Another long week in the NICU. Nicholas did end up having a staph infection that spread to his bloodstream. We are all too aware of how serious an infection like this could be for a very small baby so to say it has been a very tense time is to say the least. He has been treated with several very strong antibiotics and we are so thankful he is finally turning the corner. We knew he was feeling better when the nurses said that if they didn't try taking him off of the ventilator, he was going to pull it out himself. Apparently he was finally being the little one we have come to love so much and his feisty attitude and strong will has gotten him this far; I know it will continue to carry him through any obstacles that come his way. With Nicholas's and the nurses persistence, they took him off of the ventilator yesterday afternoon and he is doing great!!!! He will continue antibiotics now for another ten days to be sure the infection is gone.
Unfortunately while we could finally start breathing a sigh of relief over the last day or so with Nicholas, there are some new concerns with Alex. His belly had gotten quite large and he was acting very irritable and fussy, definitely not like him. They took some x-rays and blood work and ended up getting a lot of green bile out of his stomach. They stopped his feedings again and started him on antibiotics as well as a precaution. They continue to follow him closely but are not yet sure what is wrong. We also learned this week that he has severe kidney reflux, grade 4 on a scale of 5. We are waiting to speak with the specialist to find out what this means for him exactly. We are all too familiar with the "worry and wait" for more answers, so maybe soon we could find a new lesson to learn.
It is also bittersweet that we say good bye to two families we have grown very close to in the NICU. They each have a son who started life very early, at 28 weeks like our boys and even 26 weeks. The 26 weeker was even born the same day as our sons and it is a miracle that he is doing so well and will be discharged early next week. We are soooo happy for our new friends as they get ready to leave the NICU behind and start a new road. We know it was not a coincidence that we were all put together in the same NICU room sharing so many similarities and we will miss seeing them every day . We have already exchanged emails and phone numbers and have talked about how we will meet later this summer to celebrate when all of our boys are home.
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