Bump was more like a hill..

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Last night's scare of the bradys has simmered down. Jett had a really good day today. The doctors agreed to cut back on his feeds a little bit and think reflux may have been the culprit! They're going to continue to watch him and see how he does with the break before they up his feeds again tomorrow.

The hardest part right now is getting Jett to tolerate his food. They gradually increase it so that he can eventually get to 100% breastfeeding for 30minutes/3hours apart. Right now, he's still on a feeding tube through his nose, 2on/2off. That means his food is fed to him for 2 hrs and then he rests for 2 hrs.

We are on such a roller coaster. We are on the up and up for a few days and then...WHAM! Joel and I are exhausted. Joel is working two jobs to make ends meet and I drive to the hospital (45min.) in the morning, leave at 4pm to let the doggies out. I wait for Joel to get home and then we drive up together to tuck him in and say, "Goodnight".

Tonight is the first night that I haven't gone. I cried when Joel left, but I have to sleep. As you can see, I'm not sleeping. It's good for me to blog and clean the house. All of his nurses tell me to rest and take time for me, but it's so hard when my time belongs to Jett. On the other hand, he's coming home soon and I want his new home to be perfect for him. We have a long way to go, but it will be here before we know it.

Bump in the Road #2

This morning started out rough for our family. Joel called the NICU early this morning to get the morning report and plan for the day from Jett's nurse, Erin. Instead of her voice on the phone, the resident doctor picked up the line to talk to Joel.

He said that Jett had a rough night with a couple of 'bradys' that dipped down into the fifties, which is not typical for him. When his heartrate dips that low, the nurses have to rush over and stimulate him so that he remembers to breathe and his heart rate comes back up.

Even though bradys are normal for preemies, they still do not know the exact reason they occur. That being said, the doctors approached Jett's issues with the common routines to treat either reflux or a possible infection. When Jett's blood work came back, they noticed a spike in his white blood cells. This might be a sign of an infection, but further tests are needed.

As of now, we're still waiting for answers. Jett looks like he's okay, but if something is going on inside....we don't want to just ignore it, but we also don't want them to stick him more than they have to...

If there is an infection, he'll need an IV with antibiotics to an arterial line in order to kick it fast!!

More Photos

Jett is making amazing progress. The hardest battle now is the weight gain and getting his feeding program just right. One day he gains 40 grams and the next he drops 2 grams. The doctors look at the average weight gain over a period of 10 days to make sure he's moving up on the scale.

Joel and I have observed that the "weighing" process can be very subjective and sometimes the nurse will weigh him three times and get three different numbers. When gaining weight seems to be the priority, it's frustrating to see such inconsistency.

He had is echo cardiogram yesterday which revealed that his PDA is still there. Although very small, until it creates any symptoms...they just watch and hope that it closes on its own.

Keep your prayers coming and ask for some pudgy legs and arms to come soon! We love you all and thank you for your help and thoughts!

Check me out on Flikr!

Three Pounds!!!!!

After Jett's 9:00 assessment, his nurse Dawn weighed him at 1361 grams....which is THREE POUNDS!!! He's growing up right before our eyes, literally. Each day that I am with him I see exciting changes. His little blue hat doesn't fit him anymore, the teeny weeny diapers that look like pantyliners are too small for him, and his cheeks are getting chubby.

It's wild to watch. We were just saying tonight that we're watching him turn into a baby from his little old man look!

Our life in the NICU is actually a little family. The nurses feel like our friends, and the doctors are so personable that we can ask them anything. Getting to know the other families in the NICU has helped too. It's a very strange, yet special bond we have with each other. We're all stressed out, but find comfort in caring for each other's child. We all look forward to the reunion in June of 2011 to see the progress each child will make.

Jett is such a sweet little boy. We were able to try "lick and learn" to introduce breastfeeding. He latched on right away. He's still too premature to breastfeed now, but he's showing all of the signs that will allow him to when he's ready.

I'm very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year. The March of Dimes supports research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.

They have helped all babies, like JETT, get a healthy start!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/JettsMom

Sleeping Jett

Sleeping Jett
Originally uploaded by liss9785

Jett's first swaddle

Jett swaddling
Originally uploaded by liss9785

Teddy Bear suit

Teddy Bear suit
Originally uploaded by liss9785

Do you like my new suit?

Jett's First Easter!!!

Happy Easter everyone!
We caught his smile with the camera today...Isn't he precious? Look at his dimple!!

Underwood Family Wiki Page

Thank you so much to Gena Bancroft for setting up this wiki page for the wonderful families and teachers of Underwood. Everyone has been so generous! I have no idea how to fully express our appreciation. We love you all and thank you very much!

http://rickardsfamily.wikispaces.com/Rickard%27s+Family+Homepage

After the birth recap...

Jett seemed to be taking to the medications well, and we were all settling in to our new routines. Joel and I were up and ready to get to the hospital by 8am to meet with the doctors and nurses for their "rounds". They're actually very thorough and explanatory for parents and by sitting in on their plans, we felt much more involved. With my discharge day approaching, I was in a very strange place. Not only were we not prepared to have Jett this early, I never even imagined having a baby and not going home with him.

Thanks to our amazing family and friends, we were able to set up camp in the nearby Extended Stay hotel. It was exactly what we needed and even had a full size refrigerator for food. We also needed a freezer to keep the breastmilk in.

Saying "Good-bye" to him was so hard. Once I was in the car and we were in route to the hotel, I was okay (for a little bit). Joel unpacked our things and set up our temporary home, and we already had groceries and sweet notes from his new little friends, Dexter and Holden!

That evening, we were next to Jett as soon as the shift change was over at 7:30pm.