Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 4, 2008 - Day 55
Well today we got some good and some ok news. The good news is the nurse said Brendan will be coming home soon. The ok news is that he will be coming home on oxygen. They offered to transfer him to another children's hospital for a couple of weeks or said we could bring him home on oxygen for a couple weeks and wean him off of it on our own at home. So that is the option we are going to take. Right now he is at 1/2 liter flow and 21% which is room air, basically breathing on his own. He just has a couple episdoes where he cannot tolerate breathing on his own. He did have 2 bradys with desats and a couple desats on their own today. The nurse today also said that they are now going to weigh Brendan everyday because he is not gaining as much weight between weigh-ins as they would like him to. But at his weigh-in last night he weighed 1.82 grams or 4 pounds. Since he will be coming home on oxygen and a monitor we have to take the hospitals infant cpr class. In addition to infant cpr training they will be training us on how to use the oxygen, how to use the monitors, what the beeps mean and when it's time to go to the hospital. We will be taking it this week because they said Brendan could come home as early as this weekend. Tonight again I was on diaper and temperature duty and Devin fed Brendan. He does not like getting his temperature taken. Yes for the first time I heard a good strong cry from our baby. Most parents cringe when their baby cries but for me it was a bittersweet moment. Happy 8 week birthday Brendan!
August 3, 2008 - Day 54
Brendan had another good and uneventful day today. Tonight we got there in time to do his 6pm feeding...Devin jumped at the opportunity. He is a pro at this dad stuff. I got to do diaper duty and his temperature. His nurse today was Nurse Kim, she has been Brendan's nurse before and loves him. The other nurses said she was holding him almost all day. hah! He was wide awake for the feeding with just a little emesis, spit-up and the hiccups. Brendan is at 1 liter flow and 21% for his oxygen. He fell asleep in my arms :)
August 2, 2008 - Day 53
Brendan had another good day today. Again he didn't have any bradys but a couple small desats. Friday night they weighed him as of then he was 3.99 pounds. So hopefully Sunday he will break 4 pounds. Tonight I held him first then Devin changed his diaper, took his temperature and fed him. His temperature has been ok not as warm as the nurses and doctor would like it to be but not cold either. So hopefully as he puts on weight his temperature will become more stable. Also last night the nurse asked us to bring in his carseat as soon as we could so they can do the carseat test. The carseat test is when they put the baby in the seat for 90 minutes and see how they do meaning if they can breath while in the seat. So in the next couple of days they will be doing that. The carseat test is a huge step towards Brendan coming home.
August 1, 2008 - Day 52
Brendan had a good day today. He didn't have any brady's but he did have a couple quick self limiting desats. Tonight Devin changed Brendan's diaper, took his temp and did his feeding. He did really well during his feeding. Brendan also got a new knitted hat from Nurse Jessica's mom. She gave him one when he first got to the NICU he has outgrown it so he needed a new one. Today he was only covered by one blanket instead of bundled up which means he is maintaing his temperature...yay! Brendan got 2 packages in the mail today. He got a beautiful blanket and hat from Aunt Di and Uncle Phil. And he got a hillarious onesie that says : Future Papparazzi Target from the Bartkuses.
July 31, 2008 - Day 51
Well Brendan made it through the first 24 hours out of the isolette like a champ! He is still all bundled up but also out of the isolette. He had one brady and a couple small self limiting desats during the night last night. He did really well for his nurse today though with no issues. Today I met with Brendan's doctor just to check in and see how Brendan is doing overall. I am happy to report the doctor is very happy with Brendan's progress and thinks he will be coming home soon. His main thing now is to get this whole breathing thing down. While I was there I got to feed Brendan, he did much better today then he did for me the other day. They also moved Brendan to a different bay in the NICU today. So he will be making some new friends.
July 30, 2008 - Day 50
Today we reached a huge milestone in our journey through the NICU. Devin and I walked in to see Brendan and he was out of his isolette in a open crib. YAY! They of course had him all bundled up in a sleeper, two blankets and a knitted hat one of the nurses moms made but he was out of the isolette. The next 24-48 hours will be the true test to see if Brendan can maintain his temperature on his own. If he can he will stay out of the isolette if not they will put him back in the isolette and try again another time. This is a HUGE step towards Brendan coming home....we are so excited! Other then that big news Brendan had a pretty good day one brady and a couple small desats all around his feedings. Tonight I held Brendan and let me tell you it is so much easier taking him out of that crib, even with all the tubes and wires, then it was taking him in and out of his isolette. A great day for us!
July 29, 2008 - Day 49
Well today Brendan had a good day...that is until Devin and I showed up hah. He had one desat overnight last night. No bradys or desats all day until his 6 pm feeding which I gave him. All day his nurse said he would wake up 30 minutes before his feedings but for his 6pm feeding he was snuggled on me and did not want to wake up to eat. He had one brady during his feeding it was a quick one. He is at 2 liter flow and 23% for his oxygen. As of Sunday he was 1790 grams or 3.9 pounds. He is still having a hard time maintaing his own temperature so for now he is staying put in his isolette.
July 28, 2008 - Day 48
Brendan had a pretty good day today. He had one brady but it was self limiting. his nurse today noticed that he is having difficulty remembering to breath when he is taking his medication or eating. Which of course leads to the bradys and desats. Tonight I held Brendan and did his 6pm feeding. He took it like a champ with minimal spit up. After his feeding he slept on my shoulder checking every once in awhile to make sure Devin and I were still there. Happy 7 week birthday!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
July 27, 2008 - Day 47
July 27, 2008 - Day 47
Brendan had an ok day today. One minor setback with his feedings. The doctor and nurses are a little concerned about how much spit up he is having so they are temporarily lowering how many cc's he gets at each feeding. He will now go back to 30cc's instead of 35cc's. Other then that he had a pretty uneventful day as far as bradys and desats go with them only happening after he eats. Tonight I got to hold Brendan he slept the whole time except to check out his dad for a couple minutes.
Brendan had an ok day today. One minor setback with his feedings. The doctor and nurses are a little concerned about how much spit up he is having so they are temporarily lowering how many cc's he gets at each feeding. He will now go back to 30cc's instead of 35cc's. Other then that he had a pretty uneventful day as far as bradys and desats go with them only happening after he eats. Tonight I got to hold Brendan he slept the whole time except to check out his dad for a couple minutes.
July 26, 2008 - Day 46
July 26, 2008 - Day 46
Brendan had a pretty good day today. His GranMamie and Poparazzi, my mom and dad, came down to see him. They could not believe how much he has changed in just a couple of weeks. He of course slept for the majority of their visit. I got to feed Brendan at lunchtime. He did ok with the feeding but his reflux was pretty bad today. We had our first instance of projectile vomit. Poor Brendan looked confused after that episode. After his feeding he was awake and looking all around at what was going on. Tonight Devin did his midnight feeding he stil had some spit up but handled the feeding well otherwise. He is still having bradys and desats after he eats. The nurses all agree they will stop happening the more his body grows.
Brendan had a pretty good day today. His GranMamie and Poparazzi, my mom and dad, came down to see him. They could not believe how much he has changed in just a couple of weeks. He of course slept for the majority of their visit. I got to feed Brendan at lunchtime. He did ok with the feeding but his reflux was pretty bad today. We had our first instance of projectile vomit. Poor Brendan looked confused after that episode. After his feeding he was awake and looking all around at what was going on. Tonight Devin did his midnight feeding he stil had some spit up but handled the feeding well otherwise. He is still having bradys and desats after he eats. The nurses all agree they will stop happening the more his body grows.
July 25, 2008 - Day 45
July 25, 2008 - Day 45
Today Brendan had a pretty good day. His daytime nurse tried removing his nose canulla but Brendan had other plans, so it is back in. When they took out the canulla he had some brady's and desats. So instead they switched him from 1 liter from to 1/2 liter flow and will try removing the canulla again in a couple days. I got to feed Brendan for his 6pm feeding. He took the whole bottle of 35 mls. He had some reflux afterwards so we put him back in his isolette on his belly. He seems to do really well on his tummy and it helps with his reflux. He was wide awake, looking all around and at me during his feeding. Such an improvement from a couple weeks ago!
Today Brendan had a pretty good day. His daytime nurse tried removing his nose canulla but Brendan had other plans, so it is back in. When they took out the canulla he had some brady's and desats. So instead they switched him from 1 liter from to 1/2 liter flow and will try removing the canulla again in a couple days. I got to feed Brendan for his 6pm feeding. He took the whole bottle of 35 mls. He had some reflux afterwards so we put him back in his isolette on his belly. He seems to do really well on his tummy and it helps with his reflux. He was wide awake, looking all around and at me during his feeding. Such an improvement from a couple weeks ago!
July 24, 2008 - Day 44
July 24, 2008 - Day 44
More good news from the NICU today....
Brendan's nurse discussed his feedings and how well he is doing with them to his doctors and they decided to remove his feeding tube. Also no bradys or desats today..at all! He also has been at room air for 24 hours straight, normally he would have to go up to anywhere from 25-30% oxygen at some point. So they are going to try weaning him off the oxygen tomorrow..which means removing the nose canulla. Now this is all great news but we are proceeding with caution. The nurse said it could go smoothly or they could have to put back the feeding tube, nose canulla, etc.
Tonight the nurse fed Brendan right before we got there so unfortunately we didn't get to hold him. But we got to look at him and touch him in the isolette. They prefer you don't move him after a feeding so he has less chances of spitting up. He also really enjoys laying on his tummy.
Hopefully tomorrow will be the first of many times we get to see Brendan without any tubes.
More good news from the NICU today....
Brendan's nurse discussed his feedings and how well he is doing with them to his doctors and they decided to remove his feeding tube. Also no bradys or desats today..at all! He also has been at room air for 24 hours straight, normally he would have to go up to anywhere from 25-30% oxygen at some point. So they are going to try weaning him off the oxygen tomorrow..which means removing the nose canulla. Now this is all great news but we are proceeding with caution. The nurse said it could go smoothly or they could have to put back the feeding tube, nose canulla, etc.
Tonight the nurse fed Brendan right before we got there so unfortunately we didn't get to hold him. But we got to look at him and touch him in the isolette. They prefer you don't move him after a feeding so he has less chances of spitting up. He also really enjoys laying on his tummy.
Hopefully tomorrow will be the first of many times we get to see Brendan without any tubes.
July 23, 2008 - Day 43
July 23, 2008 - Day 43
Well Mr. Brendan has gained some more weight ...he is now 3 pounds 11 ounces! They also moved him out of a heat controlled isolette into a non-heat controlled isolette. Today when we got there Brendan was in clothes that I took in for him yesterday. A cute outfit from Carter's with trains on it even though it is preemie size it is still so big on him. His first day wearing clothes! He took all of his feedings today from the bottle including the one I did at 6 pm. He also had minimal emesis (spit up) today. He was awake for the first half of our visit and slept for the second half. Brendan's next weigh in is this weekend, we are hoping he will be 1800 grams so he can go into the open crib.
Well Mr. Brendan has gained some more weight ...he is now 3 pounds 11 ounces! They also moved him out of a heat controlled isolette into a non-heat controlled isolette. Today when we got there Brendan was in clothes that I took in for him yesterday. A cute outfit from Carter's with trains on it even though it is preemie size it is still so big on him. His first day wearing clothes! He took all of his feedings today from the bottle including the one I did at 6 pm. He also had minimal emesis (spit up) today. He was awake for the first half of our visit and slept for the second half. Brendan's next weigh in is this weekend, we are hoping he will be 1800 grams so he can go into the open crib.
July 22, 2008 - Day 42
July 22, 2008 - Day 42
Brendan had a good day today. He didn't have any bradys but he did still have a couple desats. He also took his 6, 9, 12 and 3 o'clock feedings totally from the bottle. After those feedings he had little to no emesis (spit up issues). He is back to his old tricks of ripping out tubes. Ann Marie, his nurse, said he ripped out his NG(feeding) tube today a couple times.
Tonight I held Brendan again he slept the whole time. While I was there his doctor came over to ask if I had any questions. She gave me some good news. Although they normally wouldn't transition a baby, Brendan, from the isolette to a open crib until they weigh 1800 grams they are going to try it out with Brendan this weekend. This is because he has been doing really well with maintaining his temperature while we hold him. He has been breathing room air for long enough that they are confident he can breath on his own. But for now they are keeping the nose canulla in as a precautionary measure. He hasn't had any apnea episodes since they stopped giving him the caffeine ...such a relief! Still no estimate as to when he will come home. But this doctor, Dr. Johnson, really adores Brendan she kept saying what a sweet baby he is.
So good news all around...hope it keeps coming!
Brendan had a good day today. He didn't have any bradys but he did still have a couple desats. He also took his 6, 9, 12 and 3 o'clock feedings totally from the bottle. After those feedings he had little to no emesis (spit up issues). He is back to his old tricks of ripping out tubes. Ann Marie, his nurse, said he ripped out his NG(feeding) tube today a couple times.
Tonight I held Brendan again he slept the whole time. While I was there his doctor came over to ask if I had any questions. She gave me some good news. Although they normally wouldn't transition a baby, Brendan, from the isolette to a open crib until they weigh 1800 grams they are going to try it out with Brendan this weekend. This is because he has been doing really well with maintaining his temperature while we hold him. He has been breathing room air for long enough that they are confident he can breath on his own. But for now they are keeping the nose canulla in as a precautionary measure. He hasn't had any apnea episodes since they stopped giving him the caffeine ...such a relief! Still no estimate as to when he will come home. But this doctor, Dr. Johnson, really adores Brendan she kept saying what a sweet baby he is.
So good news all around...hope it keeps coming!
July 21, 2008 - Day 41
July 21, 2008 - Day 41
Brendan had a good day today he only had one brady and that was this morning. He is measuring 15.15 inches long, so he has grown a little bit since birth. Tonight Devin got to hold Brendan. Since we have been going to the NICU for so long we are finally getting the hang of getting Brendan and his wires in and out of his isolette. We now do this on our own...Devin lifts Brendan and I wrap him up like a glowworm or burito. He always manages to squirm his arms out of the blanket though..he likes his freedom. I also got to hold him for a bit. He is such a sweet baby...barely making a noise just one or two short crying spells.
Happy 6 week birthday Brendan!
Brendan had a good day today he only had one brady and that was this morning. He is measuring 15.15 inches long, so he has grown a little bit since birth. Tonight Devin got to hold Brendan. Since we have been going to the NICU for so long we are finally getting the hang of getting Brendan and his wires in and out of his isolette. We now do this on our own...Devin lifts Brendan and I wrap him up like a glowworm or burito. He always manages to squirm his arms out of the blanket though..he likes his freedom. I also got to hold him for a bit. He is such a sweet baby...barely making a noise just one or two short crying spells.
Happy 6 week birthday Brendan!
July 18, 19 & 20, 2008 - Days 38, 39 & 40
July 18, 19 & 20, 2008 - Day 38, 39 & 40
Brendan had a busy weekend full of sleeping, eating and growing.
Friday - Devin and I went to see Brendan before the sun was up. He was of course asleep but did wake up for us for a couple minutes. He had a pretty good night Thursday into Friday with only one brady and no desats. While we were there he had a couple desats but no bradys.
Saturday - Brendan had a couple brady's overnight and throughout the day. He had desats too but they were all self limiting. They upped Brendan's dosage of Zantac to three times a day to see if it lessens the reflux.
Sunday - Brendan had one brady overnight. His morning/day nurse took out his feeding tube to reinsert it in a different postion. She noticed, and told the doctors, that since reinserting the tube Brendan did not have any bradys or desats. So the theory is that maybe the feeding tube was in a bad spot which was making his reflux worse. They still believe the reflux is what causes the majority of his bradys. Tonight he is getting a blood transfusion, 24 ounces, because his hemoglobin was low. The nurse said it is common for preemies to need blood because they have so much blood drawn everyday for testing. He isn't in any immediate danger but they want to get this blood in him before it gets to be a situation.
Tonight I held Brendan. He slept the entire time I held him, but he was making hillarious faces...he must have been having some good dreams. Tonight was bath night..I did the bath. It was also weigh-in night ....Brendan now ways 1620 grams or 3.5 pounds. This is great progress for him with his weight. Also we got to hear Brendan cry some good strong crys.
Brendan had a busy weekend full of sleeping, eating and growing.
Friday - Devin and I went to see Brendan before the sun was up. He was of course asleep but did wake up for us for a couple minutes. He had a pretty good night Thursday into Friday with only one brady and no desats. While we were there he had a couple desats but no bradys.
Saturday - Brendan had a couple brady's overnight and throughout the day. He had desats too but they were all self limiting. They upped Brendan's dosage of Zantac to three times a day to see if it lessens the reflux.
Sunday - Brendan had one brady overnight. His morning/day nurse took out his feeding tube to reinsert it in a different postion. She noticed, and told the doctors, that since reinserting the tube Brendan did not have any bradys or desats. So the theory is that maybe the feeding tube was in a bad spot which was making his reflux worse. They still believe the reflux is what causes the majority of his bradys. Tonight he is getting a blood transfusion, 24 ounces, because his hemoglobin was low. The nurse said it is common for preemies to need blood because they have so much blood drawn everyday for testing. He isn't in any immediate danger but they want to get this blood in him before it gets to be a situation.
Tonight I held Brendan. He slept the entire time I held him, but he was making hillarious faces...he must have been having some good dreams. Tonight was bath night..I did the bath. It was also weigh-in night ....Brendan now ways 1620 grams or 3.5 pounds. This is great progress for him with his weight. Also we got to hear Brendan cry some good strong crys.
July 17, 2008 - Day 37
July 17, 2008 - Day 37
Brendan had an eventful day today. He had a couple brady's no big ones just a couple small ones with some desats. The nurse said they all occurred after his feedings when the reflux normally kicks in too. He is taking 15 cc's through the bottle and 15 through the feeding tube. Tonight I held Brendan... he slept through the entire visit. He makes some great faces when he is sleeping. He is also doing better at maintaing his temperature outside of his isolette. Yay!
Brendan had an eventful day today. He had a couple brady's no big ones just a couple small ones with some desats. The nurse said they all occurred after his feedings when the reflux normally kicks in too. He is taking 15 cc's through the bottle and 15 through the feeding tube. Tonight I held Brendan... he slept through the entire visit. He makes some great faces when he is sleeping. He is also doing better at maintaing his temperature outside of his isolette. Yay!
July 16, 2008 - Day 36
July 16, 2008 - Day 36
Today Brendan took another big step forward...the doctors took him off caffeine. The caffeine was good for his lungs but also they think a source of the reflux. His lungs are doing well enough now that it was safe to take him off the caffeine. He had a pretty uneventful day, just one brady overnight last night.
Tonight I got to do his feeding it was great and he managed to stay awake for the whole feeding. He had been falling asleep during his feedings. Brendan had a brady while I was feeding him. Still just as scary as it was the other night (Sunday?). The nurses say it is a good sign though that the bradys and desats are becoming less frequent, so we will take their word on that. Other then that it was a good day for Brendan.
Today Brendan took another big step forward...the doctors took him off caffeine. The caffeine was good for his lungs but also they think a source of the reflux. His lungs are doing well enough now that it was safe to take him off the caffeine. He had a pretty uneventful day, just one brady overnight last night.
Tonight I got to do his feeding it was great and he managed to stay awake for the whole feeding. He had been falling asleep during his feedings. Brendan had a brady while I was feeding him. Still just as scary as it was the other night (Sunday?). The nurses say it is a good sign though that the bradys and desats are becoming less frequent, so we will take their word on that. Other then that it was a good day for Brendan.
July 15, 2008 - Day 35
July 15, 2008 - Day 35
Brendan had a pretty good day today. His big events of the day were eating and sleeping. He is up to 30cc's from the bottle. He is handling that ok except for some spit-up issues he is having afterwards because of his reflux. They are still giving him Reglan and Zantac it seems to be helping with the reflux.
Now that Devin and I are getting more comfortable with Brendan being in the isolette and his wires and tubes we have started switching him between us without the nurses help. So last night I held Brendan first, he had just eaten and was having some reflux he had a couple desats and one quick brady. Devin got to hold him for the second half of our visit. We figured out that Brendans preferred position on his mom and dad is scrunched up like a frog.
Brendan had a pretty good day today. His big events of the day were eating and sleeping. He is up to 30cc's from the bottle. He is handling that ok except for some spit-up issues he is having afterwards because of his reflux. They are still giving him Reglan and Zantac it seems to be helping with the reflux.
Now that Devin and I are getting more comfortable with Brendan being in the isolette and his wires and tubes we have started switching him between us without the nurses help. So last night I held Brendan first, he had just eaten and was having some reflux he had a couple desats and one quick brady. Devin got to hold him for the second half of our visit. We figured out that Brendans preferred position on his mom and dad is scrunched up like a frog.
July 14, 2008 - Day 34
July 14, 2008 - Day 34
Today Brendan had a nice and uneventful day, unlike yesterday. Brendan was nice and awake when we got to the hospital. Tonight Devin got to feed Brendan and they both did a great job. Brendan is up to 20cc's of milk in his bottle for every feeding. The doctors didn't think he was getting quite enough calories at each feeding so they are adding fortifier to the milk to help fatten him up. I got to change a poopy diaper and then hold Brendan for a couple hours. He slept like a little angel in my arms. No Bradys while we were there, yay!
Happy 5 week birthday Brendan!
Today Brendan had a nice and uneventful day, unlike yesterday. Brendan was nice and awake when we got to the hospital. Tonight Devin got to feed Brendan and they both did a great job. Brendan is up to 20cc's of milk in his bottle for every feeding. The doctors didn't think he was getting quite enough calories at each feeding so they are adding fortifier to the milk to help fatten him up. I got to change a poopy diaper and then hold Brendan for a couple hours. He slept like a little angel in my arms. No Bradys while we were there, yay!
Happy 5 week birthday Brendan!
July 12 & 13, 2008 - Days 32 & 33
July 12 & 13 - Days 32 & 33
Brendan had a pretty good day Saturday. When we were there he was wide awake, in fact the most awake he has been at any of our visits yet. He had one Brady but it was not a major one. Saturday the nurses goal, Nurses Kerry and Debbie, was to up Brendan's feeds to his goal intake of 24. They did this by increasing the cc's he receives every 12 hours until he hits the goal. Also because Brendan is receiving enough nutrition through the bottle/feeding tube they took out his IV line of fluids. I got to hold Brendan today.
Sunday was an eventful day for Brendan bath day, weigh-in and measuring. Because they switched him to all bottle feedings he did lose some weight but we were told to expect this. His weight loss was not a huge drop and will go back up by next week. Tonight was Devins turn to hold Brendan ...he slept through most of the visit. He had a pretty bad Brady while Devin was holding him, turned a bit blue the nurse had to put him back in the isolette to work on him another nurse came over to help her and they had to use the oxygen mask. Nurse Karen said it was due to reflux and apnea he was too comfy on his dad. With time he will outgrow both the reflux and apnea. After the Brady he went back to sleep, squiriming and making faces :)
Brendan had a pretty good day Saturday. When we were there he was wide awake, in fact the most awake he has been at any of our visits yet. He had one Brady but it was not a major one. Saturday the nurses goal, Nurses Kerry and Debbie, was to up Brendan's feeds to his goal intake of 24. They did this by increasing the cc's he receives every 12 hours until he hits the goal. Also because Brendan is receiving enough nutrition through the bottle/feeding tube they took out his IV line of fluids. I got to hold Brendan today.
Sunday was an eventful day for Brendan bath day, weigh-in and measuring. Because they switched him to all bottle feedings he did lose some weight but we were told to expect this. His weight loss was not a huge drop and will go back up by next week. Tonight was Devins turn to hold Brendan ...he slept through most of the visit. He had a pretty bad Brady while Devin was holding him, turned a bit blue the nurse had to put him back in the isolette to work on him another nurse came over to help her and they had to use the oxygen mask. Nurse Karen said it was due to reflux and apnea he was too comfy on his dad. With time he will outgrow both the reflux and apnea. After the Brady he went back to sleep, squiriming and making faces :)
July 11, 2008 - Day 32
July 11, 2008 - Day 32
Today was another good day for Brendan with, of course, more changes. He is still at 22-23% oxygen but is down to 1liter flow. Once he is stable with that for awhile they will transition him to breathing without the nose canula. They had to add an IV line in the back of his heel, they call it the high heel vein, it was one of the few veins they haven't used on him. Also they reinserted the feeding tube because he was getting to stressed out during his feeds and was having some reflux issues. Reflus is very common with preemies most of them outgrow it. But for now they are giving Brendan two medicines for the reflux, reglan and zantac. They are also offering him 15cc's of milk every 3 hours for his feedings, seeing what he takes from the bottle and the rest goes through the feeding tube. They are also hoping the meds will help stop the reflux which will in turn stop the brady's and desats.
Today I got to hold and feed Brendan. He slept for most of our visit except for his feeding time. He did take all 15cc's from his bottle for me though and only spit up about 1cc, according to the nurse
Today was another good day for Brendan with, of course, more changes. He is still at 22-23% oxygen but is down to 1liter flow. Once he is stable with that for awhile they will transition him to breathing without the nose canula. They had to add an IV line in the back of his heel, they call it the high heel vein, it was one of the few veins they haven't used on him. Also they reinserted the feeding tube because he was getting to stressed out during his feeds and was having some reflux issues. Reflus is very common with preemies most of them outgrow it. But for now they are giving Brendan two medicines for the reflux, reglan and zantac. They are also offering him 15cc's of milk every 3 hours for his feedings, seeing what he takes from the bottle and the rest goes through the feeding tube. They are also hoping the meds will help stop the reflux which will in turn stop the brady's and desats.
Today I got to hold and feed Brendan. He slept for most of our visit except for his feeding time. He did take all 15cc's from his bottle for me though and only spit up about 1cc, according to the nurse
July 10, 2008 - Day 31
July 10, 2008 - Day 31
Lots of changes today for Brendan and all good ones! Brendan's morning nurse was Nurse Francine his nighttime nurse is Nurse Debbie. He had a good night last night and did well with his feedings. Today they continued to offer him the bottle, 5-10cc's, they are encouraging him to take it all but he generally takes 5-7cc's. They also are lowering his IV fluids to see if less fluids will help him to take more from the bottle.
Today Brendan was switched to a different nose canula. They have him now on one that offers him more humidified air that they can control better. This new canula is a step in the right direction. He is still at 21-22%, with 21% being room air that we breathe. The nurses say they put it at 21% and Brendan fusses but at 22% he is fine hah.
Tonight was Devins turn to hold Brendan they both slept. Devin also got to feed him again. He will be a pro at this stuff by the time Brendan comes home. Towards the end of his feeding Brendan was alert with his eyes open and making some pretty funny faces for us. His hair is looking blonder everyday!
Lots of changes today for Brendan and all good ones! Brendan's morning nurse was Nurse Francine his nighttime nurse is Nurse Debbie. He had a good night last night and did well with his feedings. Today they continued to offer him the bottle, 5-10cc's, they are encouraging him to take it all but he generally takes 5-7cc's. They also are lowering his IV fluids to see if less fluids will help him to take more from the bottle.
Today Brendan was switched to a different nose canula. They have him now on one that offers him more humidified air that they can control better. This new canula is a step in the right direction. He is still at 21-22%, with 21% being room air that we breathe. The nurses say they put it at 21% and Brendan fusses but at 22% he is fine hah.
Tonight was Devins turn to hold Brendan they both slept. Devin also got to feed him again. He will be a pro at this stuff by the time Brendan comes home. Towards the end of his feeding Brendan was alert with his eyes open and making some pretty funny faces for us. His hair is looking blonder everyday!
July 9, 2008 - day 30 - 1 month old!
July 9, 2008 - Day 30 - 1 month old!
Today is Brendan's one month birthday. I cannot believe it has been a month already. And to celebrate his one month birthday the doctors removed Brendan's feeding tube. Which means he is now a bottle feeding baby. Really he is still working on his bottle feeding skills but he is doing pretty good with it so far. They are offering him 10cc's of milk and letting him take what he wants. The first feeding of the day he took 5cc's and vomitted it all back up and the 2nd feed of the day he took all of his bottle without any vomit. He is at 2 liters flow and 22% oxygen and still having Brady's and desats but they are all self limiting.
Tonight I got to hold Brendan and he was in a great mood. He was smiling a lot, probably because he didn't have a tube going through his nose anymore and he was just so sweet. I also got to change his diaper. Devin got to be the one to do his first bottle feeding from a parent. Devin did a great job and so did Brendan, he took about 5 cc's of the 10, he was sleepy though.
Happy 1 month birthday Brendan!
Today is Brendan's one month birthday. I cannot believe it has been a month already. And to celebrate his one month birthday the doctors removed Brendan's feeding tube. Which means he is now a bottle feeding baby. Really he is still working on his bottle feeding skills but he is doing pretty good with it so far. They are offering him 10cc's of milk and letting him take what he wants. The first feeding of the day he took 5cc's and vomitted it all back up and the 2nd feed of the day he took all of his bottle without any vomit. He is at 2 liters flow and 22% oxygen and still having Brady's and desats but they are all self limiting.
Tonight I got to hold Brendan and he was in a great mood. He was smiling a lot, probably because he didn't have a tube going through his nose anymore and he was just so sweet. I also got to change his diaper. Devin got to be the one to do his first bottle feeding from a parent. Devin did a great job and so did Brendan, he took about 5 cc's of the 10, he was sleepy though.
Happy 1 month birthday Brendan!
July 8, 2008 - Day 29
July 8, 2008 - Day 29
Today was a good day for Brendan. He is still on 3liters and 25% oxygen. Up until now he had been receiving one dose of caffeine in a 24 hour period today the doctor decided to try doing a dose every 12 hours instead to see if that helps him have less Brady's and desats. He also had some x-rays done on his belly today to see what is going on in there. The nurse wanted to make sure his NG (feeding) tube and everything was ok since he has been having some reflux and spit up issues. They discovered that his intestines were a little bit distended so instead of pushing him more with the bottle feedings they are going to give his belly a break again and feed him through the tube. They are going to do more x-rays on his belly Wednesday morning and if the intestines have calmed down they will try the bottle again, if not they will wait another day. Shocking in our family that Brendan would have any stomach issues at all haha!
Tonight we both got to hold Brendan...yay! Devin did his bath and changed his diaper...I took his temperature. Brendan did not have any Brady's or desats while we were there.
Today was a good day for Brendan. He is still on 3liters and 25% oxygen. Up until now he had been receiving one dose of caffeine in a 24 hour period today the doctor decided to try doing a dose every 12 hours instead to see if that helps him have less Brady's and desats. He also had some x-rays done on his belly today to see what is going on in there. The nurse wanted to make sure his NG (feeding) tube and everything was ok since he has been having some reflux and spit up issues. They discovered that his intestines were a little bit distended so instead of pushing him more with the bottle feedings they are going to give his belly a break again and feed him through the tube. They are going to do more x-rays on his belly Wednesday morning and if the intestines have calmed down they will try the bottle again, if not they will wait another day. Shocking in our family that Brendan would have any stomach issues at all haha!
Tonight we both got to hold Brendan...yay! Devin did his bath and changed his diaper...I took his temperature. Brendan did not have any Brady's or desats while we were there.
July 7, 2008 - Day 28
July 7, 2008 - Day 28
Last night was weigh-in night ....Brendan is now officially over 3 pounds. He is 1.5 kilograms or 3.306 pounds. YAY!
Today Brendan had a pretty good day. He did not have any brady's but he did have a couple desats. The nurse determined that he is only having desats now when he is eating. They also restarted Brendan on bottle feedings but are not using the bottles for every feeding. They are trying him with 5cc's in the bottle at every other feeding then if that goes well they will increase him intake. the rest of his feedings are being done through the ng feeding tube. He is also having reflux issues, common for preemies or any baby really through the first year. Because Brendan was born so premature his muscles in his belly aren't strong enough to know what to do with the food. As he grows the reflux should go away, but if it doesn't they will put him on a pill called Reglen (I am unsure of the spelling). They also had bumped Brendan's oxygen up to 40% to help with the desats and are hoping to gradually bring it down overnight back to 21% or room air.
Tonight Brendan's nurse was Marcia, she was nice and very informative. We didn't get to hold Brendan but we did get to see him. He looked perfectly content in his isolette.
Happy 4 week birthday!
Last night was weigh-in night ....Brendan is now officially over 3 pounds. He is 1.5 kilograms or 3.306 pounds. YAY!
Today Brendan had a pretty good day. He did not have any brady's but he did have a couple desats. The nurse determined that he is only having desats now when he is eating. They also restarted Brendan on bottle feedings but are not using the bottles for every feeding. They are trying him with 5cc's in the bottle at every other feeding then if that goes well they will increase him intake. the rest of his feedings are being done through the ng feeding tube. He is also having reflux issues, common for preemies or any baby really through the first year. Because Brendan was born so premature his muscles in his belly aren't strong enough to know what to do with the food. As he grows the reflux should go away, but if it doesn't they will put him on a pill called Reglen (I am unsure of the spelling). They also had bumped Brendan's oxygen up to 40% to help with the desats and are hoping to gradually bring it down overnight back to 21% or room air.
Tonight Brendan's nurse was Marcia, she was nice and very informative. We didn't get to hold Brendan but we did get to see him. He looked perfectly content in his isolette.
Happy 4 week birthday!
July 6, 2008 - Day 27
July 6, 2008 - Day 27
Brendan had an iffy day today. He had more Brady's and desats then he has been having but the nurses, Francine and Debbie, both agree it is because he is still figuring out how to use his lungs. Also they are adjusting his oxygen in an attempt to get him off of it and breathing on his own. Brendan is still receiving caffeine everyday to help his lungs out today because of the increase in Brady's they gave him a bowlus of caffeine, which is just a higher dosage then usual. He did not have any reflux with his feeding today so tomorrow they will give him a slight increase in his feedings.
I got to hold Brendan tonight for the first time in a week! He was wide awake looking back and forth at me and Devin. He also really loves his pacifier. Tonight for the first time we heard Brendan sneeze... he has the cutest sneeze I have ever heard. He also had a good grip on my finger I don't think he wanted me to leave. Today we also noticed that Brendan's eyelashes are finally coming in.
Brendan had an iffy day today. He had more Brady's and desats then he has been having but the nurses, Francine and Debbie, both agree it is because he is still figuring out how to use his lungs. Also they are adjusting his oxygen in an attempt to get him off of it and breathing on his own. Brendan is still receiving caffeine everyday to help his lungs out today because of the increase in Brady's they gave him a bowlus of caffeine, which is just a higher dosage then usual. He did not have any reflux with his feeding today so tomorrow they will give him a slight increase in his feedings.
I got to hold Brendan tonight for the first time in a week! He was wide awake looking back and forth at me and Devin. He also really loves his pacifier. Tonight for the first time we heard Brendan sneeze... he has the cutest sneeze I have ever heard. He also had a good grip on my finger I don't think he wanted me to leave. Today we also noticed that Brendan's eyelashes are finally coming in.
July 5, 2008 - Day 26
July 5, 2008 - Day 26
Brendan had a couple Brady's overnight last night about 4 and about 5 this morning. His nurse this morning was Nurse Francine she was helpful in explaining why he had so many more Brady's than usual. She said it was because they are seeing what they can do with his oxygen as far as lowering it and weaning him off of it. She explained that the brady's were normal and he will grow out of them.
Today Brendan had more visitors to include Mommom, Uncle Dennis and Uncle Matt. He also got to meet his Godmother, Aunt Debbie and his Uncle Denny. He was pretty awake and alert when they were there to see him.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day with less brady's.
Brendan had a couple Brady's overnight last night about 4 and about 5 this morning. His nurse this morning was Nurse Francine she was helpful in explaining why he had so many more Brady's than usual. She said it was because they are seeing what they can do with his oxygen as far as lowering it and weaning him off of it. She explained that the brady's were normal and he will grow out of them.
Today Brendan had more visitors to include Mommom, Uncle Dennis and Uncle Matt. He also got to meet his Godmother, Aunt Debbie and his Uncle Denny. He was pretty awake and alert when they were there to see him.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day with less brady's.
July 4, 2008 - Day 25
July 4, 2008 -Day 25
Happy 4th of July!
Brendan had a good day today. The nurses removed his IV line from the blood he received earlier this week. And his tummy is soft again so the feeding issue from yesterday did resolve itself. The doctors and nurses are going to start Brendan back on feedings of milk tomorrow at a slower pace and lesser amount then before. Hopefully it will go a lot better this time.
Also today Brendan had a visit from his Mommom, Uncle Dennis and Uncle Matt. They all think he is cute...we agree!
Happy 4th of July!
Brendan had a good day today. The nurses removed his IV line from the blood he received earlier this week. And his tummy is soft again so the feeding issue from yesterday did resolve itself. The doctors and nurses are going to start Brendan back on feedings of milk tomorrow at a slower pace and lesser amount then before. Hopefully it will go a lot better this time.
Also today Brendan had a visit from his Mommom, Uncle Dennis and Uncle Matt. They all think he is cute...we agree!
July 3, 2008 - Day 24
July 3, 2008 - Day 24
Brendan had an okay day today. He had a couple Brady's that were all self resolved and short. His morning nurse was Jessica his night nurse was Shea. Jessica is a really good nurse and loves Brendan.
We found out today that Brendan actually isn't ceftazidime resistant afterall. The preliminary results showed that he was but in the end he was negative, yaya! Today Brendan also totally removed him feeding tube from his nose, he is a strong one. And after his feeding, from the bottle and spitting up, nurse Jessica noticed that his belly was slightly (1.5 cm) disdented so they removed his feeding tube from his nose and did an x-ray on his stomach. The x-ray showed that Brendan is holding in gas. They hooked up an IV to feed him with for the next couple of days. The plan is to give his stomach a break and see what happens. They are going to do x-rays on is stomach everyday for the next week to keep an eye on it, longer if needed. In a couple days they will start reintroducing the bottle and see how he does with it. Nurse Shea said this is common for preemies and it may happen again but not to worry.
Because of the new IV and all that went on today we didn't get to hold Brendan but we did get to touch him through the isolette. I got to change Brendan's diaper tonight...a poopy one! Noone warned me that a boy will pee on you if you don't cover him up right away... yup he peed on me too haha.
And today Brendan got some presents in the mail. Thanks to Aunt Geri and KC he now has some books for his personal library. And thanks to Matt and Dennis for the adorable picture frame!
Brendan had an okay day today. He had a couple Brady's that were all self resolved and short. His morning nurse was Jessica his night nurse was Shea. Jessica is a really good nurse and loves Brendan.
We found out today that Brendan actually isn't ceftazidime resistant afterall. The preliminary results showed that he was but in the end he was negative, yaya! Today Brendan also totally removed him feeding tube from his nose, he is a strong one. And after his feeding, from the bottle and spitting up, nurse Jessica noticed that his belly was slightly (1.5 cm) disdented so they removed his feeding tube from his nose and did an x-ray on his stomach. The x-ray showed that Brendan is holding in gas. They hooked up an IV to feed him with for the next couple of days. The plan is to give his stomach a break and see what happens. They are going to do x-rays on is stomach everyday for the next week to keep an eye on it, longer if needed. In a couple days they will start reintroducing the bottle and see how he does with it. Nurse Shea said this is common for preemies and it may happen again but not to worry.
Because of the new IV and all that went on today we didn't get to hold Brendan but we did get to touch him through the isolette. I got to change Brendan's diaper tonight...a poopy one! Noone warned me that a boy will pee on you if you don't cover him up right away... yup he peed on me too haha.
And today Brendan got some presents in the mail. Thanks to Aunt Geri and KC he now has some books for his personal library. And thanks to Matt and Dennis for the adorable picture frame!
July 20, 2008- Day 23
July 2, 2008 - Day 23
Today was a big huge day for Brendan! He had a couple Brady's and desats but continues to bring himself out of them, which means that he is figuring out how to really breathe on his own. Also today the doctor's ok'ed Brendan to start trying and learning to bottle feed. He did ok with the bottle for his first time ...he sucessfully ate 7cc's of milk from the bottle the remainder was fed through the feeding tube.
Tonight Devin held Brendan he is a pro at this dad stuff already. And Brendan is content to be in his dads arms. Together they worked more on Brendan and the pacifier. I think Devin has made it his personal mission to make sure Brendan does well with the pacifier.
The nurse tonight was Maleek, she was great with Brendan. She also explained to us that they ran more testing on Brendan today and discovered that he is ceftazidime resistant. From what I understand that means he has a colony of bacteria in him and the medicine they use to treat it, ceftazidime, won't work on Brendan. So for now he is in isolation. Because of him being in isolation all nurses, staff and anyone besides Devin and I who come into contact with Brendan must wear a gown and gloves.
Overall a good day!
Today was a big huge day for Brendan! He had a couple Brady's and desats but continues to bring himself out of them, which means that he is figuring out how to really breathe on his own. Also today the doctor's ok'ed Brendan to start trying and learning to bottle feed. He did ok with the bottle for his first time ...he sucessfully ate 7cc's of milk from the bottle the remainder was fed through the feeding tube.
Tonight Devin held Brendan he is a pro at this dad stuff already. And Brendan is content to be in his dads arms. Together they worked more on Brendan and the pacifier. I think Devin has made it his personal mission to make sure Brendan does well with the pacifier.
The nurse tonight was Maleek, she was great with Brendan. She also explained to us that they ran more testing on Brendan today and discovered that he is ceftazidime resistant. From what I understand that means he has a colony of bacteria in him and the medicine they use to treat it, ceftazidime, won't work on Brendan. So for now he is in isolation. Because of him being in isolation all nurses, staff and anyone besides Devin and I who come into contact with Brendan must wear a gown and gloves.
Overall a good day!
July 1, 2008- Day 22
July 1, 2008 - Day 22
Brendan had a good day today. His morning nurse, Erin, said he had one Brady for her this morning and pulled himself right out of it within seconds. Which means Brendan is finally getting the hang of breathing! Tonight I held Brendan, burrito style and he was just so cute. Also the lady who was on his transport team to get Brendan to DC Childrne's stopped by to check on him. She could not believe, but was happy to hear that he is over 3 pounds now. Its nice that she checks in on him she also said she is praying for him. A lot of people are praying for Brendan I think many of those prayers are getting answered in small doses. Everyday Brendan improves even if only slightly and everyday we get one day closer to him being home!
Brendan had a good day today. His morning nurse, Erin, said he had one Brady for her this morning and pulled himself right out of it within seconds. Which means Brendan is finally getting the hang of breathing! Tonight I held Brendan, burrito style and he was just so cute. Also the lady who was on his transport team to get Brendan to DC Childrne's stopped by to check on him. She could not believe, but was happy to hear that he is over 3 pounds now. Its nice that she checks in on him she also said she is praying for him. A lot of people are praying for Brendan I think many of those prayers are getting answered in small doses. Everyday Brendan improves even if only slightly and everyday we get one day closer to him being home!
June 30, 2008 - Day 21
June 30, 2008 - Day 21
Happy 3 week birthday Brendan. We cannot believe how fast time is going and how quickly our baby boy is growing up. Wish there was a way to stop time.
Brendan had an ok day today. He had a couple Brady's overnight (Nurse:Eileen) last night, one this morning (Nurse: Erin) and then one while we were with him tonight. He also had to be given a blood transfusion today. It was a surprise to us when we got to the hospital and saw the IV in his arm. He did not look like a happy baby at all with that thing in his arm. The nurse said they did their usual testing and Brendan's hemocrit level was low so they gave him blood. They will recheck his levels Tuesday and go from there. There is a chance he could need more blood but the nurse tonight didn't think he would. She also reassured us that this is totally common for preemies and in the end will be helpful to Brendan because it will lessen his chances of desatting.
Brendan spent part of his 3 week birthday cuddled up on his mom. He seems to really enjoy when we hold him and we enjoy it as well. When we left Brendan was content and smiling whil he slept.
Happy 3 week birthday!
Happy 3 week birthday Brendan. We cannot believe how fast time is going and how quickly our baby boy is growing up. Wish there was a way to stop time.
Brendan had an ok day today. He had a couple Brady's overnight (Nurse:Eileen) last night, one this morning (Nurse: Erin) and then one while we were with him tonight. He also had to be given a blood transfusion today. It was a surprise to us when we got to the hospital and saw the IV in his arm. He did not look like a happy baby at all with that thing in his arm. The nurse said they did their usual testing and Brendan's hemocrit level was low so they gave him blood. They will recheck his levels Tuesday and go from there. There is a chance he could need more blood but the nurse tonight didn't think he would. She also reassured us that this is totally common for preemies and in the end will be helpful to Brendan because it will lessen his chances of desatting.
Brendan spent part of his 3 week birthday cuddled up on his mom. He seems to really enjoy when we hold him and we enjoy it as well. When we left Brendan was content and smiling whil he slept.
Happy 3 week birthday!
June 29, 2008 - Day 20
June 29, 2008 - Day 20
Big update with good news all around!
Overnight last night Brendan had one minor Brady his Nurse Renee said he brought himself right out of it. During the day today he also had a brady similar to last night which he again brought himself out of. Tonight Brendan's nurse was Eileen she really likes Brendan. Devin held Brendan tonight ...they are so cute together. Devin was showing Brendan pictures and filling him in on who is who.
Sunday, Tuesday and Friday are bath and weigh-in nights. Sunday night they also measure how long the baby is now. So tonight we were there for all of this and I am so very happy to report that Brendan is now weighing 1370 grams or 3.02 pounds! He is 15 1/2 inches long or 39 centimeters. And his head is measuring 27 centimeters round.
Devins mission with Brendan has been to make sure he mastered the pacifier. Tonight for the first time in his short life we saw Brendan do just that ...master the pacifier! This is a HUGE deal because once Brendan really really masters the pacifier and sucking they will remove his feeding tube and he will switch over to being bottle fed.
So another great night in the NICU for Brendan. Oh yeh and he is the quiet one in his bay. He covers his ears when the other babies cry.
Big update with good news all around!
Overnight last night Brendan had one minor Brady his Nurse Renee said he brought himself right out of it. During the day today he also had a brady similar to last night which he again brought himself out of. Tonight Brendan's nurse was Eileen she really likes Brendan. Devin held Brendan tonight ...they are so cute together. Devin was showing Brendan pictures and filling him in on who is who.
Sunday, Tuesday and Friday are bath and weigh-in nights. Sunday night they also measure how long the baby is now. So tonight we were there for all of this and I am so very happy to report that Brendan is now weighing 1370 grams or 3.02 pounds! He is 15 1/2 inches long or 39 centimeters. And his head is measuring 27 centimeters round.
Devins mission with Brendan has been to make sure he mastered the pacifier. Tonight for the first time in his short life we saw Brendan do just that ...master the pacifier! This is a HUGE deal because once Brendan really really masters the pacifier and sucking they will remove his feeding tube and he will switch over to being bottle fed.
So another great night in the NICU for Brendan. Oh yeh and he is the quiet one in his bay. He covers his ears when the other babies cry.
June 28, 2008- Day 19
June 28, 2008 - Day 19
Brendan had a pretty good day today. He had a couple small Brady's but he brought himself out of them all. Brendan is completely on milk now and seems to be handling it well. He spit it up a couple of time for his day nurse Michelle but other then that no issues with the feeding. When we went in tonight Brendan was all snuggled up in his isolette. His nurse tonight was Grace she is a good nurse very attentive to Brendan and the other baby in her care for the night. I got to hold Brendan, Kangaroo style, felt good to hold my baby. I could do this all day and hopefully soon will be able to. Also got to change his diaper tonight still no poopy diapers for mom!
Brendan had a pretty good day today. He had a couple small Brady's but he brought himself out of them all. Brendan is completely on milk now and seems to be handling it well. He spit it up a couple of time for his day nurse Michelle but other then that no issues with the feeding. When we went in tonight Brendan was all snuggled up in his isolette. His nurse tonight was Grace she is a good nurse very attentive to Brendan and the other baby in her care for the night. I got to hold Brendan, Kangaroo style, felt good to hold my baby. I could do this all day and hopefully soon will be able to. Also got to change his diaper tonight still no poopy diapers for mom!
June 27, 2007 - Day 18
June 27, 2008 - Day 18
Brendan had another ok day. Overnight he had a couple of brady's but his nurse (Eileen) said he brought himself out of them. They also did the g.a.s test on him again and determined that his CO2 level was elevated. So they upped his oxygen level back to 40% to help him out with that.
Today Brendan's Poparazzi and Granmamie (right mom?) came to visit for a couple hours. The three of us went in together to visit Brendan. Poparazzi as usual took a million pictures not that I blame him. While there I held Brendan kangaroo style. He had the hiccups, cried a little and vomitted on me not once but twice.
It was a nice visit and as always any time I get to see and/or hold Brendan makes it a great day.
Brendan had another ok day. Overnight he had a couple of brady's but his nurse (Eileen) said he brought himself out of them. They also did the g.a.s test on him again and determined that his CO2 level was elevated. So they upped his oxygen level back to 40% to help him out with that.
Today Brendan's Poparazzi and Granmamie (right mom?) came to visit for a couple hours. The three of us went in together to visit Brendan. Poparazzi as usual took a million pictures not that I blame him. While there I held Brendan kangaroo style. He had the hiccups, cried a little and vomitted on me not once but twice.
It was a nice visit and as always any time I get to see and/or hold Brendan makes it a great day.
June 26, 2008 - Day 17
June 26, 2008 - Day 17
Today Brendan had a good day. He did not have any Brady's during the day and tonight had only one minor one while we were there, and of course it was while I was holding him. Tonight Devin got to hold Devin and then we switched so I got to hold him too. He slept on his dad, cried and smiled on me so it was a good night. His oxygen was upped to 40% because of a Brady he had last night the nurse tonight though said she was going to lower it back to 25% and see how he does.
Yesterday Brendan's paperwork came from SSI. We didn't know about this but there is SSI for low birtweight the social worker at the hospital told us about this at the family meeting last week. Since Brendan was born under 1200 grams he automatically qualifies. Through the program he will also be covered under Medicaid should our primary insurance not cover any of his care.
Today Brendan's paperwork for his birth certificate came in the mail. He is quite the popular guy.
Today Brendan had a good day. He did not have any Brady's during the day and tonight had only one minor one while we were there, and of course it was while I was holding him. Tonight Devin got to hold Devin and then we switched so I got to hold him too. He slept on his dad, cried and smiled on me so it was a good night. His oxygen was upped to 40% because of a Brady he had last night the nurse tonight though said she was going to lower it back to 25% and see how he does.
Yesterday Brendan's paperwork came from SSI. We didn't know about this but there is SSI for low birtweight the social worker at the hospital told us about this at the family meeting last week. Since Brendan was born under 1200 grams he automatically qualifies. Through the program he will also be covered under Medicaid should our primary insurance not cover any of his care.
Today Brendan's paperwork for his birth certificate came in the mail. He is quite the popular guy.
June 25, 2008 - Day 16
June 25, 2008 - Day 16
Brendan had a good day today. He only had one brady and the nurse said it wasn't a bad one. Tonight Brendan got to meet our friends Greg and Lindsey. He of course slept through their whole visit. And of course they oooh'ed and aaah'ed over him. They could not get over how not only tiny he is but also how cute he is and how much he moves around. During our visit Brendan didn't have any bradys or any other issues. He did however manage to again remove his feeding tube.
This past Monday the doctor did another ultrasound on Brendan's head to see if there are any bleeds or complications. I am very happy to report that everything still looks normal. For the first time tonight I heard Brendan sneeze. So cute!
Brendan had a good day today. He only had one brady and the nurse said it wasn't a bad one. Tonight Brendan got to meet our friends Greg and Lindsey. He of course slept through their whole visit. And of course they oooh'ed and aaah'ed over him. They could not get over how not only tiny he is but also how cute he is and how much he moves around. During our visit Brendan didn't have any bradys or any other issues. He did however manage to again remove his feeding tube.
This past Monday the doctor did another ultrasound on Brendan's head to see if there are any bleeds or complications. I am very happy to report that everything still looks normal. For the first time tonight I heard Brendan sneeze. So cute!
June 24, 2008 - Day 15
June 24, 2008 - Day 15
Today Brendan had an okay day. He had three Brady's last night with Nurse Mark and one today with Nurse Erin. Today they removed his pic line, the one they were keeping in just in case. Also he was weighed today and is now up to 1280 grams. We will be finding out if he grew any longer tomorrow. Tonight we just had a short visit but a great one. We heard Brendan cry again such a sweet little cry. Adn we got to do his "Cares" again: Devin did his temperature and I did his bath and diaper change. We like doing this kind of stuff. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow Brendan won't have any more Brady's. His nurse tonight said again like the other nurses how he is so feisty. This was after he succesfully pulled his breathing tube out of his nose ..for the third time. When we left him he was a happy boy with a half smile (best he can do) on his face.
Also today Brendan got his first piece of mail....his social security card!
Today Brendan had an okay day. He had three Brady's last night with Nurse Mark and one today with Nurse Erin. Today they removed his pic line, the one they were keeping in just in case. Also he was weighed today and is now up to 1280 grams. We will be finding out if he grew any longer tomorrow. Tonight we just had a short visit but a great one. We heard Brendan cry again such a sweet little cry. Adn we got to do his "Cares" again: Devin did his temperature and I did his bath and diaper change. We like doing this kind of stuff. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow Brendan won't have any more Brady's. His nurse tonight said again like the other nurses how he is so feisty. This was after he succesfully pulled his breathing tube out of his nose ..for the third time. When we left him he was a happy boy with a half smile (best he can do) on his face.
Also today Brendan got his first piece of mail....his social security card!
June 23, 2008 - Day 14
June 23, 2008 - Day 14
Today we got some more good news about Brendan. He now weighs 2 3/4 pounds or 1.25 kilos so he gained since his last weigh-in! They also totally stopped giving him lipids. They hav not removed his iv line though for the lipids in case they need it. They are just going to run clear fluids through that line to keep it from clogging. They also had to up Brendan's oxygen level to 25 %. Normal room air is 21% and he was doing fine with that for awhile but now is having a little bit of difficulty. The nurses, Bree - Day shift and Mark - night shift, both think he will be back to room air in no time. They also as with everything assured us that this is normal for preemies. Today Brendan's food intake was upped to 17 cc's his goal is 24. Once he gets to 24 cc's and can maintain his weight they will remove his feeding tube.
While we were there Brendan had one breathing issue called a Brady. It happened while I was holding him and was the scariest thing I have had happen yet for me with Brendan. A Brady is what happens when Brendan forgets to breathe. Sometimes they are followed by what is called a desat and sometimes not, there was no desat while we were there. It was scary to not only be there for it but also not know what to do. Luckily Nurse Mark turned up the lights we gave Brendan a little rub on the back and he was ok.
I got to change Brendan's diaper. Devin was hoping I would get a poopy diaper...but my boy knows not to poop for his mom only for his dad. I got to hold him tonight and it was just what I needed. He is so warm, curled up like a frog and slept the whole time.
Happy 2 week birthday!
Today we got some more good news about Brendan. He now weighs 2 3/4 pounds or 1.25 kilos so he gained since his last weigh-in! They also totally stopped giving him lipids. They hav not removed his iv line though for the lipids in case they need it. They are just going to run clear fluids through that line to keep it from clogging. They also had to up Brendan's oxygen level to 25 %. Normal room air is 21% and he was doing fine with that for awhile but now is having a little bit of difficulty. The nurses, Bree - Day shift and Mark - night shift, both think he will be back to room air in no time. They also as with everything assured us that this is normal for preemies. Today Brendan's food intake was upped to 17 cc's his goal is 24. Once he gets to 24 cc's and can maintain his weight they will remove his feeding tube.
While we were there Brendan had one breathing issue called a Brady. It happened while I was holding him and was the scariest thing I have had happen yet for me with Brendan. A Brady is what happens when Brendan forgets to breathe. Sometimes they are followed by what is called a desat and sometimes not, there was no desat while we were there. It was scary to not only be there for it but also not know what to do. Luckily Nurse Mark turned up the lights we gave Brendan a little rub on the back and he was ok.
I got to change Brendan's diaper. Devin was hoping I would get a poopy diaper...but my boy knows not to poop for his mom only for his dad. I got to hold him tonight and it was just what I needed. He is so warm, curled up like a frog and slept the whole time.
Happy 2 week birthday!
June 22, 2008 - Day 13
June 22, 2008 - Day 13
Today Brendan had an okay day. He had a little bit of a breathing issue, but the nurse, Nurse Mark, said it is totally normally for a preemie his age. They are continuing to up his food intake, as of tonight he is up to 15. Tonight Brendan was a sleepy boy, unlike the past couple of times we were there. He had some one on one time with his dad. Tonight is bath and weight night so tomorrow we find out if Brendan has gained any weight since Tuesday. And he succesfully pooped again!
Today Brendan had an okay day. He had a little bit of a breathing issue, but the nurse, Nurse Mark, said it is totally normally for a preemie his age. They are continuing to up his food intake, as of tonight he is up to 15. Tonight Brendan was a sleepy boy, unlike the past couple of times we were there. He had some one on one time with his dad. Tonight is bath and weight night so tomorrow we find out if Brendan has gained any weight since Tuesday. And he succesfully pooped again!
June 21, 2008 - Day 12
June 21, 2008 - Day 12
Today we visited with Brendan twice, once in the morning with my parents and once tonight which we just got back from. He is doing great in fact good enough that they removed his head IV last night. Today we also learned that Brendan has a slight heart murmur but it is totally common for preemies and the doctors and nurses are keeping a close eye on it. Tonight we got to do some of Brendan's "cares" : temperature, diaper change and then I got to do some kangaroo time. The good news is that last time we did kangaroo time Brendan had a little difficulty maintaining his temperature. But this time he was a champ and kept the same temperature bundled up and out of the isolette and he did in the isolette. Brendan was very alert when we were with him today ...he would follow you with his eyes and he of course was as adorable as ever.
Today we visited with Brendan twice, once in the morning with my parents and once tonight which we just got back from. He is doing great in fact good enough that they removed his head IV last night. Today we also learned that Brendan has a slight heart murmur but it is totally common for preemies and the doctors and nurses are keeping a close eye on it. Tonight we got to do some of Brendan's "cares" : temperature, diaper change and then I got to do some kangaroo time. The good news is that last time we did kangaroo time Brendan had a little difficulty maintaining his temperature. But this time he was a champ and kept the same temperature bundled up and out of the isolette and he did in the isolette. Brendan was very alert when we were with him today ...he would follow you with his eyes and he of course was as adorable as ever.
June 20, 2008 - Day 11
June 20, 2008 - Day 11
Brendan had a big day today ....he met his Uncle Stephen. Also my mom and dad are in town today and tomorrow to see their grandson. We had our meeting with the doctor and I am happy to report that everything with Brendan as of right now is good! Now lets hope it stays that way. The doctor answered all our questions, told us her side of it and calmed some of our fears. The doctor has three big goals for Brendan before he comes home with us: he has to be breathing completely on his own, he has to double his size/birth weight and he has to be able to eat without the feeding tube. They may not seem like a big deal but trust me they are, it's a whole different game with preemies. His head IV is all set to come out Monday as long as Brendan doesn't need a blood transfusion this weekend.
My brother was so funny ...he wouldn't get to close to Brendan. I got to hold Brendan again and really it is just the best feeling in the world. And Devin changed the first of many poopy diapers!
We brought in brownies for the nurses so maybe Brendan will get a little extra care special attention :)
Brendan had a big day today ....he met his Uncle Stephen. Also my mom and dad are in town today and tomorrow to see their grandson. We had our meeting with the doctor and I am happy to report that everything with Brendan as of right now is good! Now lets hope it stays that way. The doctor answered all our questions, told us her side of it and calmed some of our fears. The doctor has three big goals for Brendan before he comes home with us: he has to be breathing completely on his own, he has to double his size/birth weight and he has to be able to eat without the feeding tube. They may not seem like a big deal but trust me they are, it's a whole different game with preemies. His head IV is all set to come out Monday as long as Brendan doesn't need a blood transfusion this weekend.
My brother was so funny ...he wouldn't get to close to Brendan. I got to hold Brendan again and really it is just the best feeling in the world. And Devin changed the first of many poopy diapers!
We brought in brownies for the nurses so maybe Brendan will get a little extra care special attention :)
June 19, 2008 - Day 10
June 19, 2008 - Day 10
Today we had a short visit with Brendan because my brother, Brendan's uncle/Godfather Stephen was on his way into town when we were with Brendan. Brendans nurse tonight was Mark. Brendan pooped again, yay! Also he had some eye goo issues and they ran some tests on the goo luckily the results didn't show any signs of an infection. Brendan is completely off of insulin as of today. Tonight we didn't get to hold Brendan the nurse didn't offer. We did however get some really funny pictures of Brendan..his thing tonight was to put his hand over his face. Also tonight Brendan smiled for us....we tried to catch it with the camera but we were to slow, hopefully we will get it next time.
Tomorrow is a BIG day we have our 1st family meeting with the doctors to discuss any questions we have about Brendan and to discuss what has been going , what will be happening and I am hoping they will give us an estimated date that Brendan will be coming home.
Today we had a short visit with Brendan because my brother, Brendan's uncle/Godfather Stephen was on his way into town when we were with Brendan. Brendans nurse tonight was Mark. Brendan pooped again, yay! Also he had some eye goo issues and they ran some tests on the goo luckily the results didn't show any signs of an infection. Brendan is completely off of insulin as of today. Tonight we didn't get to hold Brendan the nurse didn't offer. We did however get some really funny pictures of Brendan..his thing tonight was to put his hand over his face. Also tonight Brendan smiled for us....we tried to catch it with the camera but we were to slow, hopefully we will get it next time.
Tomorrow is a BIG day we have our 1st family meeting with the doctors to discuss any questions we have about Brendan and to discuss what has been going , what will be happening and I am hoping they will give us an estimated date that Brendan will be coming home.
June 18, 2008 - Day 9
June 18, 2008 - Day 9
Today Brendan got to meet his Mom mom and Pop pop H. The nurse today was Anne Marie, she was really nice and seemed to really like Brendan. More good news today..Brendan pooped...finally! Yes this is a big deal because he hadn't pooped yet in his life. If he didn't poop soon the doctors were going to do some testing, so now we can avoid that. They are upping Brendan's food intake by an ounce since he is tolerating the formula so well. Also Brendan's insulin was lowered to .1 ounces from .2 ...another step in the right direction. The IV in his head will come out on day 14 if he hasn't needed a blood transfusion. I got to hold Brendan today, non kangaroo style since we had visitors. Devins mom and dad were as surprised as we were about how long Brendan is. Anne Marie said how Brendan was sleeping all morning...he wore himself out pooping hahah. He woke up a little bit when we were there.
On Friday Devin and I have our first family meeting about Brendan with the doctors.
Today Brendan got to meet his Mom mom and Pop pop H. The nurse today was Anne Marie, she was really nice and seemed to really like Brendan. More good news today..Brendan pooped...finally! Yes this is a big deal because he hadn't pooped yet in his life. If he didn't poop soon the doctors were going to do some testing, so now we can avoid that. They are upping Brendan's food intake by an ounce since he is tolerating the formula so well. Also Brendan's insulin was lowered to .1 ounces from .2 ...another step in the right direction. The IV in his head will come out on day 14 if he hasn't needed a blood transfusion. I got to hold Brendan today, non kangaroo style since we had visitors. Devins mom and dad were as surprised as we were about how long Brendan is. Anne Marie said how Brendan was sleeping all morning...he wore himself out pooping hahah. He woke up a little bit when we were there.
On Friday Devin and I have our first family meeting about Brendan with the doctors.
June 17, 2008 - Day8
June 17 2008 - Day 8
We just got back from seeing Brendan ..another great night. Brendan now weighs 2lbs 8 ounces....so he is up 4 ounces from his birth weight. His insulin was a little bit low but nothing they were concerned about, just yet. The nurse said the insulin issue is common with preemies.
Tonight Devin and I got to give Brendan a bath, a first for us. We were both scared to do this but both did a good job. Right as I was finishing up the bath Brendan decided to pee all over himself, hah! After his bath we did more kangaroo time and tonight Brendan decided he loves the pacifier.
Tonights nurses name was/is Patrick he is a great nurse. He gave us a preemie diaper and a preemie pacifier to add to Brendan's keepsake box. We also ran into the nurse from Brendan's transport team. She was checking in on him :)
Everytime I kissed Brendan tonight he would open his eyes to look at me. Pretty cool!
We just got back from seeing Brendan ..another great night. Brendan now weighs 2lbs 8 ounces....so he is up 4 ounces from his birth weight. His insulin was a little bit low but nothing they were concerned about, just yet. The nurse said the insulin issue is common with preemies.
Tonight Devin and I got to give Brendan a bath, a first for us. We were both scared to do this but both did a good job. Right as I was finishing up the bath Brendan decided to pee all over himself, hah! After his bath we did more kangaroo time and tonight Brendan decided he loves the pacifier.
Tonights nurses name was/is Patrick he is a great nurse. He gave us a preemie diaper and a preemie pacifier to add to Brendan's keepsake box. We also ran into the nurse from Brendan's transport team. She was checking in on him :)
Everytime I kissed Brendan tonight he would open his eyes to look at me. Pretty cool!
June 16, 2008- Day 7
June 16 2008 - 1 week old!
Today marks Brendan's 1 week birthday...yay!
Beth is visiting overnight and joined us for our visit to the hospital and of course she wanted to meet Brendan. Having a nurse in the family is coming in handy right now...she was able to answer all our questions and explain what everything was to us. Tonight when we got there I was offered and accepted the chance to do kangaroo time with Brendan. This is also known as touch therapy ....it's skin on skin contact which is really good for babies but especially for preemies. I got to hold Brendan for 1 hour and 20 minutes and it was a great feeling. As Devin and Beth said this kangaroo time was just as beneficial for me as it was for Brendan. Also every 20 minutes like a great dad Devin took Brendan's temperature to make sure he wasn't getting cold. Brendan is breathing at 21% now, meaning he is breathing the same room air as you or I do. They are keeping the breathing tube in though to give Brendan a break every once in awhile. When we left Brendan was doing more tummy time. The nurse (Patrick) told us they had him do this earlier today and he seemed to really enjoy it.
Today marks Brendan's 1 week birthday...yay!
Beth is visiting overnight and joined us for our visit to the hospital and of course she wanted to meet Brendan. Having a nurse in the family is coming in handy right now...she was able to answer all our questions and explain what everything was to us. Tonight when we got there I was offered and accepted the chance to do kangaroo time with Brendan. This is also known as touch therapy ....it's skin on skin contact which is really good for babies but especially for preemies. I got to hold Brendan for 1 hour and 20 minutes and it was a great feeling. As Devin and Beth said this kangaroo time was just as beneficial for me as it was for Brendan. Also every 20 minutes like a great dad Devin took Brendan's temperature to make sure he wasn't getting cold. Brendan is breathing at 21% now, meaning he is breathing the same room air as you or I do. They are keeping the breathing tube in though to give Brendan a break every once in awhile. When we left Brendan was doing more tummy time. The nurse (Patrick) told us they had him do this earlier today and he seemed to really enjoy it.
June 15, 2008 - Day 6
June 15- Day 6 - Happy Father's Day!
Today was a great day again for us as a family. We learned that Brendan was extubated today, yay! Also while we were at the hospital Devin held Brendan, quite possibly the best father's day gift ever. I got to change one of Brendan's itty bitty diapers and I also got to feed him through his feeding tube. Devin got to take Brendan's temperature. Brendan looks really good to us, and he was crying and lifting/moving his head on his own...these are all great and huge things!
Today was a great day again for us as a family. We learned that Brendan was extubated today, yay! Also while we were at the hospital Devin held Brendan, quite possibly the best father's day gift ever. I got to change one of Brendan's itty bitty diapers and I also got to feed him through his feeding tube. Devin got to take Brendan's temperature. Brendan looks really good to us, and he was crying and lifting/moving his head on his own...these are all great and huge things!
June 14, 2008 -Day 5 - Part 2
June 14 - day 5 - 2nd update
We just got home from seeing Brendan. Great news to report I got to hold him...for a good 15 minutes! They took him out of the isolet and moved his tubing so I could hold him. It was just what I needed after the news earlier about having to reintubate him. He still weighs the same as he did the other day, 2 pounds 4 ounces but the nurses say he is doing well. This reintubating is just one small setback and he will excel in other areas. We have tons of pictures from tonight so check them out. Tomorrow we will go back, of course, and celebrate Devins first father's day!
We just got home from seeing Brendan. Great news to report I got to hold him...for a good 15 minutes! They took him out of the isolet and moved his tubing so I could hold him. It was just what I needed after the news earlier about having to reintubate him. He still weighs the same as he did the other day, 2 pounds 4 ounces but the nurses say he is doing well. This reintubating is just one small setback and he will excel in other areas. We have tons of pictures from tonight so check them out. Tomorrow we will go back, of course, and celebrate Devins first father's day!
June 14, 2008 - Day 5
June 14 - Day 5
Just spoke with one of the doctors at the hospital they are reinserting the breathing tube to help Brendan breath.
Just spoke with one of the doctors at the hospital they are reinserting the breathing tube to help Brendan breath.
June 13, 2008 - Day 4
June 13, 2008 - Day 4
Today was the first day Devin, Brendan and Katie were together as a family.. yay! The hospital took Brendan off the phototherapy for jaundice. They had to put him back on the nasal aspirator to help Brendan breath for a little bit, but other then that he is doing really well. He is a tough little guy and the nurse kept saying how feisty he is...typical haha!
Today was the first day Devin, Brendan and Katie were together as a family.. yay! The hospital took Brendan off the phototherapy for jaundice. They had to put him back on the nasal aspirator to help Brendan breath for a little bit, but other then that he is doing really well. He is a tough little guy and the nurse kept saying how feisty he is...typical haha!
June 11, 2008 - Day 2
June 11, 2008 - 9:20pm est - Day 2
Hey everyone! Today the hospital removed Brendan's breathing tube...yay! He is now breathing all on his own.
Hey everyone! Today the hospital removed Brendan's breathing tube...yay! He is now breathing all on his own.
Brendan's birth story....
Brendan's birth story....
Brendan Gerard was born at 29 weeks on June 9, 2008 - 11:39pm. He weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces and measured 15.2 inches long.
We weren't expecting Brendan to arrive for at least another 8 weeks. Monday was no ordinary day, as most know I had PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension). On Monday as I do everyday I took my blood pressure, it was high but not the highest it has been and went about my day. I started to feel dizzy and get a really bad headache so again I took my blood pressure and it was higher then earlier. So I put in a call to my OB who immediately sent me to my perinatologist. The perinatologist ran some tests and concluded that I was pre-eclamptic. So they sent me to L&D for what I thought was just going to be a couple days stay for observation...bp would go down, baby would stay put and home I would go to rest some more.
Boy was I wrong! Devin and I got to the hospital around 530pm, I sent him back home because I was so sure this was going to be an un eventful night. The nurses got me set up with an IV, and took my blood pressure. They tried every trick in the book to get my bp number low but none of them were working. Waited a bit, about an hour and again took my bp...again it didn't drop in fact it went up a bit. I called Devin and told him how the docotor said we may be having a baby in the next day or two. We did this routine for the next couple hours until my doctor decided that my blood pressure was at too risky of a level and it was time to have a baby. Now I had to call Devin and tell him to get to the hospital because we were having a baby that night.
The doctor decided at a little after 10pm that I was having the baby that night, via c-section. In the next hour and a half my bp was taken many times, many nurses were in and out of my room and the anestesiologist came in to talk to me about the spinal and possibly having to put me totally under for the procedure. They also started a magensium sulfate drip in my iv.... this stuff made me flip out and have some crazy anxiety. Devin arrived at the hospital as soon as he could and off we all went to the ER for my emergency c-section. The last thing I remember from that room is the anestesiologist giving my iv line another injection and out I went. Devin later filled me in on what exactly happened. They had to put me totally under so Devin was asked to leave the room and a couple minutes later our baby was born.
1139pm our lives changed forever!
Brendan Gerard was born at 29 weeks on June 9, 2008 - 11:39pm. He weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces and measured 15.2 inches long.
We weren't expecting Brendan to arrive for at least another 8 weeks. Monday was no ordinary day, as most know I had PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension). On Monday as I do everyday I took my blood pressure, it was high but not the highest it has been and went about my day. I started to feel dizzy and get a really bad headache so again I took my blood pressure and it was higher then earlier. So I put in a call to my OB who immediately sent me to my perinatologist. The perinatologist ran some tests and concluded that I was pre-eclamptic. So they sent me to L&D for what I thought was just going to be a couple days stay for observation...bp would go down, baby would stay put and home I would go to rest some more.
Boy was I wrong! Devin and I got to the hospital around 530pm, I sent him back home because I was so sure this was going to be an un eventful night. The nurses got me set up with an IV, and took my blood pressure. They tried every trick in the book to get my bp number low but none of them were working. Waited a bit, about an hour and again took my bp...again it didn't drop in fact it went up a bit. I called Devin and told him how the docotor said we may be having a baby in the next day or two. We did this routine for the next couple hours until my doctor decided that my blood pressure was at too risky of a level and it was time to have a baby. Now I had to call Devin and tell him to get to the hospital because we were having a baby that night.
The doctor decided at a little after 10pm that I was having the baby that night, via c-section. In the next hour and a half my bp was taken many times, many nurses were in and out of my room and the anestesiologist came in to talk to me about the spinal and possibly having to put me totally under for the procedure. They also started a magensium sulfate drip in my iv.... this stuff made me flip out and have some crazy anxiety. Devin arrived at the hospital as soon as he could and off we all went to the ER for my emergency c-section. The last thing I remember from that room is the anestesiologist giving my iv line another injection and out I went. Devin later filled me in on what exactly happened. They had to put me totally under so Devin was asked to leave the room and a couple minutes later our baby was born.
1139pm our lives changed forever!
Welcome to Brendan's Blog!
Hey everyone! I figured a blog about Brendan might be a good idea to keep everyone updated if you choose to check on his progress.
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