Caleb in Mom's Arms
I GOT TO HOLD CALEB TODAY! Bold and all caps does not come even close to how momentous this is! I have not held him since Thursday, August 19th when he was two days old.
Each time he has come off the ventilator, there has been talk of me getting to hold him, but it has not happened yet. Phil went to the hospital this morning and I went at lunch time. On the board next to Caleb's bed, the nurse's notes for the day included "Cuddle with Mom and Dad". Based on our past experience, I wasn't holding out much hope. I was pretty down when I got to the hospital, worrying about what would happen if Caleb isn't strong enough to breathe on his own. One of the other babies in the PCTU just got a tracheostomy because he wasn't able to breathe properly.
I got to hold him for about an hour. I smiled the entire time (and cried happy tears 3/4 of the time). I went through at least 1/2 a box of Kleenex. The secretary for the PCTU came over and asked if it was the first time I had held him. I guess the tears in my eyes and the smile on my face were a dead giveaway! Any concern about how we would deal with breathing problems were forgotten. If we get to bring him home, we can deal with anything!
Caleb got his chest tube out today. His incision site looks good and the bleeding has slowed substantially. He is tolerating the CPAP well and his numbers are looking better after this morning. The doctors are going to let him work on his breathing for another day and if his levels stay good, they will switch him back to the nasal cannula. He has an OJ tube (oral-jejunum) that runs from his mouth to his jejunum (part of his small intestine) so he is still on breast milk. The tube needs to go into his intestine because the CPAP blows too much air into his stomach. The nurse we had today, in addition to being a saint, is a huge proponent of breast feeding and went out of her way to convince the doctors that she could get the OJ tube in and that breast milk was best for Caleb to get stronger. I heartily agree!
Getting to hold Caleb was exactly what I needed today. I am ready to face another week!
What a blessing! He was waiting for the time you could hold him again too! He is just precious. Prayers continuing.
ReplyDeleteJen, I am so excited for you guys! Just reading your post has put a smile on my face. I've been praying for your family ever since you first found out and am so happy to hear things are looking so positive. Caleb is a true blessing and proof of the effectiveness of prayer. So glad you got to hold him. Still praying for you guys, thanks for the regular updates and pictures!
ReplyDelete~Kristen Zimmerman
Happy tears here too!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you, it must have felt wonderful! Hopefully that will be an everyday experience soon!
ReplyDeleteKathy
Oh so happy that you FINALLY got to snuggle your sweet, sweet bundle!! (I cried just reading it!!!!!) Continuing to pray for your family...for Caleb, for your separation from the other kids. Keep healing Caleb!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh Jen what an awesome thing that we all take for granted!!! You just keep staying strong and your perserverance will pay off!! We are still praying for a total excelleration to come home!!
ReplyDeleteShannon Stahl
What a precious gift we all take for granted just cuddling with our babies! You just keep snuggling with Caleb and tell him about ALL the family and friends who are holding him dear to our hearts too! Keep up the great work! Love, prayers and some happy tears too! The Trierweilers
ReplyDeleteI am soooo happy that you got to cuddle with Caleb today!!! What a blessing that was! Continued prayers that he keeps making forward progress and gets stronger each day!!
ReplyDeleteMaeve - I want to wish you an exciting first day of kindergarten! You are going to love it!!
Sam and Ella - Good Luck in school this year :-)
Oops, that last post was from Mrs. Pfaller :-)
ReplyDelete