34 Weeks!

Yesterday marked 34 weeks gestation. Harrison is doing very good!

Last night was bath night and Harrison was good boy--despite peeing in the tub (at least there was no poo this time). There was no fussing or anything---he made some interesting faces, but didn't voice his opinion.

Bottle feeding is going well. Yesterday he had 3 bottles on top of having a bath---which is quite impressive. He is getting more and more alert for longer periods of time. When he was bottle feeding last night he was so busy gazing around---mom had to give Harrison a little talking to. I said we need to pay attention to eating here, no Lolly-gaging. Harrison also tells us when he is hungry now by trying to eat everything in his path...whether it be his hands, a blanket, or even his oxygen...

On Friday we have Harrison's 30 day care conference. At the conference we are going to sit done and discuss Harrison's progress with the nurses, doctor and discharge planner. Hopefully this meeting may shed a light on to when Harrison may get to come home.

As far as breathing, Harrison still has some work to do. He doesn't require oxygen, but rather a pressure flow to keep reminding to breathe. He also continues on caffeine to help him remember the most important thing...remembering to breathe. It's a positive step forward as Harrison only had one breathing episode yesterday that required any intervention. When his numbers get low, he is doing a wonderful job pulling himself back up to where he needs to be.

Our bonding with Harrison is exploding...which makes everyday we leave to come home harder to leave without our guy...but everyday that passes is just one day closer to coming home. We try to make light of things...Doug and I say we live this double life. We have two families---by day it's just us and our furry friends and by night we are the NICU family.

It's just a miracle that he is here...and I think we could say that a million times and that still wouldn't be enough.

A BIG BOY BED!

Harrison got a new home today...he graduated to a bassinet! What does this mean? No more having to look through plexy glass at our guy. This also means Harrison is doing a good job maintaining his body temperature in his cute itty-bitty outfits. Not only is Harrison maintaining his body temperature---his weight also holds steady at 4 1/2 pounds.

Tonight was especially rewarding when Harrison drink his first entire bottle for mom...and boy he was hungry (we were eating our hands, blanket, and oxygen cords)Harrison did his part in he really coordinating suck, swallow and breathe!

We are certainly trudging forward with maturity and we couldn't be happier. We need

P.S. More picte pictures to come...

One Month Photos

Harrison is one month old today... My how time flys!!!! Here are some new photos to enjoy. I'll post an update later.

Harrison's First Bottle!!!!

Yesterday mom and dad attempted to give Harrison his first bottle... He did well for us, but still needs some maturity---coordinating sucking, swallowing and breathing. He took 3 CC in by bottle (his feedings are 38 CC). At one point during the feeding Harrison didn't want to give the bottle back---mom practically fell backing trying to get the bottle out of his mouth.

Today---Harrison's surprised not only us, but the nurses and doctors by eating his entire feeding this morning by bottle. Mom had to ask the nurse more than once if she was serious...(or if she was talking about the right baby). Needless to say we were surprised. (It makes me smile as I blog about this).

We will continue to work on bottle feedings---one or two a day until we mature with the technique. Though he may be doing well with feedings---it takes increased energy to bottle feed and we don't want to burn too many calories so we continue to pack on the pounds. As we grow and mature---all feedings will be done by bottle.

We are taking baby steps in right direction.

Merry Christmas 2009!!!!

We hope you enjoy the newest photos!

A bath at last...on Wednesday Harrison finally got scrubbed up in the tub (after almost 2 weeks)---so I don't have to describe the stinkiness...

After the bath we dressed up in some reindeer gear and had our first Christmas shoot! It was so much fun!!!! It was nice to see our baby in a set of his own clothes for the first time (and they fit really well). Hopefully soon we will wear our outfits on a daily basis...(Mom is getting impatient)!

For Christmas Eve yesterday Harrison had his first eye exam (which is routine for preemies). Apparently they actually apply pressure to his eyes and we were told not to be there during the exam because it's rather uncomfortable for the baby and worse for the parents. His nurse yesterday said she can't even watch the exam--she is there to hold and comfort Harrison, but can't watch the procedure be done. The exam went fairly well---they did notice a small hemorrhage in his right eye that is often caused by the birthing process or oxygen use. They say it's common to see this in babies until they are a month old--so Harrison is lucky enough to have another pleasant eye exam in a couple of weeks! Poor guy!

Harrison continues to pull his own weight on breathing. Most of the time he is on room air, but just needs that extra flow through the liters to help him keep a good rhythm for breaths. Today they plan to turn down his O2 liters to 2, so we are making progress and hopefully he will tolerate this change well and the nurses anticipate he will.

Last night was extra special. We got to take Harrison to the "family room." Though we are still connected to monitors (which is quite the process to switch over)...mom, dad, and Harrison got to bond behind closed doors---yes, by ourselves, just us and our miracle! It's such a wonderful feeling.

We keep gaining weight---YEAH! Yesterday we are tipping the scale at 4 lbs 6 ounces! :) His feedings have increased to 36 CC every 3 hours (so now mom has to fit in an additional pump to keep up with Harrison's increased feeding needs). He is doing such a good job sucking on his pacifier too---which is great preparation for bottle feeding. In fact we talked to the nurse yesterday who suggested it might be possible to start the bottle feeding today...(though I am not going to get my hopes up too high because it will eventually come, hopefully sooner than later).

Christmas this year--is truly a miracle. I thought we were blessed as a family before he was born, but nothing compares since he was born. We get to spend Christmas with our son and there is nothing more in this world we could ever ask for.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

33 Weeks!

Harrison is 33 weeks gestation today. If I were still pregnant with him, he would be compared to a honey due (size and weight wise). As far as growth, he is right on track. He is weighing in at a healthy 4 lbs 2 ounces and measures 17 1/2 inches long. (That's up 1 1/2 inches since birth and nearly one pound more). Since coming off c-pap, we haven't held him in last couple of days because we wanted him to focus on his breathing and he tends to get "too comfortable " when we hold him. I didn't actually realize until I held him last night just how much he really has grown!...and to top it off, he was such a good boy while being held (only one alarm)...(mom was so proud). I have to say our one on one bonding during last nights visit was the best day I have spent with him since his birth. I texted daddy and said, "We have the best boy in the world!"

We are baby stepping in the right direction... He is doing a good job remembering to breathe and his de-stats have lessened. The flow of his oxygen has decreased to 3 liters at about 28 %. The CO2 blood gas went down 4 % since last morning. (Another blood draw is scheduled for the morning). He is definitely due to a bath! The nurse said that he had quite the explosion during the day that required a sponge bath and new bedding for his condo...(and despite that sponge bath, he stills spelled pretty ripe)! Hopefully we will get scrubbed up this evening.

As a side note...Mom is so very anxious for Harrison to wear some clothes---We keep being told soon...I am beginning to think he will be naked forever!

Harrison has not only been working hard growing, gaining, and maturing, but he has also been busy shopping! When we arrived for our evening visit on Monday night there was a small square box in Harrison's home. I looked at daddy and said---"oh there is a present and it says To: Mom, From: Harrison." I opened it up and to my surprise it was a beautiful mother's ring...He is a good little shopper! I guess he gets that from mom because he gets almost everything else from dad!

4 Pounds!

Good Report this morning! :) Harrison is 4 lbs---yes officially 4 lbs!!!

(Who would have thought reaching 4 pounds would make mommy tear up?)

Our Little Piglet!

Harrison has earned the piglet badge! Yesterday we came back off c-pap...but not without stretched out little nostrils...they truly are cute and makes him resemble a piglet! :)

The transition off c-pap was not as smooth as we would have liked to see it. Our numbers were high and low for a great deal of the morning and tolerating feedings (full belly) and trying to breathe was a bit of work...but Harrison took charge and his numbers improved. The 02 continues to fluctuate, but when numbers get lower he is doing a good job pulling himself back up to where he needs to be. (Good job Harrison)!!!! His feeding tube as you may have noticed is back in his mouth...due to the c-pap those piglet holes were starting to get a bit inflamed so they decided to give his nose a break.

Harrison has had a busy weekend! He not only turned 3 weeks old already, but Grandparents officially got to meet Harrison! He did a good job showing us his eyes and checking out the faces of all of these voices! Both Grandmas held Harrison... Mommy said to Daddy--- now we have to share you! :)

Speaking of piglet earlier---we continue to steadily gain weight. We are 3 lbs 13.6 ounces...just nearing that 4 pound marker! We are up to 34 cc feedings every 3 hours. Feedings have been typically increasing every other day.

Activity has certainly increased! Harrison is a busy boy! He is doing a good job practicing holding up his head, picking up his tush and hopping around in his home. We are also getting very good at sucking on his pacifier in preparation for bottle feeding within the coming weeks.

It's amazing to think that Christmas is only 4 days away when we have been celebrating Christmas for the past 3 weeks.

He is truly the best gift that we could ever have received!

Enjoy Some New Photos!

The Grandparents Visit

Taking a step back...

This morning I received a call that Harrison needed to go back on c-pap. What makes it difficult when he is on c-pap is him not being able to open his eyes... The unit that hold the c-pap puts pressure on his face causing some swelling by his eyes and it's hard to see his face and expressions. This is especially difficult because he starting to let his personality shine and that is masked by the c-pap (and his grandparents are seeing him for the first time). He is doing a really good job breathing, but the when he exhales he doesn't let off enough CO2. A preemies CO2 level should never be more than 60%. Harrison had a level of 62% on Monday and 66% today. The doctors say he handles the c-pap well and hopefully his levels will come down within a day or two and he can be back on regular O2.

Harrison weight continues to increase and so do his feedings. He is up to eating more than an ounce every 3 hours. Other good news to report is the number of apnea spells he has been having have greatly declined. (Knock on wood...he hasn't had a single episode in the last day). Doug also spoke with the doctor about Harrison's progress as a preemie. Doctors say he is doing well, he is at the level they expect, if not exceeding their expectations at this time (so not all news was bad) and today is one day closer to him coming home.

Grandparents are Welcome!

Here are a few newer photos...

Last night I received official word that grandparents are allowed for visitation.Grandparents will be coming soon to see him!(Due to H1N1 outbreak Doug and I had been the only people allowed to visit Harrison). Of coarse I was on the phone immediately spreading the word.

Harrison turned 32 weeks (gestation that is) yesterday. He is doing well weighing in at just over 3 lbs 10 ounces. Our little guy is even getting a belly on him. The nurse commented last night after looking at our Christmas photo just how much he has grown and changed since that photo was taken.

Harrison continues to have some periods of apnea, but since being put back on pump during feeding times again has really helped him maintain his breathing. He was also started on Iron and Vitamin D this week (which is standard for preemies).

It's how alert and active he is getting. Last night we had starring contest...this was especially fun because he is getting much better on focusing on objects.

The next step is maintaining body temperature. Right now his incubator is providing little heat and Harrison is doing a good job maintaining his body heat. They will continue to turn down the level of heat and Harrison will get to start wearing clothes within the next week or so. We can't wait to see him in those teeny, tiny outfits!

Harrison gets swaddled!

Today was a postive step forward as mommy and daddy held Harrison as he was swaddled. It was wonderful for us to be able to look into his eyes and have that face to face contact as opposed to looking through a plastic barrier. He did really well and so did mommy and daddy. (Hopefully we will post some pictures soon). We will still be kangeroo holding him (skin to skin) for some time as well.

In other news--we are making progress with weight gain. Sunday's weight was 3 lbs 8.8ounces. We continue on nasal prongs with help with oxygen saturation and we are doing well with this. There is another blood gas draw this morning just to confirm we are continuing to do well.

In the the number two business--we are surprising mom and dad everyday... Just when we thought Harrison poops were impressive, we were proved wrong. As we were leaving for dinner last night I opened up his home doors and was about knock to the ground with the stench. Now...that was an impressive poopy! Poor boy was locked in his home confined in the smell. We opened all doors to air out his home!

Other than that--our boy is doing well and everyday is one day closer to coming home. Daddy went back to work last week and Mommy starts back at work this morning...so we have more time to spend with him when he comes home. Mommy says that she is going to look at the NICU as a very expensive daycare.

Speaking of daycare---we found a provider. It's a home based daycare. Tonight mom and dad are signing the contract and getting the ball rolling. We think Harrison will do well there despite the fact mommy and daddy maybe a little over protective.

We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and gifts. We truely apprectiate all that you do.

Harrison can't wait to meet you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Harrison Takes a Bath

Eat, Poop, Poop, Poop, Sleep....

Tonight was bath night at last! (We were supposed to bath him last night until the NICU had two new admissions). Our little man was quite the stinky mess! This morning I went for a visit and within the first 2 hours I was there I cleaned up two pee pees and 3 poo poos. Mom definitely has had her share of practice---daddy, he owes you!

Harrison didn't mind the bath at first, but as we went on we let out some good cries! (Be sure to check back for his first bath video). Mommy has to admit, she was quite nervous as we scrubbed him up. The bath ended with a good poop in the tub---yes, that's right another poo!

We are up on weight today---20 grams more which is just under gaining one ounce. This weight gain is about equal to the weight he would be gaining in utero.

Harrison got a new condo (home). This is what we call the incubators in the NICU. He no longer needs humidity and so he graduated to the next incubator. We are hoping to move again within a week to a warming bed without a hood. We will be that much closer to being able to put some clothes on. Right now we are limited to wearing booties and hats. Mom had to re-do Harrison's Vikings cap so it would fit (too small before). We tried our best to capture some cute photos---his space within the incubator is limted and it's hood isn't removalable.

Breathing continues to go with with the nasal prongs. The hardest thing for Harrison to do is to remember to breathe regualarly. He will not take a few breathes---then breathe fast to make up for not breathing. This is typical of babies at this stage in gestation. The doctor and nurse re-assured me that this should resolve it's self between 32 to 34 weeks.

Other than that---things are moving forward in the postive direction.

Harrison is 31 Weeks today!

It's been a few days since mom has had the oppertunity to update Mr. Harrison's blog. (We are only a week or so away from wearing our first preemie outfit). :)

Our growing boy is doing well. Yesterday morning he got off his C-Pap machine. The nurse couldn't wait for me to arrive yesterday to look at Harrison's little face without his space mask on. Right now he is recieving about 25% O2 through his tiny nasal prongs. He is doing such a good job maintaining his O2 level, and heart rate. We are so very proud of our boy!

Our visits have been good with our guy. Everday he is more alert and responds to our voices. We have been doing a lot of story book reading and changing poopy diapers. On Tuesday, we took some really cute pictures with a Santa hat on---I hope to post those pictures soon!

Mom is noticing everyday how much Harrison is looking more like daddy. She is starting to wonder who Harrison's mommy is. The only trait Harrison gets from me is breathing/sleeping with his mouth wide open (what a trait to inherit)!

In other news..This evening we are scheduled for our first bath if he continues to have a good day (and he will).

Mom and dad are hanging in here...We have a request to order some sleep. Harrison does a good job of waking up all wide eyed when we are kissing him goodnight and that makes it really hard for Mommy and Daddy to leave. He can be such a stinker in that way. He also is getting good at disconnecting his wires---especially playing tug a wore with his nasal canula. Mommy put that darn thing back in a dozen times or more last night. The nurses said as he grows this will only become more frequent. Speaking of growing Harrison was 3lbs 2.8 ounces yesterday. He had a slump the other day, but feedings are going well with minimal hiccups and spit up (though daddy was spit up on yesterday---this made mommy smile (good boy)!

Doug and I talk about quitting our jobs and just rock him in NICU everday---there is never a dull moment with every sneeze, yawn or tiny baby noises. Now, only if we had a money tree could this happen.

Mommy stayed up late last night making Harrison a Viking hat and tiny throw blanket. Hopefully that hat fits or Mommy will have to attempt round two.

I promise more pictures soon!

Our Little Viking Fan!

The Vikings didn't win the game tonight against Arizona, but we sure had the cutest fan behind the team tonight. The booties are a little big, but our guy should grow into them in no time. Harrison's weight was up 30 grams today. When you look at grams, it doesn't sound like much...but when you are considering this utero time for him--30 grams is what is expected for weight gain everyday (approx. 15-30 grams of weight gain is typical). To maintain his current weight now, he needs to consume 70 calories per day, but to continue with weight gain he needs roughly 120 calories per day. To help with weight gain they are fortifying his feedings starting today. After he comes home, we will have to continue fortifying his feedings or he will be formula fed a preemie formula. This will continue until he is about 9 months old (we just got the first box of formula delivered to the house yesterday).

Today was a good day. Feedings went well without any Brady or apnea spells (Way to go Harrison--keep up the good work)! Mom and dad are finding out the tricks to his feedings and he does the best if we hold him during his feedings. As far as the C-PAP, Harrison continues on it for some extra help with breathing. Hopefully he can get the space mask off soon and be able to look as his mommy and daddy soon. The level has been decreased by more than 10% overnight and he is on about 21% O2 through that C-PAP.

All in all things are going as expected for his gestational age. Mom and dad are doing well, but we are beginning to realize the reality of everything, until now, much of what we experienced had felt more like a dream than something that actually happened. We have a lot of good nursing and family support as well as other families in the NICU.

We would like to express our gratitude for everyone who helped us in any way, we truly appreciate everything.

Oh and before we forget to mention, Harrison graduated diapers.... This is a real accomplishment!!!! The next size up is still rather large on him, but his other diaper was beginning to look like a speedo.

1 Week Update...

This has certainly been a busy week. Harrison continues to be our little trooper.

As I mentioned in previous posts that Harrison had a PDA valve in his heart that had not yet closed. We received good report on Friday that that valve had completely closed and there is no longer a heart murmur. From the poop perspective, he no longer needs help in that department (he has no problem pooping for mom and dad). He is also gaining weight and actually reached his birth weight yesterday! After talking to the doctor, he did say that though the weight increase is great---he expects a lot of up and downs over the next several weeks.

Speaking of up and downs. Harrison had his first down yesterday. We arrived to give him what was supposed to be his first bath. During the night Harrison had had some trouble maintaining an adequate amount of oxygen and periods of apnea and we decided it would be best to put the bath off until Sunday. We had a spectacular morning. Mom held Harrison for well over and hour without any Brady episodes and breathing was strong and steady. We even read the book, "The Hungry Caterpillar." As the evening approached, Harrison started to show signs of oxygen deficiency again and started to have clusters of apnea. Apnea occurs more around his feedings which is typical (it's hard to breathe when you have a full belly). He now receives an extra 1 ounce every 3 hours.

The nurses and doctors felt that Harrison would benefit better by going back on C-PAP (verses nasal prongs)for the next couple of days to allow for more maturity. This morning they are going to test his blood gas levels to see if C-PAP is in fact improving his oxygen level. Hopefully this would also aide in his clusters of apnea.

As it is expected...we are told from the beginning to expect set backs. This is something that no one wants to see, but realistically it happens. I would like to say that mom handled this well, but she has not. It's easy to say, "yeah, I can expect set backs," but when they happen with your child, it's no where near where you want to except. The nurses assured me that he can still be held and this is a short term, but as a mother nothing anyone can say changes the current situation.

It was probably the hardest thing to leave him last night. As parents, we need to be strong people because we have such a strong son.

Harrison's Birth Story!

Finally, it's here...Harrison's birth story!

On Saturday, November 28th, 2009 mommy woke up like any other day. That morning mommy was busy putting up Christmas decorations around the house when she felt a lot of back pressure (which hasn't been uncommon because mommy has felt that on and off throughout the entire pregnancy). Sometimes walking would alleviate the pressure. Mommy called grandma to see if she wanted to do some Christmas shopping. After walking around for a few hours mommy wasn't feeling any better and decided to head home and put her feet up instead.

Around 2 pm mommy went to meet up for coffee with her good friend Jenna (who was also going to take our Christmas pictures). At 2:30 or so daddy met up with mom and Jenna and we headed to take some woodsy pictures. At this time mommy wasn't feeling quite up to par, but she wanted to get some good shots for Christmas cards. After the photos were done (around 3ish)...Daddy commented, "that was fun." Mommy looked at daddy and said, "Um...not really, this pressure is starting to feel like pain." Daddy had to finishing doing some ordering at work and mommy decided to go back home and lay down again for a bit.

No more than a half hour passed when a call was put into the Family Birthing Center. Mommy was starting to get concerned when she layed down, the pressure wouldn't subside and actually started to get worse. The doctor called mommy back and thought to be on the "safe side" I should come in and be monitored. A call was put in to daddy and he was on his way home a.s.a.p.

Upon arriving at the hospital the pressure became stronger to the point mommy was hunched over walking. At this point in time mommy was pretty certain all this pressure was in fact contractions.

After getting hooked up to fetal machines mommy glanced over at the monitor and could clearly see the contractions. Mommy would like to say that she stayed calm, but at this point it was safe to say mommy lost it. Asking the nurse if the contractions could be stopped, she said..."We can usually stop contractions up to 3 cm." Mommy asked, "How many cm am I?" The nurse responded in saying, "You are 9." Mommy said some choice words.

Yes--mommy knows what all the readers are thinking right now...

Labor and delivery was the next stop. Our doctor Shelton was out of town (great, right)? Anyways---doctor Birdsall took over and it went fast from here on out. The NICU team from Gunderson was called as mommy continued to labor. "I want drugs proclaimed mommy!" (It was far to late for that). Doctor Birdsall explained to mommy and daddy that we would have to deliver in Winona or mommy would deliver on the way to La Crosse.

When the NICU arrived, it was go time. Mommy's bag of water was broken and then the real work began...pushing. As a side note, Mommy wants to mention pushing was exhausting!!! After 25 minutes of pushing (6:47 pm), baby Harrison arrived into this world kicking and screaming. At birth Harrison was 16 inches long and weighed 3lbs 3 ounces.

Before Harrison was transferred to Gunderson, mommy, daddy, and grandma got to see him and he gripped his little hand around our fingers and goodbyes were said.

Sleep that night was minimal. Mommy couldn't get used to the fact that she wasn't pregnant anymore. The night had gone so fast and everything was like a dream that mommy was waiting to wake up from. Thank goodness mommy was discharged the next morning by 9 so we could join our baby in his new home away from home (NICU).

Mommy doesn't think she could have survived labor and delivery with out the great support team she had.

Pictures of the first 5 days.

Welcome to week 30!

Our Harrison is 30 weeks gestation (on Wed. 12/2/09). This means he is a week a head of gestation than the original ultra sound showed.

Yesterday was such a wonderful day for both us and our little guy. His eyes were wide open for more than an hour. He was content, just sitting there--checking out mom and dad. We are told that we are getting good at these diaper changes; I think it partly has to do with Harrison's cooperation, which is improving by leaps and bounds.

Feedings are going well. Initially to start he ate 2 cc every 3 hours. Since he is tolerating feedings so well, they are increasing his feedings by 6 cc every 12 hours. If this continues to go well he will be getting a total of 1 ounce every 3 hours. Other good news will come when he reaches his full feedings, the line into his belly will be removed (that line adds extra nutrients at this time). Harrison will still have his feeding tube for quite sometime (until he has the coordination to suck, sallow and breathe). The feedings are particularly fun for us to watch. His little belly poofs out (think of a nursing puppy or kitten belly). Harrison is beginning to shows signs he is hungry as well. Last night during his holding, he made face gestures with his mouth (opening and closing and sticking his tongue out). As first time parents we were concerned and asked the nurse what he was doing. She simply said, it's time to eat, he is showing that he is hungry.

I don't know if I mentioned in previous post that Harrison had a slight heart murmur. This is typical for preemies. The opening measured 3 mm on Monday and yesterday it was down to less than 1. He will be given another does of medication to help finish that closing. In other news--he still has his billiruben lights, but they continue to do their job helping out the liver do it's job. Hopefully today the lights will be off and we will be free to see his little eyes.

We also inquired about a goal we have set with Harrison. With the strict visitation restriction due to the flu season (only mom and dad can visit). After talking to the nurses and specialists yesterday we asked about Harrison being strong enough to be walked to the visitation window around Christmas time to see his grandparents for the first time. At this point in time, this is a very realistic goal. In the next two weeks he will be weaned out of his home (incubator).

As I am sure I have mentioned earlier, but it's worth repeating---Everyday is so exciting, to see him change. It's so wonderful to wake up everyday and know that we get to go see him.

I am sure I forgot some details over the last couple of days...but this caps most of what has gone on.

Please make sure you check out the video clip below of his first story and hiccups. (FYI--he doesn't cry in the video---that's other NICU babies).

First Story and Hiccups