Still on the Cannula

Chase is still on the cannula! He continues to have some issues with desatting, and has a few bradys but he seems much happier with his new setup. Can you blame him? He is enjoying being able to turn his head from side to side when he is sleeping, and he likes to lift his head up off our chests to squirm around when we kangaroo.

Yesterday our moms and Aunt Zandy came down for a visit. This was the first time Alexandra got to see Chase, and she made shirts for Jas and I to wear with Chase's birth date on the front and "go, speed chas'r, go" on the back. I'll take some pics and post them with the rest tonight. I'm going to try to take pictures with one of our other cameras that has a "behind glass" setting to see if I can get some shots without the little one squinting or with his eyes shut. We got some more cute outfits, a super soft blanket(which I used during kangaroo today), and our bedding for his nursery as gifts from the families as well. Once the dresser comes today we'll be in business. Thank you again!

Rounds today consisted pretty much of reviewing the usual and our continued discussion about the PDA. He had another echo yesterday, and it showed that the PDA is now a moderate to large size. This is a step back from it being small at the beginning of last week. The doctor is going to monitor for the next few days and then discuss with us the recommended course of treatment. Generally PDAs contribute to the difficulties preemies have, and Chase is no exception. The majority of his symptoms most likely are related to this duct issue! One last thing, his weight is coming back up. He was up to 2 lbs. 14 oz. today-3lbs here we come!

Little angel sleeping on Daddy's chest

It is way too bright in here!

A little smile

What is this furry stuff in my mouth?

Off of CPAP

Today when I got to the hospital Chase was off CPAP! His nose had been getting irritated by the prongs, and since he was on room air most of the time they figured they would try him on nasal cannula instead. One of the neonatologists is not a fan of the cannula, even though the respiratory therapist is the one who recommended it. The doc said if he required more than 30% O2 he wanted him put back on CPAP, not sure what his issue is, but I think its just that some babies don't do well with the change. He had been off for over two hours when I got there and he had not had any bradys. He also looks very happy!

Chase looks like an old man in lots of of pics because even with the flash off a light comes on to illuminate what you are taking a picture of. We haven't been able to get a good shot of him with his eyes open because he always scrunches his eyes as soon as the light comes on. If anyone knows how to turn this feature off on the Nikon SLR, let us know.

Let me give you a hand with that.

Fortified

Mommy spent a long time with Chase today! He got another bath and did relatively well while off the CPAP. He of course still needed blow by oxygen, but didn't really desat, and only had one brief brady while he was being bathed and getting a rest from his cap:) His feeds were upped to 24 ccs and they have now added a fortifier to the milk to help give him some extra nutrients and calories. His weight was down a little to 2lbs. 11oz. so he needs all the supplements he can get!

While I was holding him today Uncle Pat and Jenna stopped by for a while and brought some adorable preemie sleepers. We've been having a tough time finding preemie clothes that fit the NICU requirements recently, but they were able to find three to add to Chase's wardrobe.

Although the nurses are able to move Chase to and from his isolette for holdings without additional assistance, it is always much easier to have an extra set of hands. They have to move the CPAP bubble machine, his pump for feeding, and all of the leads and pulsox attached to him. Usually they enlist the help from other staff, but occasionally they will ask Jas to jump in. Since Jas was at home busy working on the renovation, the nurse asked Uncle Pat to help out! Pat had to help lift Chase out of my shirt and put in back in his isolette. Even though he hasn't had to hold many babies, and definitely never one this small, he managed to put Chase back in safe and sound with only minimal deliberation on his head positioning.

Jason made it to the hospital for a few minutes before shift change to see the little man. A lot of work got done on the renovation this weekend. Many thanks to Ben and Dean for helping out yesterday, and Woody, Podolak, and Gorman for toughing out the heat today to get us one step closer to completion:)

Bath time!

Today I was able to give Chase a bath all by myself. The nurse was very patient and walked me through the process. Jason was in charge of lifting Chase up off the bed so the nurse could slide a pad underneath him to keep his bed from getting wet during bath time. As Jas lifted the little naked one up off the bed he said "Don't pee on me Peanut" not a second went by and as he had him up in the air he started to poop everywhere. Jason was officially christened! Although only a little bit got on daddy's hand it was en0ugh!

Rounds went well again. Chase continues to only have minimal aspirates so they upped his feeds to 22ccs! I think the neonatologist mentioned that they usually don't do more than 23 ccs from the feeding tube at a time. He'll be 31 wks on Sunday, so we are going to start talking about the plan for when I can begin breastfeeding as most babies start to develop their sucking abilities at 32-34 wks. Although his breathing issues are slowly improving, continued progress will help with feedings tremendously. Since his feedings are going so well and he no longer requires TPN or PN (nutrients) and he can receive his caffeine via gavage or his feeding tube, they took out the picc line. It was amazing to see how quickly they removed the tiny little catheter they had threaded in his arm.

One more thing-Chase was almost too long for the little outfit they picked out for him this afternoon!! Continue to grow little one, we got your crib today and can't wait for you to come home.

A Place to Sleep

Since it is Daddy's off Friday we are going to treat ourselves to Clementine for breakfast before heading to the hospital. Cheesy grits here we come:) Quite a few of you came to brunch/breakfast with us during my pregnancy, and I think I convinced the majority of you to try the grits...and you all loved them! Jas is just excited that I can now eat the charcuterie and tuna tartare when we visit for dinner.

Chase's crib is being delivered today. Although we still don't have the room ready for him, getting the furniture is our first step! Gearing up for another round of visitors to help with renovations and see the little one for the weekend.

Visit from the Grandmas

I had Chase's weight incorrect in my previous post, but Jas added the correct info this morning! He's still making progress and his feeds were upped to 15 ccs every 3 hrs. No other changes to report:)

Today our moms visited for the afternoon. They spent some time with Chase, we went out to lunch, and then they took me to Babies R Us so we could order our furniture for the nursery. Chase will now have somewhere to sleep when he comes home. Thanks Grandmas! Our neighbor's daughter came home at 34 wks weighing 4 lbs. 3 oz. from the NICU so we need to get moving on setting things up for him. Every baby is unique and there are strict criteria for discharge, but its better to be prepared!

Almost 3lbs!

Pretty uneventful night for the little guy. He is now weighing in at 1320 grams (2.9lbs). Other than that not much to report on from yesterdays post. Kate will have an update later.

Time for Clothes

First time in clothes

Yesterday Chase's feeds were upped again, and they completed the echocardiogram in the afternoon. He seems to be adjusting to his new CPAP and continues to gain a little weight. He now weighs 2lbs. 8 oz.!

Today when I got in I was able to help with his cares, and finally got to see the little man without any tape on his chin. Unfortunately my hands were occupied so I didn't get a pic:( I did however find out that since he had been maintaining his body temperature, he no longer needed to wear his sensor, and could finally wear some clothes! I can't wait to bring in some of the cute outfits we've received as gifts recently. I did get a chance to snap a pic of him without the CPAP on and in clothes for the first time, before it was time for me to hold him. Since the lights were on in his room there is quite a glare in the pic, so I'll try to take some better ones this afternoon.

While I was holding Chase the team came in for rounds and the doc happily reported that the cardiologist feels that the PDA is small and has started to close from his Indocin treatment. At this point since he is doing relatively well on the CPAP they are going to continue to monitor his symptoms and see if the duct closes on its own. The reason the murmur continued to be so loud was actually that the duct started to close causing the blood to flow through an even smaller opening. Jas and I are very happy with this news! We know its still going to be a bumpy road, but good news is always wonderful. The only other thing to report from rounds is that his feeds were once again upped-he is now up to 12ccs every 3 hrs. Chase continues to grow more and more every day. As one of the nurses put it "you'll see if first in both sets of cheeks- top and bottom"

Causing Trouble Already

What is this thing on my head!

No more velcro

Our visit after the race and most of the day was relatively uneventful. His feeds were increased again and he is gaining weight. Jas spent quite a long time holding Chase and they listened to The Boss together. Then 5 o'cl0ck cares rolled around. After he was moved back to his isolette it was time for cares, and I had the pleasure of tackling diaper duty. We already knew it was going to be a good one since he was quite stinky. He was especially ticked off during his diaper change and he kept yanking at his ventilator tube, and he then continued to fuss and grab when the nurse rolled him over. At this point he started desatting(O2 levels were dropping) and he had a few "bradys" We joked he was pissed at Mommy for changing his diaper, but really our little one had managed to extubate himself!

Chase was actually about ready to go back on the CPAP, but they wanted to wait to see what the PDA looked like on tomorrow morning's echocardiogram. Needless to say he made the decision that he was finished with the ventilator. The neonatologist actually called it, or jinxed it yesterday by saying that Chase would probably pull it out himself. I'll be sure to thank him when I see him during rounds tomorrow!

You can see from the pics that he is on a new CPAP contraption. Although it looks mighty goofy and awkward, it actually is a lot more secure and comfortable for him. Jas got some pics of him before they hooked him back up to anything. His rosy, slightly puffy cheeks are from the velcro they used to affix the ventilator tube.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there! This one couldn't be any more special for us...

Daddy got some books to read for Chase, a frame for our family photo(he swears he'll actually put pics on his desk now), and a Phillies shirt. Mommy waited too long to order his Flyers shirt so it won't be here until later in the week.

Daddy also got a book from Chase that has questions and sentence starters about when he was growing up. There are questions like-how did you meet mommy, who taught you how to drive, and what kind of music did you grow up listening to etc. I know these answers involve everything from Garth Brooks and Dave Matthews, to being in NM and driving before he was tall enough, but I'm sure I've never heard the full stories either! Hopefully we're on the same page with how we met 11 yrs. ago though:) Chase will be able to listen to these stories, and maybe if Jas tries hard to write legibly Chase can read them when he grows up as well!

Gotta run, headed to the Father's Day 5K to support the NICU!

More pics and updates later today

Status Quo

Everything is pretty much the same as yesterday, he was a bit agitated during the night and again this morning when Jas visited so they monitored to make sure he wasn't in pain. He did have a roommate that was screaming this morning, and he generally isn't happy to be disturbed so that might have been contributing to his irritability. All of his numbers game back normal, but his bilirubin was up a little so they may look at phototherapy again soon.

He also received the 3rd dose of Indocin today, and they will decide on doing another echo tomorrow morning. The doc did say he still is hearing a pretty decent murmur, so we may need to discuss further treatment in the future. He is always shocked to hear how much we know about medications and procedures when we meet with him. We tend to do our research or ask lots of questions throughout the day. I guess not all parents are as involved!

Daddy Holds Chase

Bath time!

What's itching the top of my head?

Proud papa holding Chase for the first time.

It was a big night-we were there for his bath time and Jas got to hold him. He was less than thrilled during his bath, but settled down once Daddy was holding him.

Feeling Better

Chase is feeling much better after the roller coaster of a day he had yesterday! He already was kicking and fighting during diaper change, and his color is back to normal. His hematocrit number was back up after the transfusion, and his blood gas and head ultrasound came back normal again. Both times they looked at the spinal fluid everything came back fine, and they will continue to monitor it for the next few days. His chest x-ray although still hazy looks much better than yesterday as well! While we were there this morning he received his second dose of Indocin, and they'll see what PDA looks like on the echocardiogram soon.

Rough One

This will be a long post, as it was a very long day! I'm sure I won't remember all of the details...

Jas visited Chase yesterday morning before heading to work, he had a few clusters of "bradys" during the evening, and despite almost peeing on the nurse during cares he just didn't seem himself. A little before 9am we received a call that they were going to put him back on the ventilator and look at possibly starting treatment with Indocin since the PDA didn't seem to be closing on its own.

He was pretty out of it when I got there and his O2 sats kept fluctuating despite being back on the vent. Even though he had the lowest dose of Fentanyl he was pretty groggy and they needed to work on adjusting the levels and positioning him quite a bit. It was an emotional morning for me, since Jas was at work and Chase wasn't recouping the way they thought he would. After reviewing the chest and bowel x-rays with the doctor, and looking at this weight and belly measurement from earlier in the morning they decided to suction some air from his belly. The one problem with the CPAP(which he had been on for many days) is that it pumps air into the bowel area causing distention at times. After a few hours when he seemed to be resting and not working as hard, I decided to run out to pick up a few things. It was my first day driving after the c/s.

The worst thing for us has been anytime the phone rings and we see the hospital phone number...and unfortunately this happened while I was at Target yesterday! Thank god for our nurse Janis. She noticed that Chase started to have poor coloring and not regain his active squirming nature. Having spent many days with him, she knew that he is normally not the most cooperative little one during cares/procedures etc. and he wasn't kicking or protesting like usual. The doc called me immediately to discuss treatment for possible infection. Despite having normal CRP and CBC numbers in the morning his hematocrit numbers were low after the afternoon labs. Over the phone, Dr. Helou explained to me that they were going to need to look at doing a blood transfusion and a lumbar puncture to rule out infection and they needed consent. He was very concerned about me driving back to the hospital since I was upset. I was thankfully still in Towson. I also managed to hold it together until I got to the parking lot to call Jason.

When I got the the NICU and signed consent(I had already given verbal) I was whisked into the hallway so they could start the procedures. I had put my bag down in his room, so while speeding(he promised under 100mph most of the time) up from work Jas couldn't get a hold of me. They did an echocardiogram to rule out that the placement of his picc line wasn't causing any of his issues, and the lumbar puncture went smoothly. When Jas got to the hospital we were allowed back in the room to watch as they set up the IV for his transfusion and start his antibiotics. By this time, Chase's coloring had improved and he did seem to be a little more perky than earlier in the day. After visiting for a while we needed to leave for shift change, and try to get some dinner.

After dinner we headed back to the hospital, and as I was walking in there was a couple with a little girl and two large trays of Panera sandwiches boarding the elevator. The father asked if I was headed to the NICU and after hearing that I was, he told me they were delivering dinner for the NICU staff because it was their daughter's first birthday. Just like Chase she was born at 27 wks and had problems with a PDA. After 87 days in the NICU she was able to finally go home. We didn't get to talk that much, but she was a beautiful healthy little girl. Considering how our day was going, our chance encounter with this family couldn't have come at a better time!

They were starting the transfusion when we got back in the room and it was set to take 3 hrs. After a long exhausting day we knew it was time to let him rest and get some sleep ourselves. We knew we'd have some ups and downs and all considering we've had more good days than bad. Thank you for all of your continued support, heading to the hospital shortly!

A Few Bumps

This morning the docs and staff didn't do walk through rounds since they had a late night delivering a set of preemie twins. Since it was Jas' first day back to work, Jess picked me up this morning to head over to spend some time with the little guy, do lunch, and treat myself to a Vera diaper bag! They worked on his positioning for a while why we were there this morning since he seemed to be having a few more "bradys". He was also upgraded to bigger diapers, which makes changing him while he squirms even more difficult. He has gained a few more ounces since feeds are going well!

This evening we went back hoping to have Jas hold him, but he'd had a rough afternoon. The number of "bradys" he's been having increased a bit, but he continues to self recover and has only needed a slight increase in O2. His chest x-ray was a little hazier than they'd like, so they ordered a CRP for tomorrow to make sure he doesn't have an infection. They also started treatment for possible pulmonary edema with Lasix to see if this could help his respiratory issues. He still has a moderate PDA which would be contributing to the edema; so I'm sure we'll discuss at rounds tomorrow morning if medication may be necessary to help close the duct.

We only stayed for a short time this evening, he had quite a few visits from docs and the respiratory therapist today and we didn't want to disturb him further. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to help bathe him in the morning, and Jas will be able to hold him when he gets home from work.

GBMC NICU Race Pledges

The GBMC NICU 5K is right around the corner. The proceeds go to the GBMC NICU who have been awesome in helping Chase grow. Please show you support and donate whatever you can. I am running for the little guy on Sunday and will represent Team Chase. The link is below.

Thanks for your support.


Donation link:

https://www.gbmc.org/body.cfm?id=26&eformid=25

Enter Team Chase in the "Other Team" field.

29 Weeks

Getting a break from my hat and the CPAP!

So handsome and looking older already

We had a new doctor for rounds this morning. He was very thorough and reviewed lots of info with us. No new changes besides his feeds being upped to 9ccs this afternoon. He has another brain ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow, and we'll let you all know how it goes. We missed his bath this morning, but I'm shooting to get there early on Wednesday so I can help with his next one! The few "bradys" he has been having are usually around the CPAP not bubbling correctly due to his positioning or having his mouth open, which they are working to resolve!

Daddy heads back to work tomorrow:(, but he has a lot to look forward to since he'll be able to hold Chase for the first time when we head over for our afternoon visit!

Gaining Weight!

Chase's weight is now 2lbs. 6ozs.! Our schedule was a little different today, so we did an afternoon and an evening visit. Since they like to have moms hold the preemies skin-to-skin for a minimum of an hour we didn't start until 9:15pm after his cares. Status quo as the docs/nurses said today, his "bradys" have been down, and he continues to do okay on the CPAP.

Thanks to all of our visitors this weekend, we know sanding and spackling drywall in 90 degree weather isn't fun! Also, thank you Matt and Kristin for taking me grocery shopping:)

Skin-to-Skin

Today I got to hold him kangaroo style or skin-to-skin!

He slept like this for almost an hour.

We had lots of visitors during rounds this morning. Jas' aunt and uncle, Debbie and Tom, cousin Jaime and her husband Ryan, and MomMom and PopPop Hutch. There weren't very many changes overnight besides his feeds being upped to 5 ccs. They did another chest x-ray when we got there to check the placement of the picc line and take another look at his lungs.

We have a new crew down from NYC to help with the renovation(after we watch the World Cup game-for Simon!)

On my belly!

This will be our only post today as we're both pretty exhausted. Chase had a relatively quiet morning, his O2 saturation levels were a bit low so they decreased some of his IV fluids to make sure his lungs weren't wet, and worked on having him keep his mouth closed while he is sleeping. That is easier said then done, so he has a posey strap that goes around his head and chin(I think he's had it in a few pics before) to help keep the CPAP in place and keep his mouth closed a little more. Jas equates it to a band around you head when you have a toothache.

He is back up to his birth weight! Feedings are still going slow, but they continue to work on maintaining the same amount given every 3 hrs. Depending how much they get back, or if they are doing a procedure they may hold the feeds til the next scheduled time.

This afternoon he had the picc line inserted. Chase was on medication so he didn't feel anything and he was pretty out of it when we went for our evening visit. The catheter is inserted into the large vein in his arm and fed up until the tip of the line sits in the vein right above his heart. It will be used for IV fluids, feedings, getting blood etc. We asked if it was taped down pretty well since he likes to pull out his lines. He gets blood drawn every day so they can monitor his blood gas levels, so now he won't need to have his heel pricked. They removed the lines from his cord stump so I'll get to hold him skin-to-skin soon. Since he had a big afternoon and during the procedure he had a few more "bradys", we are going to wait til tomorrow for me to hold him again. He is now able to be on his belly a bit for sleeping and he seemed comfy when we left!

Mommy's first holding (now with video)

Chase's first time in Mommy's arms.

7 Days Old!

I know I look thrilled with my new hat!

The very first time Mommy got to hold Chase!

Our First Family Photo

Today was a big day for Chase, Mommy, and Daddy! As you see from Jason's previous post, he finally pooped. Most moms don't have the pleasure of experiencing the very first poop because the nurses usually take care of it. You've all heard the stories, and yes they are all true:)

Rounds went well this morning, he gained some of the weight back that he had lost over the past few days. Chase also only had a few "bradys" while on the CPAP last night, all of which he self-recovered from on his own. They do have to put the picc line in tomorrow since his feedings aren't going as well as expected, but the nurse did comment that at this age he wouldn't normally be expected to digest milk. His chest and bowel x-rays, and his blood gas levels all came back fine.

The biggest news of the day, and the best news for Mommy was that I finally got to hold him! The nurse and respiratory therapist moved all of his lines and the CPAP machine so he could be in my arms. We took a ton of pics, including our first family photo. He didn't fuss at all and after being awake for quite some time, he took a nice half hour long nap all swaddled up in my arms. Jason will be hopefully loading video shortly! Tomorrow I will get to hold him skin-to-skin Kangaroo style.

Everybody Poops!

He pooped today! More details on other status to follow. I just wanted to say poop.

Video!

Here is a short little video we took while he was getting a tan. As you can see he is an active little bugger!

More Pictures!

Napping after squirming to figure out a comfy position.

My new foot rest. I have big feet like my mommy!

Awake for mommy to read me a story before she was discharged.

These are pics from yesterday, since you can see he's still on the ventilator. All the new pictures are in the album, and we're going to start sorting them by week so they'll be easier to navigate.

Back on the CPAP

We had a short visit before shift change, but he looked comfy in his new little nesting bed and seemed to be doing well back on the CPAP. They are using smaller tubes since last time he started to get a bruise on the side/bridge of his nose. They postponed his afternoon feeds due to extubating, but he got 3 ccs while we were there tonight.

Wednesday's Rounds

We made it to the hospital in time for rounds this morning. Actually the docs never really get started on time, so we usually get some quiet time with him before the crowd of people gather in the hall outside of his room. They started feeds again this morning and stopped his phototherapy treatment since his numbers were looking good. When we go back this afternoon they'll have taken him of the respirator again for another try on the CPAP. The NICU pediatrician said his lungs are looking better, and at this point the breath rate is decreased as far as possible on the ventilator.

One thing that has come up over the past few days is that he has developed a noticeable heart murmur that they didn't hear when he was first admitted. The echocardiogram did show a moderate opening, but the blood is flowing in the correct direction. This is not uncommon at all in preemies, and Jas actually also has a heart murmur. The docs explained the possible courses of action that may need to taken if he isn't successful with this attempt off the respirator. Right now the decision has been made to just monitor his progress and then discuss medication options in the future. Sometimes the duct will just close on its own. If in the future medication treatment doesn't work there would be a chance we'd have to meet with the cardiologist to discuss more invasive measures. It was reassuring however to see that another baby on the NICU needed to go to surgery for the heart procedure while we were there this morning, and he/she was back up on the unit within 45 minutes. Technology these days is amazing! We'll post more pics after our afternoon visit.

Room #1 at the NICU

Mommy and Daddy visiting while he works on his tan

Chase's digs. He already has his Flyers bib, a little puppy dog, a sign from MomMom and PopPop Hutch, and a picture of Mommy and Daddy

5 Days Old!

We got lots of info this morning, so this post may be lengthy and since you all know me so well-very wordy:) Last night they decided to stop feeds through the tube since he was aspirating as much as he was receiving every 3 hours. If you are squeamish you might want to stop here, but we want to provide you all with as much info as possible. They check to see if he has digested the milk by sucking it back out of his stomach and checking the amount. Then they put it back it plus some if necessary. They said there is no point in wasting the milk. Since they did a bowel x-ray and everything looked normal, they hope to start feeds again soon, because they would prefer not to put in a picc(peripherally inserted central catheter) line.

The brain ultrasound from this morning came back normal! They'll continue to monitor on a weekly basis, but the news was of course a great relief for us. They are going to decrease the breath rate on the ventilator and hope to possible extubate and try him back on the CPAP by tomorrow.

The discharge coordinator shared lots of info about docs and upcoming appts. We'll be seeing the eye doctor a few times and ironically go to the Infants and Toddlers program at KKI. Think we'll get bumped up on the wait list??

On another note, again we can't say enough about all of the support we've received over the past few days, and I'd like to thank the girls for keeping my chocolate supply stocked. Thank you also to Kat for sending Chase his first set of books for the nursery library. I'll be reading him or trying to read him "Guess How Much I Love You" before we leave tonight. After shift change we'll be going up for a visit before heading home:(

Full name

It's official Chase has a full name now. Say hello to Chase Holden Swanson.

Mommy's first set of cares

Time to take that temperature, I pull my sensor off all the time.

Changing his diaper-boy are those long legs squirmy!

Doctor's rounds

Although Chase needed to go back on the ventilator since he was having a few too many "Bradys" or bradycardia episodes, his numbers are still looking good. When Chase's heart rate drops below 100 it is called a Brady. Preemies sometimes forget to breathe on their own, he really hasn't needed stimulation and continues to recoup on his own from the episodes. They continued to monitor him since he started on the CPAP and the respiratory therapist said he almost needs a support at a level between the ventilator and the CPAP. Ultimately he was just getting tired out and still needs a little extra help. Everyone is still pleased with his progress, and we got to participate in rounds this morning to get the info from all the docs. We're planning on attending rounds as much as possible and we'll try to share any updates. They keep us in the loop with everything since we of course are his biggest advocates right now!

Friends & Family

We just wanted to give thanks to all of our friends and family who have offered and showed their support in one way or another. Everyone has been very gracious and we are grateful to have the best friends in the world. They all have shown their support in one form or another from sending flowers, to emails and calls and even donating much earned weekend time from their own busy lives to stop what they are doing and come help out.

A special thank you to our New Jersey, DC, NYC and Baltimore crew who came down and helped work on our renovation (while we were at the hospital) to make sure we have the nursery ready for Chase when he is ready to come on home.

And a special thank you to our parents and siblings who are near and far and are always checking in (even when we are trying to get some sleep!), but that's what parents are for and Kate and I hope we can be as good as parents to Chase as you guys have been to us.

We love you all and couldn't have gotten through this without you.

Chase, Katie, Jason and Summer

24 hrs. on the CPAP

At 4:30pm today Chase made it to a full day off the respirator. He had a few drops in his rates while we were just up there but he didn't need stimulation, and his numbers still look good. They started him this afternoon on what equates to a mega dosage of caffeine to see if that would help and not have him work so hard. They also started him on a little milk to hopefully help bring up his weight! We met with the Neonatologist for awhile and she reviewed everything they covered during rounds. They hold rounds every morning and encourage the parents to be available to get all of the updates. Just before we left to give him some time to rest he opened his eyes for a while. I didn't have the camera, so here's an iPhone pic. We have his Little Flyers Fan bib hanging up there-GO FLYERS!!

Many Thanks!

Although he is still too little to let you know, Chase appreciates all the well wishes and support he's received from everyone over the past few days. We just had a long visit upstairs and he's still doing okay on the CPAP. The evening was not without a few bumps, but the nurse assured us that they aren't ready to put him back on the respirator yet. He'll probably be having his first brain ultrasound on Tuesday so we can get some baseline data and more info. Hopefully they'll be able to start him on some of my milk via the tube soon so we can get him gaining some weight!

We also found out that two weeks from today there is the GBMC Father's Day 5K and 1 mile Fun Walk in Hunt Valley to support the NICU here at the hospital. Although I probably won't be up to participate we're going to work on setting up a team to support the little one! We'll be posting more info shortly, but in the meantime you can check out the info at http://www.charmcityrun.com/page.cfm?pageid=33&eid=919.

Trying Again

Look no tape! This is the first time we've been able to see his beautiful little face without anything attached! Needless to say it has been a roller coaster of emotions for us here, but we couldn't ask for a better group of doctors, therapists and nurses to be tending to Chase on a round-the-clock basis. The respiratory therapist thought he'd be ready to try the CPAP(continuous positive airway pressure) again since Chase seemed to be doing well with only 20% room air on the ventilator. Although he doesn't look thrilled in the pics he's obviously much more comfortable without the tubes down his little throat! Yesterday we tried the CPAP for a little bit but he was working way too hard and ended up getting little bruises on his chest, so we took another step back to give him a little more time to adjust. The staff are extremely helpful and don't mind being bombarded with questions. Although we know they won't have any definitive answers, just the reassurance at times is wonderful. Hopefully he'll be able to have a quiet evening with only Mommy and Daddy as visitors. It's been a pretty busy first few days for him and we're hoping he can get a little rest.

Chase's first tan

Little guy has only been out in the open for a day and a half and wants to catch some rays (helps with jaundice).

Mommy's first visit

Chase came into this world breached, so Mommy had to recoup a bit in order to go up and see her little peanut.



Little guy has a tight grip on Daddy!

Chase comes into the world

Chase Swanson was born on June 4th 2010 at 3:14am at 28 weeks old. Chase measures at 17" long and weighs in at a whopping 2lbs 5oz.

The first few weeks of Chase's life will be spent in the GBMC NICU, surrounded by an awesome team from GMBC to help him grow to be big and strong. Currently little Chase's lungs are developing so the poor little guy needs to be on a respirator, but he is a trooper and is running on room air.

Updates will be posted regularly about the little peanuts progress.