New Year, New Challenges

It is official: we are on the NICU roller coaster that most everyone who has had a baby in the NICU has probably had to ride. One moment everything is fine and the next moment it isn't. Over and over. Here is what it was like one day last week...

Thomas (who has been a champion breather) all of the sudden has trouble keeping his oxygen saturation up. Then his heart rate drops. The nurse uses all non-invasive measures to get him to perk up but nothing is working. I arrive at his bedside just as the doctor is preparing to intubate him so the ventilator will breath for him. This is a shock for me since he hasn't needed a ventilator up until now. Meanwhile, Gracie is chugging along and doing as well as ever. Cienna, small as she is, is on a ventilator but she is doing okay as well. Finally there is William. He seems to be trouble free at the moment.

By the time I check on the others, chest x-rays on Thomas reveal that his PICC line has perforated the vessel and the nutrition formula is now flowing freely into the tissue surrounding the lungs (called pleural effusion). According to both the doctor and the nurse this rarely happens, maybe 4 times a year. A needle is inserted into Thomas' side and 29 mL fluid is removed. In the meantime, William starts having trouble keeping up his oxygen and heart rate. An x-ray reveals snowy, collapsed-looking lungs (atelectasis) most likely from his patent ductus arteriosis coupled with his inability to inflate his lungs fully because of his prematurity. He now needs to be intubated as well. Before the day is over three of the four babies are on ventilators and only Gracie is well enough to be held.

This day was just a small window into what we had going on today, which is too complicated to describe right now. Thankfully Ben is here and we are able to process all the challenges together. Your prayers and thoughts are vital to us, thank you many times over.