Discharged from the Hospital

We came back home last night! Mr. Boy is already doing fantastically. They pumped him full of fluids in the hospital and he felt much better. Apparently when we finally brought Mr. Boy in, he was past the point of being able to get better without hospital intervention. Scary. He wasn't showing any signs of dehydration (according to Google :) ), but we finally decided something was seriously wrong and went to the ER. They weren't going to let us go home until there was clear evidence he was growing and thriving, but he is doing so well eating here, they decided they'd let him go home and re-weigh him in a week. He is apparently eating so much that they think there is no way he isn't growing. He gained a ton of weight over the past few days in the hospital because of all the IV fluids so we'll have to see what a week at home does. David and I actually think he looks obese, hee hee, since he was just skin and bones before and we had unfortunately got used to that look on him, so now he's a bit healthier looking to the normal eye. He has not thrown up since he has been here, and has actually enjoyed eating... no fussiness or screaming or drawn out feedings. They said the reflux medicine is finally kicking in since it takes a while, and they thickened his formula in an attempt to help him keep it down. I am still pumping because once he is doing well, we will try milk once more just in case his issue was only reflux and not a milk allergy too, but we'll see. Today we brought home a content little boy! We are praying he stays that way. :)

Sanford Children's Hospital

Back to the Hospital

Last night at 12:45 am we brought Mr. Boy to the ER. He was continuing to vomit and had a crazy case of diarrhea. After confirming that Mr. Boy was very dehydrated, they admitted him to the Children's Hospital. Mr. Boy has received and kept down much needed fluids since being admitted and seems to be doing a little bit better. We are not sure how long we will be here.

thankful that baby vomit doesn't stain

Vomit, throw up, ralph, purge... whatever you may choose to call it, it stinks. Mr. Boy is now a pro at throwing up. He takes it in stride and doesn't even flinch. And we are not talking about spitting up, but fully emptying the tummy of all its contents. He threw up 7 times yesterday and 3 times today. We've been watching closely for signs of dehydration but he seems ok. Yesterday we packed up and were ready to take him to the ER several times, but every time we'd get near the door Mr. Boy would perk up and look all cute, flashing his eyelashes as if to say, "Sick? Me?" It's hard because we know that once we take him in, there is no turning back and no telling how long they will want to keep him. If Mr. Boy  doesn't get worse and we make it through the weekend, we will call Monday morning to talk to our specialists and see what they think about this throwing up episode. This isn't the first time we've been through a 24 hour stomach bug with him, but we just hope this isn't something more serious. Every little problem escalates when your child isn't growing.

Update

We weighed Mr. Boy at the hospital today and he gained an ounce since Tuesday... not encouraging, but not horrible. The Gastrointestinal Doctor thinks the reason is a combo between reflux and possibly a milk protein allergy. Hopefully reflux medicine and special formula will help out a lot and make Mr. Boy a much happier, healthier kiddo. We could all benefit from a little less screaming and vomiting in our household. I decided it's time to stop pumping...for one thing our deep freezer is absolutely full, and secondly, Mr. Boy wont be using it. I thought about selling it on the black market, but after some consideration I decided it'd be better to try and donate it somewhere. :)

Reflux

After our Dr visit yesterday, they decided Mr. Boy has reflux and prescribed him some meds. This would explain the vomiting, screaming, discomfort, irritability, etc, so hopefully the medicine works! We weighed him and he came in at 6 lbs 14 oz, which means he lost about a pound in one month since he's been home. :( Now they suggested using only special formula and no breast milk to see if that helps. They do not want to allow this to get any worse, so by Friday if he has not grown, there is a possibility they will readmit him to the hospital and hook him up to IV's. eeek!

Prayer Request For Mr. Boy's Growth

Please pray for Mr. Boy to grow. We've been going to the hospital for weight checks periodically and he just isn't growing. When we brought Mr. Boy home a month ago he was about 7 lbs 8 oz and now he is about 7 lbs 4 oz. The Dr's have done x-rays and ultrasounds and cant figure it out and we are already adding more calories to the breast milk with extra formula and that hasn't helped. Tuesday we go in for some sort of gastrointestinal test but we don't know what the next steps will be if something doesn't change. Thank you for your prayers!

Getting Better

After getting a few weeks of experience under our belts and figuring out better solutions with the Doctors for Mr. Boy's  special care, we are feeling much better about life. All the stresses that come with new parenting and Mr. Boy's medical challenges had us reeling, but after this past week we feel renewed. Last week, two of our nurses from the NICU told us they were coming over to babysit so we had to go out to dinner. Instead of trying our usual polite decline, we jumped at the opportunity and it was wonderful. It was the first night since Mr. Boy came home that we had peace and weren't constantly in fear of the next disaster. That night was a turning point as we were able to rejuvenate and gain perspective. We realized Mr. Boy's cry volume ebbs and flows to the degree of our peace. When we were stressed during diaper changes, he would scream louder and after that night we were able to have a sense of peace and calm, which made him clam and able to enjoy his new life with us much more. My mother has also been here for the week and that has been nice since we can run all kinds of errands and laugh a little. My mom has also helped get Mr. Boy's room put together: