Journal entry by Dana Rogney —
(I didn't mean to click post on the last entry and can't find a way to edit it!)
Anyways, James has been having some trouble. He is still doing okay for his age and circumstances, but the nurses are working to raise his blood pressure by giving him Dopamine and keep his oxygen up by putting him on a high frequency ventilator. He also has a PDA, a hole in his heart, that is being treated with Ibuprofen. This PDA is apparently very common in preemies. Hearts are opened while babies are in utero and usually close up by birth. But since he was born so early his heart didn't have time to close. The Ibuprofen should help it close up, which should then help his blood pressure and his breathing. He also is recently having trouble urinating, so he might need a catheter. We are waiting to hear about that.
Vera is doing a bit better than James. A couple of days ago she was breathing so well with the ventilator that the nurses removed the breathing tube. We tried it out for 24 hours but she just wasn't quite strong enough to breathe on her own, so she went back on the breathing tube yesterday. She seems much more comfortable now and is on the ventilator with minimal help. Her heart rate is looking good, but she has a slight murmur so she is going to be checked to see if she has a PDA like James. She was strong enough today for me to be able to hold her, which was very exciting.
Thank you for all of your continued thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all of the support.
Anyways, James has been having some trouble. He is still doing okay for his age and circumstances, but the nurses are working to raise his blood pressure by giving him Dopamine and keep his oxygen up by putting him on a high frequency ventilator. He also has a PDA, a hole in his heart, that is being treated with Ibuprofen. This PDA is apparently very common in preemies. Hearts are opened while babies are in utero and usually close up by birth. But since he was born so early his heart didn't have time to close. The Ibuprofen should help it close up, which should then help his blood pressure and his breathing. He also is recently having trouble urinating, so he might need a catheter. We are waiting to hear about that.
Vera is doing a bit better than James. A couple of days ago she was breathing so well with the ventilator that the nurses removed the breathing tube. We tried it out for 24 hours but she just wasn't quite strong enough to breathe on her own, so she went back on the breathing tube yesterday. She seems much more comfortable now and is on the ventilator with minimal help. Her heart rate is looking good, but she has a slight murmur so she is going to be checked to see if she has a PDA like James. She was strong enough today for me to be able to hold her, which was very exciting.
Thank you for all of your continued thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all of the support.