New pictures!

Life is good! We have the cutest kids in the world and everyone is healthy! Our little guy now weighs 9 lbs 4 oz. He likes being in his bouncer now so he can see everything that's going on. He's a very good eater though a messy one. Maddy just loves giving him kisses and hugs and wants to be a little helper. She has started going back to daycare a few days a week just to keep some sort of normal routine and to give Sutton and I some time together (though I still haven't taken any naps yet). It's nice to have some time during the day now to accomplish things that have been put off (like dusting the ceiling fan!) Sutton goes back to the doctor in a couple of weeks for his one month visit and to have his hearing screen again. Hopefully all goes well but that still feels like a very manageable thing if there is an issue compared to everything else he's been though so far.

Sutton's Home!

Sutton got to come home yesterday!! We found out Thursday when we got to the hospital that there was a chance he could come home on Friday, but it was dependent on how well he did without the oxygen throughout that day. He was continuing to eat well and was not having issues with his respiratory rate or oxygen levels so it was confirmed Friday morning. We also took a little risk in getting him circumsized on Friday the 13th, but that so far has been fine :) It has been great having our little guy at home and getting back to some level of normal, and adjusting to life with two kids. He has some follow up appointments with his regular pediatrician and will have to have a second hearing test in a month but otherwise is doing awesome!

One additional thing...

So, I forgot to mention that we also decided yesterday to change Sutton's middle name. He was originally Sutton Harper but after spending time with him and this whole experience it's been changed to Sutton Ryder. It was something we had bounced around since he was born and Russ had to sign the birth certificate form yesterday which is when we decided to take the leap and change it. Hopefully he'll be happy with it too!

Good Day!

Sutton has just been doing fabulous the last two days. He has been very alert the last two days and just looking around at everything. He loves to be swaddled and held, especially by Mom and Dad. We get to hold him all the time now. He has been taken off the IV which was in his belly button. His feeding tube has also been removed from his nose. He's been bottle feeding so well, we're up to over 2 ounces!!! We've also had a couple of nursing sessions but we can't decide where that's going to take us yet. The latest timeframe for coming home is early next week. His oxygen levels have stayed right where they need to be and his respiratory rate has leveled out. He even got to put clothes on for the first time last night. He looked so cute when we got to the hospital this morning. His last chest x-ray was yesterday morning, which still showed some fluid in his lungs. They are now calling it Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He only had to be under the bili lights for one day which was great because it's really hard to hold him with all that stuff. He doesn't have any further tests scheduled. His kidney ultrasound and heart echo both came back normal. Our family and friends have been so wonderful and supportive through this entire thing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sutton update

So a lot has happened since our last update here (please don't check this for medical accuracy). Sutton was transported to St Francis NICU late Friday evening after they discovered a pneumothorax, air between the lungs and wall cavity. Luckily the pediatrician on call was concerned over how labored his breathing was and requested a new chest x-ray. Before the transport team arrived to move him they had to relieve the air pressure from his chest by removing 87 cc's of air. They noticed an immediate improvement in his condition however he still needed additional treatment. That was one of the worst evenings of our lives. We arrived in Tulsa about 11:30 pm after he was finally transported and still were waiting to see him by 2:15 am. Russ finally had to take me back to our house for some sleep and he went back to the hospital to stay with him in his room. Since then he has made steady progress. They put him on a ventilator and did a nitrogen washout, which was a conservative treatment of the remaining pneumo. He had 2 chest x-rays per day until yesterday when he only had one which continue to show improvement. They have removed the ventilator and just left the the nose piece where he is still just on regular oxygen levels. He's managed to keep his saturation levels where they need to be, even when he's crying with a few flareups here and there. They took the IV out of his head, which is comforting to look at your child without this thing in his head. He still has an IV in his belly button which is being offset by the food he's intaking. He's gone from 0 to 40 ml's of formula/breastmilk combination in the last two days. Today he had to be but under the bili lights since his levels were borderline, but the way he's eating and processing food that shouldn't be too much of an issue. They continue to treat him in a very precautionary and conservative manner, which is good but frustrating since all I want to do is bring him home. They have had him on antibiotics as well for a possible infection, but I think we're close to being done with those too. They also discovered during our stay that he has an SUA, single umbilical artery. Where most people have two he has one, so they did an ultrasound today to check his kidney function which we will get the official results of tomorrow. The worst part is being away from my little man and leaving him with strangers in a strange place, even though you know he's getting the best medical care. I still can't get the image out of my head from when they were about to put him in the ambulance where he was looking around so confused about what was going on. It's hard as a mom not to feel guilty, or maybe that's just me, that you did something to cause what's happening (like too many No Bakes or Diet Pepsi) or could have done something to prevent it (not being induced so early). I'm crying as I type because I want nothing more than for him to be in my arms and healthy and I feel like it's my fault he's had to go through so much in his short little life. I finally got to hold him yesterday for the first time since he was born and did not want to give him back. He is so handsome and my absolute little miracle. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers and hopefully we'll continue to have positive news to share.

He's here!

Sutton was born yesterday, Aug. 5, at 2:39 pm. He was 8 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long. He looks a lot like his big sister but a little more like his Daddy! He's got the dark hair, even some side burns, and has my long fingers and my gap between the big and second toes. We haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him yet since he's having some breathing issues. They kept him in the nursery overnight so that he can be monitored and hasn't been allowed to eat anything yet (and we haven't been able to take many pics). His x-rays, oxygen levels and blood sugar levels are all looking good so far. We're hoping for positive news this morning and will keep everyone updated.
Maddy is loving being a big sister so far. She has been escorting visitors down to the nursery to see her baby brother. She hasn't wanted to stay in the hospital room longer than 2 seconds. Hopefully she continues to feel that way once she sees her parents holding him:)