A better day!

Here is today's update:
Jack--He is doing good. His brain ultrasound was normal!! He is doing good on the ventilator and slowly this setting are getting weaned. The doctor said if he continues on and keeps doing well that he may be able to have his breathing tube out in 2-3 weeks. He has had a couple feeds but they are on hold until some of his other tests come back. I got to hold him today while they were changing his bed. I got to do skin-to-skin for about an hour and he did great. I may get to do it again tomorrow!! It was wonderful to be able to hold him to my chest and feel him wiggle and breathe! Ken was very jealous and threatens to kick me out of the NICU next time so he can hold him.

Luke--He is stable and still on the oscillator. He is on Nitric--a gas that helps with oxygenation and with pulmonary hypertension. He also had a normal brain scan!! He had another echocardiogram which showed pulmonary hypertension---the right side of his heart is having a hard time pumping blood to his lungs because they are stiff. The nitric helps with that and they started him on a milrinone drip. Milrinone helps the heart pump more effectively. They also started him on a Morphine drip because he was wiggling too much and they want him to stay pretty still and save some of his energy. He also has an infection and they have him on multiple antibiotics. The doctors are going to take his umbilical line out soon and put in an arterial line. The arterial line will help monitor his blood pressure (he is back on dopamine due to low blood pressures) and the nurses can draw blood for labs from there. The line keeps him from being stuck so much for lab. His PICC line is in the wrong place (not central) so they are also going to put another PICC in him. They also put a foley catheter to drain his bladder because he had a renal ultrasound that showed that his bladder was a little distended and because the morphine can cause urine retention too. Poor little boy has a long way to go and is still pretty sick.

Thanks to everyone that have brought us dinner. Everything has been GREAT and it is very nice to not have to worry about cooking or what we will be eating. That is one less stress we have had to deal with this week! Again--thanks for the prayers and keep them going--we have a long road ahead of us. It is early but Ken and I are headed to bed!!