Baby Holden Update

Today, Holden has been in the NICU for 49 days.
The best piece of advice we've been given since he's been here is to take things one day at a time. This is not always easy for us "Type A" personality types, but has proven to be very gratifying when we simply focus on Holden and all of the amazing little things that he does each day. Yesterday, Holden was awake and happy when Daddy came to visit. They sat and chatted with each other for nearly and hour.
Today, Holden did great with his bottle feeding and massage. Mommy and Holden have had a couple snuggle sessions this afternoon. He loves kisses and holding my finger. The little munchkin now weighs 5 lbs. 15.7 ozs and is finally growing out of his preemie clothes.

Doctors are starting to talk about sending Holden home. No dates have yet been discussed. It is likely he will go home on oxygen for awhile and may need to continue some tube feeding until he has the strength to take 7-8 bottles a day. We in the meantime, we will continue to take it day by day, as our little guy continues to get healthier and stronger.

Baby Holden Update

Great news...the echocardiogram shows significant improvement in the reduction of pressure in Holden's heart. This means the medication seems to be working and the pulmonary hypertension appears to be under control. Also, the ultra sound report of his kidneys came back normal. So our prayers continue to be answered!

Today, Holden took 35 of 40 ccs of his bottle and also did great during his massage/stretching session with Miss Meg. We are so proud of our little munchkin for continuing to work so hard to get well so he can come home!

Holden has been having very good days, but the past couple of nights, he has been extremely irritable. We're not sure if it is reflux, colic or something in his milk. Doctors discussed experimenting with his milk/formula - to see if there is something in his or Mommy's diet contributing to his irritability. Mommy is now on a calcium free diet the next couple of weeks to see if that helps!! Whatever it takes to help our little guy feel better.

Thank you again for all of the support and prayers. We look forward to the day, in the near future, when y'all can meet our sweet baby boy!

Baby Holden Update

Holden has a big day today, with another echocardiogram scheduled to see if the new medicine is helping reduce the pressure in his heart. He will also have another ultrasound to check his kidney and liver.

The little munchkin now weighs 5 lbs. 11oz. It may be hard to believe from looking at the pictures, but Holden has a reputation in the NICU as being quite the little "fussy pants!" It does seem that the reflux is the primary cause and the medicine he is on for that appears to be helping provide him more comfort. However, we have to remember, he's a little fighter and that definitely comes through in his personality!

Grandpa came for a visit yesterday and got to see the many sides of Holden. Sleeping like an angel, screaming like a mad man and calm & alert like a watch dog. He is such a blessing!!

Baby Holden Update

It didn't take long at all for Holden to develop an affinity for his daily massage. Miss Meg came to visit yesterday and as you can see by the photo, Holden looks very relaxed! And after all that hard work, he slept like an Angel!!

Holden had his first eye exam yesterday and the doc said all is normal. Yeah!!

As of last night, the little munchkin weighs 5lbs 10.7 oz. He is finally starting to grow out of some of his preemie clothes and into his newborn outfits!

Baby Holden Update

Holden had a good day today. The reflux medicine seems to be working, as he was much less irritable. He did okay with his bottle, but fell asleep about half way through! He is now getting daily visits from physical therapy, who give him a massage and do a variety of stretches. Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Rosanne were all able to spend time with the little munchkin.

Doctors did an ultrasound of his head to rule out any bleeding or fluid on the brain, which they say is a common problem with preemies. Thank God, Holden's scan showed everything is normal.

We met with a pulmonologist from Scottish Rite/Children's Healthcare of Atlanta yesterday to discuss Holden's current treatment. The doctor feels like with the recent changes, he should start to show more improvement. She also said once we get the reflux under control, it should make a difference in his treatment of the pulmonary hypertension. Overall, she was optimistic about his recovery. And the fortunate thing is, as Holden grows, his lungs should repair themselves. The doctor reminded us that it is important to keep him infection free. She suggested we continue to limit his visitors - at least until the end of flu season. So unfortunately, we will have to wait until he gets home before we can have our friends visit. But what a happy day it will be - when we can finally introduce everyone to our sweet baby boy!

Baby Holden Update

Holden had a busy day with doctors, an x-ray, an ultra sound, a bottle feeding and a visit from Mommy and Daddy. The little munchkin has been more irritable lately ( I don't blame him, with all he's having to deal with!!). Doctors are running some tests to make sure there are no other issues that could be affecting his recovery. They are also making some changes to his current treatment to see if it helps with the pulmonary hypertension and reflux. At this time, we don't know how much longer he will have to stay in the hospital. Certainly, until the pulmonary hypertension is under control or eliminated. This certainly has not been an easy road for Holden, but we pray that God will heal the little guy so we can bring him home when the time is right!

Holden looked so cute today in his "I may be little but I think BIG" onesie. Mommy and Daddy both enjoyed our time with the munchkin today. There were several times when he was wide awake and we were able to interact with him!

Mommy has been missing Reece and Alex and has decided to check out of the hotel and head home. I will commute to and from the hospital each day. Now I'll be able to see all of my guys - every day. I'll continue to update the blog as we have new information. So please don't worry if we go a day or two without an entry. I know we've said this before, but we are so touched by the outpouring of prayers and support. This is the first time in my life, I've asked for prayers and I know that it is your prayers that are giving us the strength to make it through this challenging time. I truly believe God will heal our little boy! And on his (not mine or Reece's) time frame - we'll be able to bring Holden home and introduce him to all of you.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.(Romans 8:24,25)