Jack-2 Week Update (Original post date 1/28/10)

So Jack is 2 weeks old today. I can't believe how quickly it has gone by! He is still doing very well. He had a couple rough days and was put back on the ventilator a few days ago to give his lungs a rest. Because he was so early, we expected this to happen at some point. He also had a blood transfusion a few days ago because his body is still too little/immature for him to make his own Red Blood Cells yet, also something that was expected. Jack had a few tests done in the last week to check for typical preemie issues. The first was a brain scan to check for bleeds in his brain, a common issue for babies this early. Thankfully this came back clear! The other major test he had was an echocardiogram to check for a condition called PDA, another common preemie issue. (This is where blood is bypassed from the heart directly to the body instead of flowing through the lungs-this closes as the baby reaches full term, but is often still open in preemies. This can cause blood to flood the lungs causing problems breathing.) Remarkably, Jack does not have this, yet another miracle! He'll have this test repeated before he goes home to make sure it is still closed. Jack continues to amaze us all and his doctor has described him as performing "above the curve" for a baby born at 24 weeks. He is now taking all of his nutrition through breastmilk and has had his PICC line removed which was providing iv nutrition. His breathing has gotten better and the doctors are starting to wean him back off of the ventilator. Hopefully once he is off the vent I will be able to hold him again. :-) Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and support!
~Jeny