So the steriods were given... little Nico and his failing lungs needed to grab on to this opportunity and grab it quickly as there was no Plan B. I was calling every few hours and the oxygen requirements were coming down but oh-so-very-slowly. From all accounts, it was possible that he could show marked progress after 24 hours, by 12 hours he was better than ever and still improving.
I was on the top of the world and decided that I would be starting the nursery. Obviously this had not been something we were in a hurry to do before his early arrival and not something we wanted to do the first few weeks in case it served as a permanent reminder should all not go so well. The rollercoaster was on rapid climb... unfortunately there are rules known by all roller coaster fanatics. There is only one reason for a climb and that is to plummet somewhere twice as fast.
A side effect of steriods, and one we were well aware of, is that it lowers the immune system. Giving Nico steriods when he wasn't even finished antibiotics was not optimum. The next phone call we got was to advise me Nico had a cold and " we have put him in a box." It was pretty obvious that this was not a literal term but it still didn't paint pretty pictures in my mind. A "box" is simply a tape square on the floor around his isolette where nurses and visitors must wear mask and gloves when opening his little portholes. It was more for the other babies in his Bay than for him. The steroids were stopped after 2 days of a 5 day course. A cold was not a big deal but it would be unwise to continue. Another slow 3 weeks ensued and he remained in the box. No cuddles. Barely any skin to skin touch. They did allow me to not wear gloves after a few days but it was limited.
So many times I fantasised on walking in, putting him in a car seat capsule hidden perfectly in an oversized bag and walking out. I was done. I could look after him at home, I had watched them long enough. SpO2 goes down, turn O2 up. Simple. We'd be fine. Then I would reprimand myself for even implying that these absolutely inspirational miracle workers in the NICU had such an easy job.
His oxygen requirements climbed slowly but steadily and I was anxious to get the steriod course done again. He finally got 3 negative test results in a row and the steroids were allowed to be reattempted. 3 days later he was extubated (tubes out) at 10 weeks old and put onto CPAP - basically allowing him to breath on his own by keeping his lungs slightly inflated to make it easier for him, like a balloon that has already had a breath put in. It is given through nasal prongs and therefore much less invasive. The CPAP didn't last long but thankfully they were able to avoid reintubation and be ventilated through the prongs.
I was on the top of the world and decided that I would be starting the nursery. Obviously this had not been something we were in a hurry to do before his early arrival and not something we wanted to do the first few weeks in case it served as a permanent reminder should all not go so well. The rollercoaster was on rapid climb... unfortunately there are rules known by all roller coaster fanatics. There is only one reason for a climb and that is to plummet somewhere twice as fast.
A side effect of steriods, and one we were well aware of, is that it lowers the immune system. Giving Nico steriods when he wasn't even finished antibiotics was not optimum. The next phone call we got was to advise me Nico had a cold and " we have put him in a box." It was pretty obvious that this was not a literal term but it still didn't paint pretty pictures in my mind. A "box" is simply a tape square on the floor around his isolette where nurses and visitors must wear mask and gloves when opening his little portholes. It was more for the other babies in his Bay than for him. The steroids were stopped after 2 days of a 5 day course. A cold was not a big deal but it would be unwise to continue. Another slow 3 weeks ensued and he remained in the box. No cuddles. Barely any skin to skin touch. They did allow me to not wear gloves after a few days but it was limited.
So many times I fantasised on walking in, putting him in a car seat capsule hidden perfectly in an oversized bag and walking out. I was done. I could look after him at home, I had watched them long enough. SpO2 goes down, turn O2 up. Simple. We'd be fine. Then I would reprimand myself for even implying that these absolutely inspirational miracle workers in the NICU had such an easy job.
His oxygen requirements climbed slowly but steadily and I was anxious to get the steriod course done again. He finally got 3 negative test results in a row and the steroids were allowed to be reattempted. 3 days later he was extubated (tubes out) at 10 weeks old and put onto CPAP - basically allowing him to breath on his own by keeping his lungs slightly inflated to make it easier for him, like a balloon that has already had a breath put in. It is given through nasal prongs and therefore much less invasive. The CPAP didn't last long but thankfully they were able to avoid reintubation and be ventilated through the prongs.
10 days went by peacefully...
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