pics of the week: 96 weeks

yes, chocolate pudding is that much fun!

two weeks (December 28, 2006)

We are happy to report that Asher has been doing well over the past few days. No major setbacks, and some steady weight gain. He decided to make up his birth weight for his two week birthday - his weight tonight was 1545 grams (he gained 45 since last night!), about 3 lbs 6 1/2 oz.

Merry Christmas!

Have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

pics of the week: 95 weeks

day 10 (December 23, 2006)

they took Asher off the oxygen today, and he's doing fairly well. still some apneas and bradys, but nothing out of the ordinary.

weigh-in: 1440 grams (up 25). that's 3 lbs 3 oz.

day 9 (December 22, 2006)

Asher was so awake and wide-eyed both times we visited him today. It's nice to see his big, bright eyes!


weigh-in: 1415 (up 45 grams, wow!) that's 3 lbs 2 oz!!!!!

day 8 (December 21, 2006)

The doctors still aren't 100% sure they're going to keep Asher in Level 2, but it's looking like he's probably going to stay. They did start him on VERY low-flow oxygen today, in another attempt to curb the apneas and bradys. It seems to be making a difference. They put him on at 9 am, and since then, the frequency of the spells has definitely gone down. They also started him on feeds every 2 hours again today.

I was able to hold Asher for the first time since Monday! Since they were trying to get a handle on the apnea and bradycardias, we weren't able to hold him for the past few days. It was so nice to be able to snuggle with him again!

weigh-in: 1370 grams (down 10, likely because he was off his feeds yesterday). that's about 1/2 an ounce over 3 lbs.

one week (December 20, 2006)

Today was a little more difficult. They are thinking of putting Asher back into Level 3 to go on CPAP again for a little bit. When we arrived at the hospital today, they had changed his feeds to a continuous feed of 9 mL/hour to see if that helped with the apneas and bradys, since he has been them quite frequently. They were going to see how that went before transferring him. Then when we came back this evening, they had taken him off feeds altogether. Now we are waiting to see if the apneas and brady decrease or at least decrease in frequency and severity.

We are fine with whatever the doctors decide; the nurses keep reassuring us that the spells are so common in such young preemies. If he needs a little bit of help with the CPAP, then so be it. We are of course hoping that it doesn't come to that, but we want what is best for out little guy!

weigh-in: 1380 grams (up 20!)

day 6 (December 19, 2006)

Asher was moved to the Level 2 Nursery today! Wow, our little boy is doing so well!
He is still having apneas and bradys, but it is just because his body is immature. He will outgrow the spells as he gets stronger. Along with his move to Level 2, the doctors decided to decrease his feeds from every 3 hours to every 2 hours (in smaller portions, of course. He is now fed 18 mLs every 2 hours, instead of 27 mLs every 3). They are hoping that this change will decrease his spells of apnea and bradycardia. He was also spitting up a fair bit today, so 27 mLs may have been a bit much for his little tummy.

weigh-in: 1360 grams (up 14). that's 3 lbs!

day 5 (December 18, 2006)

when rob arrived at the hospital this morning (I stayed home to rest, because I wasn't feeling 100% and just can't risk getting myself sick), he was surprised with news that they were thinking of transferring Asher to the Level 2 nursery (a step-down nursery of the NICU, mostly for babies who are just growing and feeding). he set up a time for me to do kangaroo care, and they planned to move him after that. however, when we arrived this evening, he had had several spells of apnea and bradycardia, so they decided to keep him there for now.

it was still a great evening, though. Judah got to meet his little brother for the first time, and I got to do kangaroo care for close to an hour. Asher really seemed to enjoy snuggling with his mommy, and I loved being so close to him again.

Some further positive news is that at his weigh-in tonight, Asher weighed 1346 grams (up 17 grams!). his first weight gain! that's about 2 lbs 15 1/2 oz., so still very small, but gaining is great!

day 4 (December 17, 2006)

I was discharged from the hospital today, which was a bittersweet experience. I am very happy to be at home in my own bed now, but it was so hard to leave Asher at the hospital. At least I know that he is in good hands in the NICU. He will remain in the NICU (perhaps with a transfer to St. Joseph's) for the next month or beyond.

this picture might give you an idea of how small he is:
he is wearing a preemie diaper in this picture

pics of the week: 94 weeks

day 3 (December 16, 2006)

starting a little young, don't you think?

the doctors started Asher on caffeine today! it sounds funny, but it helps premature babies with spells of apnea (stopped breathing) an bradycardia (slowed heart rate). spells of apnea and bradycardia are very common among preemies; Asher will outgrow them as he gets older, but for now, the caffeine is supposed to help remind him to keep breathing.

day 2 (December 15, 2006)

today, they took Asher off of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)! they waited 6 hours to see how he did without it, and once they determined that he was doing okay, they started him on NG feeds of expressed breastmilk. he started with 3 mLs every 3 hours (for his tiny tummy!), which will increased by 3 mLs every 9 hours, as tolerated. we'll see how it goes! Rob also got a chance to hold Asher for the first time today!

Introducing Asher Timothy

Surprise! We thought this baby would come early, but not quite this early...

Asher Timothy was born at 12:59 am on December 14th, 2006. Born at exactly 30 weeks gestation, he weighed in at 1504 grams (3 lbs 5 oz) and measured 17 inches long. He was born by c-section after nearly 24 hours of labour.

Judah's big-boy bedroom

Judah moved into his big-boy bed about a month ago. We wanted him to be used to it by the time the new Little One comes along...

He loves his new bed! It's much easier to get him to go to sleep there than in his crib! We put a safety rail up so that he won't roll off. He definitely likes to move around in his sleep!

Here are some before and after pictures of his bedroom!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

his big-boy bed is quite big indeed. we purchased it at Ikea for an awesome price, and we figured it will last longer than a toddler bed!

the night stand and dresser are daddy's old furniture. it's a pretty good match!

FIRST NIGHT IN THE NEW BED:

pics of the week: 93 weeks

Judah has been very, very sick this week. On Sunday morning, he woke up and just didn't seem himself, and things got worse from there. He has never been this sick before - he has had a high fever and has absolutely NO energy. It is strangely quiet in our house these days; the child has been sleeping almost all day long for an entire week! He is still recovering, but finally seems to have a little bit of energy. He has started to play with his toys again!

pregnancy update

I'm just a few days shy of 30 weeks right now. Wow, this pregnancy is going much faster than my first! I think it's time I gave you all a pregnancy update!

As some of you may know,this pregnancy hasn't been the easiest! I had very bad nauseau at the beginning (which thankfully subsided at about 12/13 weeks), and started having Braxton-Hicks contractions at 17 weeks! Just last week, I was in the hospital with contractions again. They were less than four minutes apart for several hours, so we decided it was best to get it checked out. Fortunately, I wasn't in labour, but I was instructed, as usual, to rest as much as possible. (This is not very easy with an active 21-month-old!) We're praying that Little One will stay put for several more weeks! He/she will likely be early, as Judah was, due to my bicornuate uterus. Since we know a little more about my condition this time, hopefully we can prevent him or her from being born any earlier than Judah was. Your prayers would be appreciated! And please keep praying for Little One to turn head-down!

pics of the week: 92 weeks

Judah and cousin Brittany at a family birthday celebration.

He thought he was so funny by trying to hide in the first picture!

belly pics: 28 weeks