Eyeday Tuesday

Big day today...Hudson had his first of many eye exams!  Testing for ROP.  I stepped out of the room, I wasn't sure I could stomach it or not.  Hudson's nurse said he did great, fussed at first but then gave it up.

((What is ROP?  According to wikipedia...Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), previously known as retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), is an eye disease that affects prematurely-born babies. It is thought to be caused by disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. ROP can be mild and may resolve spontaneously, but it may lead to blindness in serious cases. As such, all preterm babies are at risk for ROP, and very low birth weight is an additional risk factor. Both oxygen toxicity and relative hypoxia can contribute to the development of ROP.))

Eye doctor report:  His eyes are immature.  He has a mild case of ROP.  Will be seen again in 2 weeks.

Hudson's plan for today was:

1. decreased his lpm (liters per minute) on his vapotherm!  
2. keep his food volume the same.  feed over 60 minutes vs 90 minutes every 3 hours.
3. going down on caffeine dose.  (the pharmacist called him out on being a "wild man" and maybe able to cut back)

Hudson stories:

Anytime I'm away from the room the nurses, docs, rt's, etc love to tell me what Hudson has been up to...

1. His NP walked over to see him this morning and she said he was just going to town sucking on his thumb and he was waving at her by wiggling his fingers so he didn't have to stop sucking.  
2. Shortly before I got there this morning Hudson threw a huge hissy fit.  One so big that he never even woke up when I did his care...undressed him, changed diaper, emptied his bag, changed his probe, took temperature, did his oral care, dressed him...nothing phased him!
3. His nurse today told me not to be surprised if we get "newbie" nurses.  Because Hudson is just growing and hanging out for the most part...he is a fun easy baby to take care of in comparison to his friends.  

Going Home:

His nurse and I talked in depth today about reality of the earliest we could go home...and it is exciting but also still lots to do!  There's a checklist of things Ben and I have to do before Hudson can go home...we talked about car seats, laundry detergents, crib and bedding, etc...Benny and I have homework to do so when it is time to go home it happens smoothly as possible.

Pictures from today:

"Growing and gaining weight is exhausting!" - Hudson

"Oh, it's you again.  Did you bring me a scooby snack?" - Hudson

"I am shaking my fist at you!" Hudson

"I'm bored!  There's nothing to do." - Hudson

"Why do the nurses have to tell on me!" - Hudson

"This milk flavored pacifier is very relaxing." - Hudson

"The milk flavor is like a sleepy miracle." - Hudson

"No pets allowed in the NICU, but they made an exception for me!" - Hudson

Outside of the NICU...I love how the staff is always so professional, cheery and try to make you feel as "at home" as possible.  They decorated the outside of the NICU today for Halloween and Breast Cancer Awareness month!