My Child is on the Honor Roll at Vanderbilt (nicu)

As Max approaches his 2 month birthday, I’m reflecting upon his accomplishments. His development will not be like that of most babies you know. We will have to adjust his age according to his due date of May 11. However, I like to think of Maxwell as an overachiever (don’t most moms) and note the things he does well that many “term” babies are also learning.

-When on his belly, Max can pick up his head. The first time he did this was scary for me since I thought his little muscles should not be able to hold up that big noggin.

-When calm and “organized,” Max can visually track the movement of an object or person. If he is feeling overstimulated, he will avert or close his eyes. We also learned he can see contrast best so he is attracted to patterns.

-Max can soothe himself by sucking on a pacifier and bringing his hands together. Sometimes he will suck on the side of his hand or even a finger. This is a very good skill to have because it is a coping mechanism.

-He can suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time! This is a HUGE accomplishment as it requires the coordination of 17 muscles and some term babies struggle with this skill. While Max is not taking all of his feeds orally, he is working on it. For those praying for Max, please pray for Max’s stamina in feeding. Sometimes he will only be able to take half of his bottle. We don’t want to push him too hard, but in order to go home he has to be taking all feeds by mouth.

-Max is also very good at charming the hospital staff. One of the social workers has declared herself Max’s girlfriend and was devastated when he moved to 7 South. Another nurse under his spell brought him an Easter gift of 2 books. So sweet! Here’s a picture of our cutie (be sure to read the shirt!):

Max celebrates Easter!

So much to do...so little time

It seems like everyday Max is progressing more and more right before our eyes. Recently it has been much easier for me to see these progressions than Colleen, mainly due to the fact that I have started traveling back to Kentucky more often. However, not only do Max's physical characteristics change daily, but it seems his favorite thing to do is surpass his milestone goals only when his Dad is not present. I am starting to get the feeling that one day when I return from Kentucky he might greet me at the door and give me a big hug! I guess that would make me pretty happy though. Here are a couple of his recent events and milestones:

1) Max no longer requires a nasal cannula to assist him with breathing. One picture is with the cannula and the other shows him with just his feeding tube.



















2) Max has progressed to taking over half of his feeds without the feeding tube.


3) Max has surpassed the 4 lb mark. Actually as of today he is 4lbs 5oz! Our little chunker.


4) Since he is well over 1800 grams the doctors and nurses believe Max can now regulate his own body temperature. Which means no more isolette and now his very own hospital supplied crib!


5) With Max becoming more stable every day and his spells becoming less common the docs made the decision to move him from the Pod area to the new 7 South area, aka "the tree house". Basically 7 South is used for babies who are within a month of going home and they have a little more room with a bed for the parents to sleep in. Max likes his new room, especially the view and his very own TV.


6) Last but not least, Max gets a chance to watch his favorite pastime for the first time...baseball!

Got Milk?

Big Boys Don’t Cry! They Take Bottles!

Big excitement this week! Max had a milestone moment… He has come a long way from a 1.5 mL tube feed to a 28 mL tube feed to his first bottle! Usually babies start to develop the suck-swallow-breathe reflex coordination between 32 and 34 weeks (gestational age). The doctors and nurses gauge when babies are ready to try a bottle by watching them with their pacifiers. Well Max has become best friends with his pacifier and wowed several nurses with his sucking reflex. Therefore, I decided to ask a little prior to 32 weeks when we could give the bottle feeding a go- and got the green light! Max took his first 5 mL bottle on Monday. The doctors had okayed one try a day so Max also took a 5 mL bottle on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday morning we got more good news: they approved a PO-NG order. This means each feeding time that Max is alert they will let him try to take as much as he can from the bottle and tube feed the remainder. While I didn’t expect his first bottle today to be all 28 mL, I was surprised he took a whopping 10 mL on the first attempt. Later that afternoon he took 14 mL! Grow, Max, grow! He is one seriously determined little man!




While Max is growing and changing daily, he also looks different for another reason: he is wearing clothes! I’ve grown so used to a naked baby (okay, diapered baby) that it is so funny to see him in little onesies. His first outfit was from the hospital since we had little warning that this day was coming. He wore a little white jacket with the Children’s Hospital logo on the back. We joked about it being a doctor’s coat or a robe for a trip to the Baby Day Spa. His current attire is a bit too big due partially to the lack of preemie gear readily available and partially due to how much easier it is to pull a newborn onesie up over his NICU hardware. Big thanks to the Rosics for sending preemie clothes found online, Grandma Mary for making some tiny attire, and Grandma Kim for washing all the gear twice to make it NICU safe.

We are sorry that we didn’t post sooner. We are much busier than you might think. John is working again (and driving home to do so!) and I am trying to finish off my Master’s degree while getting more opportunities to participate in Max’s care. And, of course, we try to occasionally take time to enjoy a sunshiny day, get a haircut, or read a book. It’s hard to be away, but also important for one’s mental health! I think our new philosophy with the blog will be shorter posts so we can hopefully post more often. Thanks again for thinking of our family. We are working hard and continuing to learn along the way (ALL of us!).

How to make a baby burrito

Okay, okay, the title is misleading- there will be no Mexican food in this post. There will be a picture of a very snugly baby though. Here’s Max, the blue baby burrito:

That picture was taken after a low temperature reading. Normally, the babies aren’t really swaddled. Their isolettes keep them warm and toasty and there are ways to position them s o they feel somewhat contained. So I was slightly concerned at how Max would react to his restricted movement. He made some funny little noises, but was mostly just wide-eyed, taking in the scenery.

Other big news: Maxwell had his PICC line removed today! The PICC line is basically like a long-term IV with multiple ports. Various medicines or nutrients can be given to a baby without having to stick him a million times in a million places. The PICC line is great, but does increase the risk for infection. Therefore, they try to get those lines out as soon as they can. Since Max is taking what is considered a “full feed” (for his weight) through his feeding tube he no longer needs any supplemental nutrients through the PICC. Bye-bye NICU hardware!

We’ve had some questions regarding when Mr. Maxwell can go home. There is no exact weight he must meet, but rather a few “tests” he must pass. The doctors estimate he’ll be ready around his due date of May 11 (but I think he’ll see home in April!).

1. Max must be able to maintain his own body temperature (he doesn’t have enough fat to do this yet!). One of the nurses said babies usually start to be able to do this when they weigh about 1800 grams. Max currently weighs 1450 grams.
2. Max must take all of his feedings orally (no feeding tube).
3. Max must have no “spells” for 5 days (a spell is when he stops breathing for a second or 2 which is extremely common for preemies).
4. Max must pass the car seat test: sit in the car seat for one hour with no spells.
5. Max must have a pediatrician.

Below are a couple of pictures John has taken the past couple of days:

Little Max Feet

Max's hat and blanket

Origami made just for Max

The dog watching over Max

Momma cheers Max on: Grow, Max, grow!

After nearly 3 weeks in the NICU, I still have a few “pinch me” moments. For instance, it’s sometimes hard to believe that I’m no longer pregnant and now a mother of a preemie. Just three weeks ago my to do list was packed with things to do for my first grade class and my Master’s class. I had some baby preparation things to do and a prenatal massage scheduled. I had a Valentine’s Day date planned with my husband. It’s amazing how so much can change in the blink of an eye. Now my to do list consists of going to the hospital, changing diapers, feeding Max, asking questions, and holding my sweet baby for the allotted one hour a day. The word flexibility has new meaning as every day is the same, but so very different.

One of the differences in our NICU life was changing rooms. We are now in our 4th room, but hopefully it will stick. The first room change was not up to us, but the following ones were requested as we attempted to get a private room with a “view.” Max can now enjoy natural light from his very own window and feast his eyes on Roly Poly. We have promised him a meal there when he grows teeth.

Max moving into his new room with a "view"

Bye,bye old room!

Hello new room and check out that view!

Speaking of growing, we have a chunker on our hands! (I called Max a chunker to a nurse and received a “you’re crazy” look.) Maxwell has officially hit the 3 pound mark! Last night he weighed in at 1390 grams which is equivalent to 3 pounds, 1 ounce. Way to grow, Max! Any takers on when he hits 4 pounds?

A big thanks again to all Max’s supporters! We tell him everyday how many people love him. I also want to say thank you to my husband for starting this blog to keep you all up to date. Needless to say, I wasn’t in much position to communicate for a few days after Max’s arrival (you’ve seen the “cloud 9” picture). But now we are loving technology with all the ways to give and receive news. Keep up the prayers as Max continues to grow and develop!