Josh

Daddy got to see Josh in the NICU the afternoon he was born. His breathing was labored because of the fluid in his lungs and his serfactant levels being a little low, but on the bright side it was strong enough that the didn't need a respirator. So he was given oxygen tubes to pump higher levels of oxygen in his lungs (40% oxygen, regular room level is about 20%) to help him out a bit. I didn't get to see him until the doctor gave me the go-ahead to get out of bed and make the trek to the NICU, which wasn't until 11:30 at night. So it was a long day, because that was 11 hours after he was born and it meant I was up until about 1 in the morning on our first night taking care of Maia. We went ahead and sent her to the nursery for a few hours so that I could rest when we got back from seeing Josh.



It was also determined that because his breathing would take some time to perfect, he would not be able to eat for at least several days, and a fluid IV was put in his foot to give him essential nutrients. 3 days later his improvement has been significant, and he is still on an oxygen tube to help with the breathing but it is now the equivalent of room oxygen (20%). He is now laying on his back (he started on his stomach because it eases breathing) and was fed some milk from mommy through a feeding tube Sunday afternoon for the first time, and handled it well. His breathing rate, which started at about 90 breaths per minute (should be under 60) is now in the mid-60s, so although it is still labored, he is doing much better. You can see from pictures of yesterday how much healthier he looks than the first couple of pictures: