December 26, 2017

Charlie is one week old today!!!

Charlie has been doing very well! He has had mostly good days but a few not so good days. He has experienced a lot in his first week of life: He has needed 6 blood transfusions, different antibiotics, blood pressure meds, x-rays, ultra sounds, and more. Some of the big hurdles for Charlie right now are his heart PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus), an infection in his blood, and developing his lungs. He is such a little fighter and taking it all like a champ! His weight fluctuates but he seems to be gaining weight little by little, now 1lb 4oz. He gets to eat mom’s milk now through his feeding tube and we are able to put some on his lips from time to time to help with dryness. He really seems to enjoy when we do that! The nurses and staff keep us very involved. We have changed his diaper, taken his temperature, bathed him, and comforted him by placing one hand on his head and one of his feet. Charlie really likes to be swaddled and confined, so they keep him in a swaddle as much as they can. The nurses say he is very spunky already, he moves around a lot and is pretty active, (just like his brother).

One major thing that happened for Charlie this week is that he now has a PICC line, or a peripherally inserted central catheter line. This is essential to Charlie’s health as it provides the nutrition he needs. They can also give him any medication he needs through that line. They had tried to put this in two times prior without any luck, so it was a special day when they got it in! He also has an arterial line in his umbilical cord where the nurses can draw blood for labs and blood gases.

We have been very blessed to have this week with Charlie and he truly is our Christmas miracle. We continue to see God at the center of all of this and know he is watching over Charlie. We thank you for your continued prayers and support for our sweet little boy.