Pierson is home!

Baby Pierson came home Monday afternoon and is doing great! Last week they let me start trying to nurse under close supervision. So Sunday I was told that I could have a room and spend the night to work with him on nursing. I don't think nursing is going to happen, but he is doing great with his bottles of thickened milk. I didn't get much sleep between all the noises he makes, the monitors, eating every 3 hours, pumping, etc. Monday morning the nurse practitioner came in and said he looked good, is doing well with bottles and hasn't had any spells so she was ready to send him home that afternoon after a car seat study (sitting in the car seat a couple hours with monitors to make sure they tolerate it ok). They asked if I had a car seat in the car. I said I didn't but would be back after I ran and bought one at Toys R Us. Chris and Bailey went back with me at 3 and he passed his car seat study and hearing screen. He is home and doing wonderful! I am not getting much sleep, but hey, I can sleep when I'm dead as my husband likes to say.

Yesterday he weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces. He is getting chubby and cute! We are throwing a welcome home party for him next Thursday at our house from 2-6 pm. It is an open house and the pool will be open for everyone who wants to come swim with their families. We'd love to have you come celebrate his safe and final arrival home!!!

Ready to buy a car seat

Pierson has been taking bottles with a little rice added to make it a little thicker. Last night the nurse said some bottles he would take great and others he would suck like his binky and not get anything. The physical therapist worked with him today and he took his bottle great. I fed him his next bottle and he took it all. I feel encouraged that he will be coming home soon! We just need to get him taking bottles for all his feedings. We need to get a new car seat for him, the one we got for Bailey is pink and brown. Not too appropriate for little Pierson. So we have wanted to get a new car seat, but I haven't felt as if him coming home was in the near future so I haven't wanted to get one until tonight. He is seven pounds now.

Due date

We officially hit Pierson's due date thursday and the doctor was saying he is a new baby now. Thursday Chris and I gave Pierson a bottle and he did perfectly! His saturation stayed up the entire bottle and after. He shocked everyone. We met with the GI doctor and he said that fact changed our conversation. He explained the g tube that was being considered if he wasn't able to drink. We tried to give him a bottle later and he did have some desaturations and started turning blue a couple of times. He took a little over half his bottle then was done. A nurse tried again during the night and didn't get very much from the bottle and he desatted an hour later. so they scheduled his swallow study for Friday. Chris went with him and they saw that he was still getting a little milk in his airway. So they thickened it to nectar consistency and he was able to take that without getting any in his airway. So we are assuming the doctors will want us to start giving him bottles with rice cereal in his milk. Hopefully he will be able to get feeding this way down soon. It was an improvement from his swallow study 3 & 1/2 weeks ago. He got even the nectar consistency in his airway. That is encouraging that even more time and physical therapy will help him eventually be able to swallow liquids. He was 7 pounds today! His little face is getting round! This has definitely been another miracle that we can say has happened because of the faith, fasting and prayers of all of you! Our Heavenly Father loves all of us and hears our prayers. I know this without a doubt. I am so blessed to have all of you and all you do for us!

Cute boy

 This picture was taken on the 5th when Julie and Lexi got to go into NICU for the first time during our Cinco de Mayo breakfast.

 The rest of these were taken a couple of days ago.

We want to thank everyone who has fasted and prayed for little Pierson! We can feel your prayers and appreciate it more than we could ever express!

 Today was Tuesday. The doctors have decided that a swallow study wasn't necessary. The therapist gave Pierson a bottle to see how he did. I wasn't able to be there. I am not feeling good and don't want to give Pierson anything. My parents went and said that he downed the bottle. He loved it. But he did have some desaturations with it, so the doctor doesn't feel like it is safe to continue oral feedings at this time. What doctors suggest is doing the procedure to put him under and have the ENT look to see if there is a cleft in his vocal chords, repair it if there, and then the GI doc to put a G tube in for his feedings until oral feedings are deemed safe. He is at the 3 kilograms (about 6 1/2 pounds) today that he needs to be at for the procedure. We'll keep you updated on what happens from here. Enjoy the pictures!

Answers?

We would like to invite anyone who would be willing and able to join us this Sunday in a fast for little Pierson. here is what we will be praying and fasting for:

ENT doctor looked at Pierson Wednesday night and from her quick peek down his nose and esophagus, didn't find anything wrong. Good news! She asked for the GI doctor to look at him. If baby needs a more detailed scope, the ENT and GI would be there together to look at everything. GI doc increased a medicine for his reflux and said that if Pierson is unable to swallow without getting fluid in his airway, he would need a GI tube placed in his side that goes into his stomach. A nurse said the procedure was a quick 10 minutes. And that babies who need GI tubes usually need them for 2 years. So that is how he would eat, putting his milk into a "button" in his side and into his tube and straight into his stomach. This coming Tuesday Pierson will repeat the swallow study to see if he is able to swallow without fluid going into his airway. So pur prayers and fast will be for him to be able to swallow correctly to be able to take oral feedings. Pierson has had some amazing priesthood blessings and we are very hopeful that all will be well.

When I was first admitted to the hospital, two days later I started contracting and baby's heart dropped so drastically that they were sure that they were going to have to take him at 25 weeks and only 1&1/2 pounds. I received a priesthood blessing and that night the ward fasted for us. It was a complete miracle that we made it another six weeks. We witnessed other miracles that we know have come from everyone's prayers and the power of the priesthood. We hear of so many families whose children pray for Pierson. Of course we see miracles as a result of those innocent sincere prayers! Thank you so much! We love and appreciate you and all the support we have received!

Change of plans

Today while I was holding Pierson, the doctor announced to me and the nurses that he was going to be transferred back to the downtown St. Luke's hospital. The pediatric ENT needs him there to look down into his throat and make sure we know what is going on with his swallowing. The procedure needed to take place downtown, so about noon, Pierson left in an ambulance. I arrived downtown about 2 and held him until about 6. At Meridian, he didn't have windows and had a room to himself. Now he is right next to a window and has 2 other babies in the room. He really didn't sleep well while I was there. I am glad I was there to be something familiar for him for awhile.

Since his swallow study 2 weeks ago, he hasn't nursed or had bottles. We have been doing physical therapy and giving him time to mature more. Not much has happened for the last 2 weeks besides just giving him more time to see if that would work. Next week is his due date. We really won't know anything new until he is seen by the ENT doc. The Meridian nurses and doc were sad to see him leave. I would like to get him back there if the next soon step isn't home.

Surpirse!

This morning was awesome!!! I found out Tuesday afternoon that NICU was going to open to siblings May 5th (today) at 7 am. So I had an idea. Last night I told Lexi and Julie that I was going to take them out to breakfast. They asked why and the only thing they could come up with was Cinco de Mayo, but didn't put too much inquiry into it. So this morning we were up and out the door early. I asked if they wanted to stop and peek at Pierson again really quick as we were driving past the hospital. They of course wanted to. So we went in and ordered some room service breakfast, then went to the NICU doors. I pulled out my video camera and the doors open for someone to go out. Lexi said, "I wish we could go in!" So I replied with, "you can today!" They were ecstatic! They scrubbed up, then we went back to his room. They touched him and admired him, then took turns holding him and checking out all his small parts-hands, feet, nose, mouth, eyelashes, etc. It was a wonderful morning! They voted to skip school and stay at the hospital all day and take turns holding him.

Pierson is doing good. He broke the 5 pound mark on Tuesday. Tuesday he also had a physical therapist come work with him. He needs to be "paced" as he takes his bottle. He will suck and suck until he has too much in his mouth, then swallow and then breathe, and his oxygen dips from how long he goes without breathing. So we give him 2-3 sucks and then tip the bottle so he can't get milk so he will swallow and breathe. When I arrived at the hospital yesterday to feed at 11, he was going downstairs to a suck study. I got to give him his bottle and they added something you can see on the X-ray, then we watched what happened as he swallowed. Some of the liquid did go into his airway, which is why he is having desaturations in his oxygen when he is bottle feeding, and a little when he nurses. They said that this is something he will outgrow, is related to his refluxing and more physical therapy will help. So this morning I heard the doctor said to stop oral feedings for now. What a roller coaster ride. He is 37 weeks today! So cute and fun that his siblings can now visit!