Rob and I realize that we have been seriously delinquent in updating this blog (not that we have been busy or anything) so our New Year's Resolution is to try to update this more frequently. Hopefully you decide to follow along with Williams's progress....
Here's the quick (as quick as I can be) update:
William was born on Saturday, November 26 at 10:49 a.m., weighing 2 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 14.5 inches in length. I was just 28 weeks pregnant so he came out three months early. With that being said, he was doing really well. On the third day of his life, he took a turn for the worst and was transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where he had surgery the next day to repair a vein that had been torn during a medical procedure (he was bleeding internally).
Even though Rob and I were told twice in two days that William might not make it, William was a tough little fighter (and still is). He fought back hard from the surgery with zest and feistiness...hence where the name of this blog comes from. Many doctors and nurses have commented to us that they like to see babies who are feisty because the feisty ones are survivors. William definitely has a strong stubborn and fighting streak in him...I can't imagine where he would have gotten that from! He has been known to pull out his nasal cannula and other lines a time or two!
William did well following his surgery and starting feeds for about a week before major setback number two. One day he was not acting like his feisty self so he was tested for infection. We discovered he had contracted ORSA (similar to MRSA) through his PICC line (what is used to give him his liquid supplemental nutrition called TPN). So he was off feeds and on antibiotics for a few days.
The second time he started feeds, he started having more apnea and bradycardia episodes (where he holds his breath and his heart rate drops a whole lot - real fun to observe as parents!) so the doctors prescribed him an acid reflux medicine and progressed his feeding tube past his stomach and into his intestine. He was almost up to full feeds when his feeding tube fell out accidentally. As a result he received an X-ray to check replacement of the tube. The X-ray revealed an area of concern for NEC, which is a very serious stomach infection. The good news is that William was not acting sick. After a few follow-up X-rays, the doctors decided to treat him with more antibiotics and to stop feeds once again.
He has once again started feeds and is up to 4 milliliters an hour continuously through his tube (full feeds is 15 milliliters according to his current weight). Last week he also graduated out of his incubator and into a big boy crib because he can regulate his body temperature (3 out of 5 discharge criteria met!).
Hopefully future updates are much shorter....thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers for our little fighter. We still have a long road ahead.
-Lori
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