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Saturday, May 9, 2009
MAY 9TH
Yesterday Joey got to bottle feed Ryan for the 1st time! Of course, Ryan did perfect for him and dad made it look easy. (See the picture)
Ryan is doing so much better now that he is on the chronic diuretic. He's much less puffy and his breathing has improved greatly. Because his breathing has improved, his bottle feedings are easier for him and he is starting to pace himself. This is one step closer to home!
We spoke to the doctor this morning and Ryan weighed 4 lbs. 11.8 oz. He did lose weight, but that was to be expected with the diuretic. The doctor has upped his bottle feedings to 5 per day and increased his feeding amount. On Monday, Lisa will get to try to breast feed Ryan for the first time. It's all up to Ryan if takes to breast feeding. If he doesn't, Lisa will continue to express milk and feed him from the bottle. If he does take to it, she will be able to breast feed some feedings and still express milk and bottle feed other feedings.
We will keep you updated on when Ryan will be able to come home. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
Ryan is doing so much better now that he is on the chronic diuretic. He's much less puffy and his breathing has improved greatly. Because his breathing has improved, his bottle feedings are easier for him and he is starting to pace himself. This is one step closer to home!
We spoke to the doctor this morning and Ryan weighed 4 lbs. 11.8 oz. He did lose weight, but that was to be expected with the diuretic. The doctor has upped his bottle feedings to 5 per day and increased his feeding amount. On Monday, Lisa will get to try to breast feed Ryan for the first time. It's all up to Ryan if takes to breast feeding. If he doesn't, Lisa will continue to express milk and feed him from the bottle. If he does take to it, she will be able to breast feed some feedings and still express milk and bottle feed other feedings.
We will keep you updated on when Ryan will be able to come home. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
Friday, May 8, 2009
MAY 8TH
Ryan and I had a very nice visit with his Mimi, Patricia Landry (Joey's mom) last night in the NICU. She arrived just after Ryan bottle fed and she held him for a while. He did very good for her and I got some great pictures, one of which I've posted.
The doctor didn't make any major changes for Ryan today. He's still on the diuretic which has made him less puffy - good news. He's still on low flow nasal cannula. He's pretty much making progress in baby steps, but he's moving forward.
I tried to bottle feed him last night and it didn't go well. There are so many things to remember i.e. hold him properly, make him relaxed, support his chin, make sure he is sucking, swallowing and breathing in that order all at the same time. It takes a little getting used to and I'm sure I will be a pro before he comes home.
Joey and I go up to bottle feed Ryan this afternoon. Joey gets to try his hand at it for the first time. I'll be sure to take pictures and update you on how it went.
I've posted a few new pictures I took of Ryan last night. He's really looking better now that he's on the diuretic. But he's cute no matter what!!!
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Lisa
The doctor didn't make any major changes for Ryan today. He's still on the diuretic which has made him less puffy - good news. He's still on low flow nasal cannula. He's pretty much making progress in baby steps, but he's moving forward.
I tried to bottle feed him last night and it didn't go well. There are so many things to remember i.e. hold him properly, make him relaxed, support his chin, make sure he is sucking, swallowing and breathing in that order all at the same time. It takes a little getting used to and I'm sure I will be a pro before he comes home.
Joey and I go up to bottle feed Ryan this afternoon. Joey gets to try his hand at it for the first time. I'll be sure to take pictures and update you on how it went.
I've posted a few new pictures I took of Ryan last night. He's really looking better now that he's on the diuretic. But he's cute no matter what!!!
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Lisa
Thursday, May 7, 2009
MAY 7TH UPDATE
First, GOOD NEWS....Ryan weighed 5 lbs. 1 oz. last night! Can you believe our little guy has gone from 1 lb. 13.4 oz. in 8 weeks?!
I spoke to Ryan's doctor this morning and she is going to put him on a chronic diuretic to help with the fluid in his lungs. This is a longer term medicine that is different than the diuretic he was on yesterday. He is still on the low flow cannula (oxygen) and will probably stay on that for a while. He will probably also lose some weight, so don't be surprised if he dips below 5 lbs. However, he is still pretty healthy and growing well. She added another bottle feeding per day so he's up to 4. I've got to do several feedings with him and am getting better. Tomorrow Joey will get to try it.
I asked the doctor about when it may be possible for Ryan to come home. She wasn't sure. She said that it was all up to him. He needs to be nippling better (bottle feeding) and we need to see how the diuretics work first. She said it is possible that Ryan will have to come home on oxygen and a monitor.
I completely understand why they use the term "rollercoaster" in conjunction with a preemie or NICU baby. One minute everything is up and the next minute the bottom seems to drop out. Although Ryan's fluid problem could be a long term issue, we are all hopeful that he will recover completely and come home soon. We could be dealing with more serious issues and feel blessed that Ryan has made such progress.
GOOD NEWS...I spoke to the nurse this afternoon and she said that Ryan already looks less puffy and better from the diuretic yesterday. That was great news! She also said he seemed to do better on his bottle feeding.
Even though it may be a while before Ryan comes home, we are trying to get together everything we need for him! Ryan will initially sleep in the bedroom with Joey and I. How long depends on if he is on oxygen, monitors, etc. We do have a nursery upstairs for him (once Joey clears out his office). I do want to thank everyone who has sent Ryan gifts. They are greatly appreciated.
Please continue to keep Ryan and our family in your thoughts and prayers because they are definitely working!
Thank so much,
Lisa
I spoke to Ryan's doctor this morning and she is going to put him on a chronic diuretic to help with the fluid in his lungs. This is a longer term medicine that is different than the diuretic he was on yesterday. He is still on the low flow cannula (oxygen) and will probably stay on that for a while. He will probably also lose some weight, so don't be surprised if he dips below 5 lbs. However, he is still pretty healthy and growing well. She added another bottle feeding per day so he's up to 4. I've got to do several feedings with him and am getting better. Tomorrow Joey will get to try it.
I asked the doctor about when it may be possible for Ryan to come home. She wasn't sure. She said that it was all up to him. He needs to be nippling better (bottle feeding) and we need to see how the diuretics work first. She said it is possible that Ryan will have to come home on oxygen and a monitor.
I completely understand why they use the term "rollercoaster" in conjunction with a preemie or NICU baby. One minute everything is up and the next minute the bottom seems to drop out. Although Ryan's fluid problem could be a long term issue, we are all hopeful that he will recover completely and come home soon. We could be dealing with more serious issues and feel blessed that Ryan has made such progress.
GOOD NEWS...I spoke to the nurse this afternoon and she said that Ryan already looks less puffy and better from the diuretic yesterday. That was great news! She also said he seemed to do better on his bottle feeding.
Even though it may be a while before Ryan comes home, we are trying to get together everything we need for him! Ryan will initially sleep in the bedroom with Joey and I. How long depends on if he is on oxygen, monitors, etc. We do have a nursery upstairs for him (once Joey clears out his office). I do want to thank everyone who has sent Ryan gifts. They are greatly appreciated.
Please continue to keep Ryan and our family in your thoughts and prayers because they are definitely working!
Thank so much,
Lisa
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
MAY 6TH
Today I got to bottle feed Ryan all by myself (well with the OT/PT there), but it was exciting. I had a little trouble getting started, but ending up doing well with him. Ryan doesn't just take a bottle easily like a full-term healthy baby. He has had to learn to suck, then swallow, then breathe. As I've mentioned before, he sometimes doesn't do them in that order or he forgets to breathe. He is much better now that he is being bottle fed 3 times per day. There is a scale from 1 - 10 and he usually gets a 5, which is a poor. However, lately he has been getting 6 & 7's which is fair. We'll keep working on it with him and both of us will get the hang of it soon.
Ryan is still retaining fluid so the doctor is giving him a diuretic again. They will keep an eye on it and see if they need to do anything else. Ryan is also still having some breathing issues. He is still on the low flow nasal cannula. They have tried him on room air and he doesn't do well yet.
We are hopeful that Ryan will be able to come home in 2 weeks. He will most likely come home on a monitor for his heart rate and breathing. He will probably have some issues for a while, but we will deal with them. The hospital will give us any training needed before Ryan comes home. We are a little nervous about it, but once we know what we are dealing with we will be OK.
Please keep Ryan and our family in your thoughts and prayers!
Lisa
Ryan is still retaining fluid so the doctor is giving him a diuretic again. They will keep an eye on it and see if they need to do anything else. Ryan is also still having some breathing issues. He is still on the low flow nasal cannula. They have tried him on room air and he doesn't do well yet.
We are hopeful that Ryan will be able to come home in 2 weeks. He will most likely come home on a monitor for his heart rate and breathing. He will probably have some issues for a while, but we will deal with them. The hospital will give us any training needed before Ryan comes home. We are a little nervous about it, but once we know what we are dealing with we will be OK.
Please keep Ryan and our family in your thoughts and prayers!
Lisa
Monday, May 4, 2009
MAY 4TH - UPDATE
Well having a baby in NICU is definitely a rollercoaster! Some days are up and others are down. Some days you have ups and downs in the same hour. We got a few updates today on Ryan and we wanted to share.
First, good news. Ryan will now be feeding with 3 bottles per day. He is still doing fair, but is ready to try more and that is a good thing. It's something that puts him one step closer to home. Also, Ryan does seem to be holding his own temperature which is great!
However, there is another thing which takes him one step back from coming home. Ryan is puffy and retaining fluid again. This is related to his breathing and being on the mechanical breathing for an extended length of time. The doctors will decide tomorrow whether to give him the same medicine as last week or look at a longer term medicine program which will be more complicated. He has been having more problems breathing because of the fluid retention, which is to be expected, but he is being monitored closely. This is also why he has gained weight so rapidly this week.
Also, his weekly tests today showed he had low blood levels. He had this issue before and had a blood transfusion a few weeks after he was born. There was a follow-up test done today to see if he had "potential" for making a sufficient amount of blood and the test was good, so for now the doctors will keep an eye on him and retest him.
Please keep Ryan in your prayers today.
Thank you for your support and love,
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
First, good news. Ryan will now be feeding with 3 bottles per day. He is still doing fair, but is ready to try more and that is a good thing. It's something that puts him one step closer to home. Also, Ryan does seem to be holding his own temperature which is great!
However, there is another thing which takes him one step back from coming home. Ryan is puffy and retaining fluid again. This is related to his breathing and being on the mechanical breathing for an extended length of time. The doctors will decide tomorrow whether to give him the same medicine as last week or look at a longer term medicine program which will be more complicated. He has been having more problems breathing because of the fluid retention, which is to be expected, but he is being monitored closely. This is also why he has gained weight so rapidly this week.
Also, his weekly tests today showed he had low blood levels. He had this issue before and had a blood transfusion a few weeks after he was born. There was a follow-up test done today to see if he had "potential" for making a sufficient amount of blood and the test was good, so for now the doctors will keep an eye on him and retest him.
Please keep Ryan in your prayers today.
Thank you for your support and love,
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
MAY 4TH
Sorry we haven't updated for a couple of days. Besides visiting Ryan, things have been very hectic in the Fontenot house.
Last night Ryan weighed an unbelievable 4 lbs. 11 oz.!!! Can you believe how much he has grown?! He's got "baby fat" and a double chin. I'll post a picture later.
Yesterday, Ryan's Mimi (grandmother) Patricia Landry got to hold Ryan for the first time!!! It was a really beautiful moment and we will post a picture later for all to see! His Paw Paw, Art Landry, and Aunt, Danielle Landry, got to visit also!!!
Ryan is still doing about the same as he has been. He's still on low flow nasal cannula and trying to bottle feed twice a day. He did have a couple of bradycardia episodes on Sunday, but he was having gas issues at the time and the nurse said that does happen. He was fine the rest of the afternoon and night.
His progress is slow, but it is progress FORWARD and that's what matters. We really hope he will be able to come home in three weeks - that is our wishful thinking!!! We love him and want him to be at home with his family.
Please continue to pray for him.
Thank you,
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
Last night Ryan weighed an unbelievable 4 lbs. 11 oz.!!! Can you believe how much he has grown?! He's got "baby fat" and a double chin. I'll post a picture later.
Yesterday, Ryan's Mimi (grandmother) Patricia Landry got to hold Ryan for the first time!!! It was a really beautiful moment and we will post a picture later for all to see! His Paw Paw, Art Landry, and Aunt, Danielle Landry, got to visit also!!!
Ryan is still doing about the same as he has been. He's still on low flow nasal cannula and trying to bottle feed twice a day. He did have a couple of bradycardia episodes on Sunday, but he was having gas issues at the time and the nurse said that does happen. He was fine the rest of the afternoon and night.
His progress is slow, but it is progress FORWARD and that's what matters. We really hope he will be able to come home in three weeks - that is our wishful thinking!!! We love him and want him to be at home with his family.
Please continue to pray for him.
Thank you,
Lisa, Joey, Alec and Ryan
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