Tuesday morning we got more good news. They were able to take the A-line out of his belly button and planned on starting to feed him that evening. His numbers were staying strong being off everything but his breathing was a little fast. The nurse said that was typical for PPHN babies so they were not worried about it.
I was really not feeling good that morning. I was shaking, lightheaded, and weak. I ate breakfast but that didn't help. I took my blood pressure and found the culprit. It had gotten quite low after I took my morning blood pressure pill. I called the doctor and left a message with the nurse. After we talked that afternoon we agreed it was probably a good idea to half my dosage and see how that did.
That afternoon I took mom to the airport so she could go home. She had planned to stay longer but the trip had not gone as planned. I hated having her here running back and forth to DC with us or sitting at the house dog sitting. We figured it would be better for her to go home and come back when Mason was home and feeling better. Unfortunately her flight was not the smoothest. She had a layover and the plane decided to act up at that location. So she had to get off the plane and wait for a new one. The delay was about an hour or two so that put her and Dad getting home late. But I am glad it was a safe flight back and she was able to be here for Mason's birth.
Our visit with Mason went well. I was able to pick him right up out of his crib and hold him whenever I wanted. They started giving him this pre food stuff. It's given to him like food, through the nose feeding tube. However it's not formula but more like a medicine that coates the belly and gets it ready for formula. If he continues to do well with that they will start giving him formula. They are able to give him small amounts of my breast milk in place of this pre-formula stuff. The benefits of the milk greatly outweigh the other and is better for him.
Wednesday we spent the afternoon with Mason. He was already being fed from a bottle so I was able to feed him for the first time in over a week! We had lots of cuddle time after that. His weight overall was down to 7.5 lbs but with the feedings the doctors thought it would increase soon. Their plan was to increase the amount of formula he got for each feeding as long as he did well with it. The poor little 10 I gave him barely phased him. I know he was ready for more. The docs were still very optimistic about him.
After another feeding and diaper change we headed to get some dinner. It was a beautiful day outside so we opted for Green Turtle so we could sit outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. After that we made a quick Target run. Poor little guy only had 4 onesies he could wear. The 0-3 month old clothes were going to be a little big on him and he couldn't wear anything with legs because of the pick line in his foot. So I picked him up a few more newborn size onesies. After that we headed home to relax.
Thursday we hung at the house and got some chores done. After a quick trip to the store I headed to DC for the 3 o'clock feeding. The doctors had already okayed his feedings to be increased every 6 hours so that was an improvement. He likes to eat half his food, play with the bottle for a bit, falk back to sleep, then suck down the last bit. As long as he keeps up the feedings they can keep dialing back the iv fluids which means hopefully less iv's soon! They had him on a different, smaller oxygen tube through the nose. They wanted to have him completely off the oxygen by the next day or two. However, before I left that evening they went ahead and removed it to see how he would do. Once that and the fluids were gone, it wouldn't be long before he would be able to come home. I stayed for the 6 and 9 o'clock feeds then headed home for the night.
Friday we did an afternoon visit. Mason was able to stay off the oxygen and they were still increasing his amount of formula. I got to feed him twice and he did good for the most part. He is still trying to cat nap halfway through. That is a bad habit I have to figure out how to break! One of the pastors from Severn Run church came by to see us. When we went to church on Sunday we filled out a prayer card and put Mason's story along with our numbers. The pastor called a few days later asking if it was ok to come by and see us. It was very nice being able to talk with him. The support he offered us was very comforting. Before he left he had plans of getting us meals and getting our numbers to other church members so they could reach out to us for support. Going through all this and having no family nearby really made us realize how much we needed to lean on our friends, work, and church families. Remembering we don't have to go through this alone is something we continue to struggle with. We are so thankful for all those that have prayed for us or reached out to us for any help they could offer. It's between them and God's grace we have made it through.
Saturdays visit confirmed my suspicion, Mason feeds better for the nurses. When I fed him at 3 I only got him to get down half of what he was doing (about 25). The 6 o'clock feeding the nurse got down 65....Such a little punk! He gets too comfortable with me and falls asleep. I am going to have to figure out how to keep him awake and guzzling or I will never get any sleep. I decided this visit was going to be a cuddle visit. I held him just about the entire time. I just couldn't put him down. He is in that bed so much so a little extra cuddles was called for. Ryan and Shannon came by to see us. They hadn't seen him without all the tubes and iv's. They were very pleased to see how well he was doing and how far he had come. Since we left around 6:30 we headed to diner at Texas Roadhouse. I hadn't been able to get any milk out so I figured it was a good night to have my first post prego beer. I chose Bud Light Lime and it went down smooth. After we stuffed ourselves we headed home and went to bed. Even now, sleep is something we can't get enough of.
Sunday after church I called to get an update on Mason. It was the best phone call I had made so far. They were finally able to give me an estimated go home date. If Mason kept feeding well and gaining weight he could come home Tuesday. Doug and I got a kick out of it being on Cinco de Mayo. I was super excited for our visit after that. The doctors were also able to take the pick line out since he was eating so well. So now he had no needles in him! I finally felt like i wouldn't kill him when i picked him up. That was a huge relief! Of course Mason didn't want to eat for me again but he did better than the last time. I got to bathe him for the first time. He is not a fan of baths but I enjoyed it. One of the tests Mason has to pass to come home is the car seat test. This requires him to sit in the car seat for 90 minutes and, well, pretty much not stop breathing. So after his bath and feeding we plopped him down in the car seat. He was so cute and adorable with his little tiny body in the big ole seat... until he shat himself. Of course it was one of those runny, coming out of the side of the diaper shats. I stuck my hand under his butt to help prevent the poop from getting all over the brand new, first time sat in car seat. I caught most but a few drops did get on the straps and seat. I guess its the first of many stains it will see. We couldn't do anything but laugh. The nurse was really good about it. We had to change the bed sheets and the brand new outfit we just put him in. unfortunately the new nurse coming on duty was going to have to rebathe him. The only downside to the visit was his weight. We weighed him before his bath and it was down .05 ounces. Not much but it wasnt an increase. He is still not gaining and that is requirement for coming home. So if things don't change they will push his discharge date to Wednesday.
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