When we first toured the NICU, the staff kept telling us that preemies take one step forward, two steps back, one step forward, four steps back, etc. Zachary started the week very strong with several solid steps forward and on Wednesday he was breathing regularly with very low level of support, increasing his feedings and making cute baby noises. He even had another Kangaroo session with Aaron.
During the past several days, however, Zachary has had to deal with one challenge after another. First, Nadia got sick with a terrible all body unidentifiable rash and couldn't visit him in the NICU. We eventually found out it was an extreme allergic reaction to the antibiotics she received during labor and delivery. Since it is definitely not contagious, after three days of separation, Nadia was able to visit Zach and comfort him with a familiar voice.
Zachary's breathing has steadily worsened over the past few days and other vital signs have weakened - especially concerning is his decreasing kidney function. He had to have another blood transfusion. He was reconnected to the ventilator. His pediatrics team completed a robust series of tests Friday morning and found an issue with blood flow between his heart and lungs. When babies are in the womb, oxygen gets to their bloodstream and then their organs through the placenta and so there is a gap between the arteries that connect the heart to the lungs (called a PDA). This gap usually closes after birth when babies start to breathe so that blood flows to the lungs to get oxygen and then into the bloodstream to the various organs. When Zach first arrived to the NICU, doctors looked at images of his heart and saw that the PDA was very small and looked to be on its way to closing completely. Given the struggles he's had in the past several days, they did another scan and found that the gap has grown much larger and it looks like his organs are not getting enough oxygen, which is probably why his vital signs have weakened and his kidneys are not performing as well as they were.
And that brings us to today. The only viable treatment option for his situation is surgery. They are cutting a small incision in the side of his chest and are going to close that PDA permanently (called a PDA ligation). This surgery tends to be very successful in doing what it intends to do, and the primary risks are associated with accidentally damaging nearby organs or nerves as the surgeons have to work within a tiny space inside his small chest.
Zachary is in surgery now. They tell us that this procedure is very common in preemies but it is still incredibly difficult and nerve-wracking for us to watch him go through this. We will keep you all updated but if you see this, please keep Zachary in your thoughts today and in the next several days as he deals with recovery.
Update as of 2 pm. The surgery went smoothly and Zachary is recovering in isolation from the other babies. We are all keeping a close watch on him and he is getting pain medicine. The next 48 hours are critical though it should take up to a week to stabilize and recover. Thank you all for your support and friendship.
Aaron & Nadia
Zachary's breathing has steadily worsened over the past few days and other vital signs have weakened - especially concerning is his decreasing kidney function. He had to have another blood transfusion. He was reconnected to the ventilator. His pediatrics team completed a robust series of tests Friday morning and found an issue with blood flow between his heart and lungs. When babies are in the womb, oxygen gets to their bloodstream and then their organs through the placenta and so there is a gap between the arteries that connect the heart to the lungs (called a PDA). This gap usually closes after birth when babies start to breathe so that blood flows to the lungs to get oxygen and then into the bloodstream to the various organs. When Zach first arrived to the NICU, doctors looked at images of his heart and saw that the PDA was very small and looked to be on its way to closing completely. Given the struggles he's had in the past several days, they did another scan and found that the gap has grown much larger and it looks like his organs are not getting enough oxygen, which is probably why his vital signs have weakened and his kidneys are not performing as well as they were.
And that brings us to today. The only viable treatment option for his situation is surgery. They are cutting a small incision in the side of his chest and are going to close that PDA permanently (called a PDA ligation). This surgery tends to be very successful in doing what it intends to do, and the primary risks are associated with accidentally damaging nearby organs or nerves as the surgeons have to work within a tiny space inside his small chest.
Zachary is in surgery now. They tell us that this procedure is very common in preemies but it is still incredibly difficult and nerve-wracking for us to watch him go through this. We will keep you all updated but if you see this, please keep Zachary in your thoughts today and in the next several days as he deals with recovery.
Update as of 2 pm. The surgery went smoothly and Zachary is recovering in isolation from the other babies. We are all keeping a close watch on him and he is getting pain medicine. The next 48 hours are critical though it should take up to a week to stabilize and recover. Thank you all for your support and friendship.
Aaron & Nadia
you guys are all in my thoughts! sending love and a quick recovery!
ReplyDeletelove, samantha