Saturday, April 18, 2009

APRIL 18TH

Ryan's weight last night was 3 lbs. 4 oz!!!

Lisa got to do Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin) with him Friday and Saturday and he did well for both sessions.

The doctor is going to reduce the Vapotherm pressure from 2.0 to 1.0 tomorrow and see how Ryan does with it. The last 2 days he has been breathing at around 24 - 28% oxygen, so he is improving.

The next step is to wean him off the Vapotherm and get him started on bottle feeding (with breast milk) and then on to breast feeding.

We are so pleased that Ryan is making progress and are so blessed he is in our lives. Please continue to pray for him.

Lisa, Joey and Alec

Friday, April 17, 2009

APRIL 17TH

Ryan's weight last night was 3 lbs. 2.8 oz, so he continues to grow.

I just spoke to the doctor and they are lowering the Vapotherm pressure from 3.0 to 2.0. He is having few apnea and bradycardia episodes and the goal is to get him breathing on his own. They also are trying to get him ready for breast/bottle feeding.

Please keep Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Lisa, Joey and Alec

Thursday, April 16, 2009

APRIL 16TH

Ryan still weighed 3 lbs. 1 oz., which is normal! His new feeding method is going well so far.

He's having less apnea and bradycardia episodes and they have reduced his Vapotherm pressure from 3.5 to 3.0. He has been breathing at less than 30% oxygen much of the last few days.

Ryan had his first eye exam and it was normal. Premature babies are prone to get Retinopathy of Prematurity. This is the result of abnormal blood vessels or scarring of the eye's retina. The problem often resolves by itself, but can result in permanent vision impairment or blindness. However, Ryan's eye exam was normal and we are encouraged by those results. They will follow up in 2 weeks with another exam. Ryan will have to be monitored closely by an ophthalmologist for the first few years to ensure that his eyes have no damage.

Yesterday, mom and Alec visited Ryan in the afternoon and dad visited in the evening. He got to hold Ryan for the 2nd time, which he really enjoyed!

DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN, I'VE ADDED MORE PICTURES.

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO VISIT RYAN'S OTHER WEBSITE:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ryanjamesfontenot

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

APRIL 14TH

Ryan was 3 lbs. 1 oz. on April 14th. Since he is growing, feeding well, and reached 3 lbs., he is being fed in a different way.

He still has the feeding tube, but now instead of a steady feed all the time, he is being fed every 3 hours. They fill a large syringe with breast milk and the nurse holds it until he has eaten it and it is empty. This helps get him used to a regular feeding schedule and ready for breast feeding.

Lisa got to do skin-to-skin contact with Ryan and it went very well! She also got to feed him the breast milk!

Ryan is doing better with his breathing. He is having less apnea and bradycardia episodes. Also, his bone test came back from this week and his numbers have gone down which is exactly what we wanted.

Please continue to keep Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Lisa, Joey and Alec

Monday, April 13, 2009

APRIL 13TH UPDATE

RYAN WAS 3 LBS. EVEN THIS EVENING!!!!

Joey Passed His Final Test!!!

Since so many of you who visit Ryan's blog also have been following Joey's journey to get his architect license, I'd thought I give up an update.

He passed his final test and will receive his architect license soon!!!

Congratulations to my husband!!! For those who don't know, he took his final test on the day after Ryan was born (we all agreed he should). I'm extra proud of him because I know he was under a tremendous amount of stress and pressure that day.

Lisa

APRIL 13TH

Ryan's weight as of yesterday is 2 lbs. 14 oz. and he is 14 1/2" long!

Ryan is doing a little better on his breathing and is having less apnea and bradycardia episodes. He's still on Vapotherm, and they have lowered the amount of pressure from 4 to 3.5.

Ryan will be having an eye exam this week. Evidently, there are some special concerns for preemies regarding their eyes. He will be looked at by an ophthamologist on a regular basis to make sure there is nothing out of the ordinary. I will keep you updated on this matter.

Mom is going this evening to bathe Ryan and hopefully hold him if he's doing well.

We haven't got to posting the new pictures, but will do so later today, so be on the lookout.

Again, thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan

Sunday, April 12, 2009

APRIL 12TH

Today was Ryan's 1 month birthday!!! We made a small banner for his incubator and had a really nice visit.

They reduced Ryan's Vapotherm amount from 4 to 3.5, which means he is breathing better on his own. He also breathed at 25% oxygen yesterday and today and even at 21% for a little while (healthy people breathe at 21%).

Lisa's going to try skin-to-skin contact again tomorrow since Ryan is having less breathing episodes.

DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN AND CHECK OUT OTHER PICTURES!!!

Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive. Please continue to keep Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Lisa, Joey & Alec