now, the doctors are happy with the way his kidney's are functioning. The rupture in his urinary tract seems to be healing! Once Jackson gets a little bigger they will begin to do some testing, and be able to go in and fix what they believe caused the rupture to happen in the first place.
His lungs have taken a little bit of a step back - They have started him on Hydrocortisone (a steroid) to help his lung development - he will be on this treatment for 7 - 10 days and it should begin to help fairly quickly. If all goes well, he will be extubated in the near future.
Jackson had a repeat head ultrasound earlier this week, and it showed no change. They will continue to check this periodically during our time here - We pray that his body will begin to absorb the blood in the coming weeks/months.
He will have his first eye check next week to check for any damage. This is something most (if not all) preemies are checked for.


So, now we wait...most if not all of these things require a certain amount of time before we know anything. For some, we can wait a few days, or weeks. Some will be months and even years before we may know, or even notice anything.
For Ben and I, the waiting has become a normal part of our lives, but it's not easy. We want answers so badly - we want to bring him home more than anything - and we don't want to wait anymore! But, some very wise people told us to take each day, and focus on that. Not tomorrow or the next day, but to love Jackson, and to enjoy every moment we get with him...and that makes it a little easier. He is just so perfect - made fearfully, and wonderful by God - How could you not just be in awe of the miracle of life - It blows me away every time I look at Jackson. So tiny - but perfectly formed - He has hair, and fingernails - and the cutest little nose!
We are also happy to report that we now can hold Jackson nearly everyday! Both Ben and I have gotten some wonderful cuddle time with him! He really seems to enjoy it!

We have a lot to be thankful for, and we continue to pray and ask for prayer for healing for our little man!

One Month Old

On Jan. 7th, Jackson turned one month old. He is now 2lb 4.4oz and has continued to grow and look better. He is now getting 16cc of fortified milk every 3 hours.

Yesterday, Annie and I both got to hold him each for about an hour. Since he was doing better and he had fewer lines connected to him, we were able to hold him on our chest which was a very comforting feeling for both of us and Jackson was able to handle it very well.

This morning the surgeons came in and took the penrose drain out of his side. The nurse said the hole left should heal up on its own and may or may not continue to drain a little fluid as it heals but that shouldn't affect the healing process.

Other than this, the doctors haven't told us what their long term plan is for Jackson other than to feed and grow.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support as Jackson continues to grow. He has a long time to go but things are starting to look a little better; Thank you LORD!

Kangaroo care with Mom and Dad

Life in the NICU - Milestones

Jackson hit a few milestones over the past few days! He was moved into Bay 2 on Wednesday! Bay 2 is the next step on our way to going home, and is a big accomplishment for him as it signifies that he has improved and grown while being in Iowa City. The nurses have told us that Bay 2 is typically where most of a baby's time is spent while in NICU. After Bay 2 - Jackson could be transferred to Bay 4 or 5 (Bay 3 is the same as Bay 2 so we'd skip that one) Those bays are used to help babies who are very stable and their parents prepare to go home. Most preemies are expected to be in the NICU until around their due date (Jackson was due March 22nd) So we are praying that we'll be taking our little man home around that time!

Jackson also is on "full feeds" - meaning he no longer needs supplement nutrition through his PIC line. Now that he on full feeds, he has started to gain weight and we hope to see a consistent gain of about .5 oz a day; he currently weights about 973 grams (or 2lb 2.3oz) Yay! He has officially surpassed his birth weight of 1lb 14oz)! We are hoping to see his PIC line removed in the next few days - it is great to see him with less and less tubes!!

And finally Jackson will be a month old on the 7th. It is very exciting to get some time behind us. As Jackson gets older, he will get stronger and more stable/developed - and we are excited for more milestones to come and pass!

We continue to ask for prayers of healing, growth and development for our little guy!

All snuggled up for tummy time

Happy New Years from IC NICU!

Jackson is now being fed 6 ounces of milk every 3 hours – they are fortifying it to give him more calories to help him gain weight. He is currently 1 lbs 13.3 oz. As he tolerates these feeds well they will increase the amount by about an ounce a day. Once he reaches about 10 ounces every 3 hours they can stop giving him supplemental nutrition through his IV fluids.

The urologist came in on Friday and was pleased with the output through his catheter. The drain continues to have very little to no output – this could mean that the rupture around his bladder is healing. Once he consistently has no output through his drain they will be able to remove it! An ultrasound on his kidneys will be performed sometime in the next few days to see their status.

Jackson has continues to do well on his ventilator. If all goes well, within a week or so they may try to extubate him (breathing tube being removed) and simply use a constant pressure ventilator in his nose.

Annie was able to hold Jackson again on Thursday night. He handled it very well, and was able to stay out of his bed for around 45 minutes. We are limited on the total time we can keep him out because his body is still not able to keep it’s body temperature up. We hope to hold him again in a few days.

We were told tonight that Jackson is now the “first out” baby in Bay 1. This means that if they get a new baby in that needs to be in Bay 1, Jackson will be moved to Bay 2 to make room for him/her. Bay 1 is used for the sick-est/smallest babies and Bay 2 for the less-sick babies, so Jackson being able to move to Bay 2 is a good sign that he is continuing to grow and develop as he should.

Annie and I are going back to Pella this coming week. It will be hard to be away from Jackson for a few days but it is good to know that he is continuing to do well. Thank you for all of your continued support and prayers. Happy New Years everyone!