Hello Baby, you had another great day today. I showed up before morning rounds and got to hang out with you for a bit. Doctor Arnab had already examined you. He seems to be the earliest riser of the doctor bunch. He ordered a chest X-ray for you since your overnight blood gases were not good. I was with you when the X-ray crew showed up. Shortly after Dr Arnab came back in your room and asked if I wanted to come look at your X-ray. I was totally excited. He brought me back in the Dr room. I felt like a real insider. He explained to me your lungs was much cloudier than in your previous X-rays. Clearly not great news. He told me that this could be caused by lots of different things. It could be from infection that came up from your steroids hindering your immune system, it could be you not handling your new vent well, or it could be the problem with your heart has come back and worsened. That could mean heart surgery, and for a baby under 2 lbs that is clearly dangerous. He said that the anesthesia needed is not good for tiny babies and can have long term neurological side effects. So clearly that is scary.
Morning rounds was as scared as I have been in a while. I had no idea what they would say or decide about your future. Basically, after much discussion they came up with a plan to monitor you closely until Monday morning when they scheduled an echo cardiogram, and then re evaluate when results are back. So throughout the next 2 days we will watch your blood gases closely.
Mommy got to hold you again today! You both seemed to love it and each enjoyed a much needed nap.
You had a big new visitor today! My Dad came all the way up from Houston to meet you. I could tell you two hit it off right away! This was one of my proudest moments. I enjoyed introducing you two. You grabbed his finger like you always do mine. It was fun to see. He and I spent the majority of the day together eating, watching a movie and hanging out with you. We discussed fatherhood a lot. I had new questions and he had new advice that we never really felt the need to share with each other until now. It was a memorable day.
Throughout the day, your blood gases dramatically improved. Everyone better than the last. This really relieved stress for me. We will see what Monday morning brings but this is a good sign. We love you and you make us proud.
Letters to Holland 