Saturday, January 10, 2009

Update


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Hope you had very happy holidays! It was a whirlwind for my little family. Stressful, but every mom and dad experiences that! LOL


Lots has happened with Wyatt, some good, some disappointing, but over all, I feel very blessed. I'll give you a quick update:


Wyatt was in and out of the hospital twice for colds. Normally, an infant with a cold is a concern but something we parents take in stride. You can't give much to a baby to relieve the symptoms. Good old fashioned rest, fluids and a watchful eye is about all you can do. But when a baby is on oxygen for a time period, their lungs are very fragile and a cold could be the worst thing for them. So Wyatt and I got to hang out at the hospital for a few days. He loved the attention from the nurses and Dr. S.


Wyatt was denied the special needle that really sick babies get during the winter months to boost their respiratory systems. It is frightfully expensive; approx. $1000.00 CND per shot. It is a controlled drug by the government; only few babies can have it and they must meet a criteria. Under a certain weight, had oxygen therapy for a period of time and under 6mths. Dr. B, who was one of the doctors I witnessed save Wyatt's life on a few occasions, was pushing to get Wyatt on the list but he was denied. Too big, too heavy and already 5 months old. RATS. But Dr. S said he feels Wyatt will be fine without it. I just am super cautious of taking him around people with colds.


And to all the parents that contacted me, yes Wyatt is meeting some of his milestones but he is not meeting others. I've got a special post coming with more details. Wyatt and I go to a NICU Follow Up Rehab. Center to work on his physical, mental, and emotional development. A team is following him until he is three. We also have a nurse from Early Intervention visit us at home to show Wyatt and I some play therapy exercises we can do to encourage Wyatt in meeting his milestones. Wyatt LOVES theses "play dates." A nurse from New Brunswick Public Health checks in with us from time to time to see if Wyatt is growing and eating properly.


Speaking of that, he has not been eating and growing very well. It is really stressful. Wyatt was breastfeeding for maybe 30 seconds at a time. Dehydration was and still is a constant problem. He is now up to a 5-10 minute feed at a time, but it is a lot of hard work that gets us there. Sometimes he will eat for more than 20 minutes! That is rare, but when it happens, it is like gold! I still have to top him up with an extra feed of a high calorie bottle (8 oz.) once a day.

At last weigh in, Wyatt was almost 21 pounds and gained in length for his 6 month birthday.
YAY!!! GO TEAM WYATT!!!!! :)

3 comments:

Donna Alward said...

Re Milestones. My nephew was a preemie. They monitored him as well since he was under stress in the womb. Considering what Wyatt has been through, I would have been more surprised HAD he met all his milestones. At this age he hasn't had a long time to catch up. Fingers crossed, right?

My nephew did eventually catch up, it just took him a while. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Hugs!

Sally said...

Melissa! You've been hiding out on me here! I had no idea you had this blog until a few weeks ago. And now that I've found you--be warned--I won't lose you again. *sniffle*

Anyhow, I can't believe little Wyatt's been here so long already! Time sure flies! I'm glad to hear things are going okay for you. Not great, but not the worst either. God, it sucks that you've been through so much and are still struggling, but I have faith, as you obviously do, that all will be well with Wyatt.

My thoughts and prayers are with you often, chica. Big hugs to you and Wyatt (and the family, too).

Unknown said...

Not sure if you're still active on this blog, but my son had a blot clot as well. It was found when he was 4 days old, in his left leg. He was on Lovenox treatments for 3 months. I'm hoping to connect as there are so few infants that undergo this treatment. I live in San Francisco, but I am a Canadian as well.

I hope to hear that Wyatt is doing well and that we can connect.