Return of the Reflux

Well, last night did not go as we hoped.  It's 9pm and we are still in our PJs.  Poor little John had a pretty bad case of reflux and gas during the night and most of the day.  On the bright side, he started doing better after Daddy gave him some Mylicon.  Our pedi does not believe it helps but says it does not hurt either.  We decided to try it after a lot of parents recommended it and because we were pretty desperate.  We did not like to see John in pain.  Thankfully, it appears to have worked.

John feeling much better.

There will be some video as soon as I figure out how to add it. 

An Important Day

Praise be the Lord!  (And Ticia for the hints!)

John slept 3+ straight hours last night in his bassinet.  We usually need to hold him for him to sleep more than 30-60 minutes.  We altered our feedi

ng routine: instead of changing his diaper, feeding him then putting him to bed, we immediately fed after he woke up, changed his diaper before switching sides which woke him up causing him to eat more, then put him to bed bundled up.

We are also trying some advice from the book On Becoming Baby Wise a gift from Ticia.  After trying them, John calmly stayed in his bassinet for 1 hour while I took a nap.  He also slept AGAIN the whole time between feedings in his bassinet!!!   We are trying not to get too excited about what this might mean for nights.  We know it may not work at every feeding right away but are hopeful.

Today was also noteworthy for another reason.  We took John to pay his respects to his grandfather and uncle.  It was emotional and difficult.  After Granddad John was diagnosed with cancer 12/22/04, he would tell us all he wanted was to make it to meet his grandchild....  Sadly, life had other plans for all of us.  But we are reassured in knowing that he would have loved John so much.

Matt talking to John about his grandfather.

We took the time to tell John stories about his grandfather and uncle.  We plan on John "knowing" them through us.

John hearing about his uncle.

On Our Own

We are on our own again.  The grandparents, Aunt Lari and Uncle Tony left today for El Paso.  Aunt Pau went back to her apartment.  It's now just Daddy, Mommy, Sandy and Bevo taking care of John.  It's been less than a day and we already miss all the extra arms to care for John.

An exhausted Uncle Tony and John

John with Abuelito

Mommy & John with the Grandparents, aunts and uncles

Daddy stayed alone for the first time with John this evening while Mommy went out to dinner with our friend Anne to celebrate her engagement.  Unfortunately, John took this time to act out for the first time.  He refused to be comforted.  He stayed awake and crying/fussing from 6pm - 10 pm.  Thankfully, he is finally sleeping after a change in clothes and being swaddled. 

This is before John decided to act up.

We believe he may be going through a growth spurt since he is eating every 1.5 - 2 hours since yesterday.  This made last night a little difficult.  We are trying a few tips from my friend Ticia tonight; hopefully we will get a little more sleep tonight. Wish us luck!

Bubeaner Headquarters

10 Weeks! 

Bubeaner is now 10 weeks 2 days.  We are blessed that he is now, for all intents and purposes, a healthy preemie.  Caringbridge was an amazing tool that helped us keep family and friends informed.  And it allowed us to feel and know your support during a stressful time.  Thankfully, it has come time for us to "graduate" from Caringbridge.  Dad and Momma decided to start a blog to continue to keep you up to date with Bubeaner as he grows up. 

Wednesday 12/24/08

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 10:17 AM, CST
John is doing ok - he is still spitting up but he is eating well and enjoying being spoiled. We want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year. We love you all and appreciate your support so very much.

Sunday 12/21/08

Sunday, December 21, 2008 11:56 AM, CST

John is spitting up quite a bit, has diarrhea and is fussy, but he is enjoying having Daddy home full-time for a couple of weeks and spent yesterday getting spoiled by his Aunt Pau and Uncle Jeff. The house is full of Christmas lights he finds fascinating. Merry Christmas to all.

Thursday 12/18/08

Thursday, December 18, 2008 11:31 AM, CST
John's pediatrician says this was just a bad reflux incident and that John will be fine. He is still a preemie, which is hard to remember, but his due date was Christmas Eve. He is confident John will be ok.

Wednesday 12/17/08

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:53 PM, CST

John abruptly stopped breathing tonight and turned blue. Ruth began performing mouth-to-mouth and Pauline called 911. John regained his respiration after about 2 minutes and his color after about 6 minutes. The paramedics cleared him and the doctor wants to check him out in the morning.

Monday 12/15/08

Monday, December 15, 2008 3:05 PM, CST

John is continuing his difficult-night adventures, as evidenced by the new picture of Mommy keeping him upright at night on the Welcome Page. Tonight we are going to try giving him Axid to reduce his reflux. We're down to Mom, Dad and 1/2-time Aunt Pau (who is mostly moved out but still helping out) at home to keep John company. He misses his NICU girls very much.

Saturday 12/13/08

Saturday, December 13, 2008 7:30 PM, CST

John had a rough night last night with reflux and kept his parents up all night. We kept him elevated today and it seemed to help. He is busy stealing Sarah, his Uncle Ivan's girlfriend, now. Thanks to the FW Haltoms for bringing a pot roast over for dinner.

Friday 12/12/08

Friday, December 12, 2008 11:27 AM, CST

After a rocky couple of nights, John had a good night Thursday night. He had multiple vaccinations and a clean bill of health from his pediatrician on Thursday. Dr. Wheeler is giving him Axid for reflux but otherwise he is a healthy boy. New pics being posted.

Wednesday 12/10/08

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:56 PM, CST

John is home! Mom and Dad spent Monday at 5pm through Tuesday at 2pm at the hospital with him in a closet-sized room without windows before obtaining their freedom. John has been a little fussy after vaccinations and the drastic change in scenery but is adjusting to his new dogs and environment well. Mom and Dad are exhausted but thrilled. Aunt Pau has fallen in love with her nephew.

Monday 12/08/08

Monday, December 8, 2008 4:56 PM, CST
John is now at 6 lbs 9 oz.


He passed his car seat test, although, it was close towards the end. He does not tolerate delays in his meal times (just like his Grandpa John) not even for a car seat test. A little "sweeties" (sugar water) on his Paci helped pass the last 20 minutes.

Dad and Mom are off to the hospital for their first full night with John. =)

Sunday 12/07/08

Sunday, December 7, 2008 10:22 PM, CST

Holy atomic news, Batman!

We are rooming in tomorrow night! During rooming in Mom and Dad stay in a hospital room with John and are completely in charge of his care with the NICU nurses as backup. Once that's completed John would be discharged. That means that John could be home by Tuesday evening!!!

Tomorrow he will have his car seat test (making sure he maintains his heart rate in a seating position) and probably his Synagis RSV vaccine. He had the second Hep B vaccine today. So John was a little fussy and uncomfortable.

He is 5 lbs 7 oz today.

Our little boy is coming home!

Saturday 12/06/08

Saturday, December 6, 2008 11:18 PM, CST

John enjoyed a quiet Saturday. He continues to gain weight, now up to 6 lbs 5 oz! No episodes last night nor today. =)

Mommy and Daddy spent the day reorganizing the house (furniture/rooms/etc) in preparation for John coming home soon.

Friday 12/05/08

Friday, December 5, 2008 11:59 PM, CST

7 WEEKS!!!

WOW! John is 7 weeks old today!

Our little bundle of joy now weighs 6 lbs 5 oz. Yes, he is heavier than some term newborns. John has officially outgrown his preemie clothes.

He did not have any incidents last night or today. He still has some drops during feedings because he gets impatient. However, those are not the ones that concern (scare the living daylights out of) us.

The nurses are starting to mention possible discharge dates. And though delighted, Mommy is panicking (FREAKING OUT). But John appears to be ready to come home.

Thursday 12.04.08

Thursday, December 4, 2008 10:27 PM, CST

John continues to improve, grow and get cuter!


He gained 19g from yesterday. He has outgrown several other preemie outfits and is now wearing a few newborn onesies. He did not have any episodes last night and today. He is also spending a little more time awake and alert.


Daddy did an excellent job bathing John today!

We are hopeful that he will continue to improve and come home soon.

Wednesday 12/03/08

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 7:07 AM, CST
Tuesday was a good day for John. He weighed in at 6 lbs 1 oz! Mommy was able to assist RN Susan with bathing him. He really is enjoying baths now.


The echocardiogram results came back. His heart looks good except for the cause of the murmur. He has Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) which means his heart has a little hole (3mm) between the left and right atrium. The neonatologist mentioned this is not unusual in preemies; however, it's usually closed by John's age. It may still close on its own. We'll see a cardiologist in 2 months to make sure it did close.

In the mean time, John continues to improve. He was taken off the pulse oxygen monitor yesterday. It's one step closer to going home. The doctor also decided against thickening the breastmilk because he is overall doing much better with reflux. She stated the reflux issue appears to be more due to immaturity and is improving.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:19 PM, CST

Our little chunky monkey is now up to 2810g (6 lbs 3 oz)! He had one incident earlier today, but otherwise has done well without the pulse oxygen monitor.


We did have our first experience with projectile vomit today. Thankfully, it appears to be a one time incident. (Daddy was relieved that it was not pea green and that his head did not rotate 360.)


We are hopeful to have him home by early next week.

Monday 12/01/08

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:02 PM, CST
John was a little fussy this morning (very unlike him). He wouldn't settle down and was pretty restless thru the feedings. He mainly wanted to be bundled and held. Thankfully he was much better by the evening.

He continues to have little drops in heart rate and O2 levels. He mainly resolves them on his own and some of them are so quick the monitor alarms don't go off.


The doctor ordered an echocardiogram today to double check on John's murmur. Murmurs are quite common in premature babies; she just wants to make sure it is just due to prematurity. We receive the official results tomorrow.

Since John is continuing to have reflux, the doctor is considering adding something to the breatmilk to thicken it up. From what the nurses tell us, these "additives" are not readily available and are expensive. Ironically, this would be less of an issue if he was on formula. Go figure!


Thankfully, John continues to grow and get more beautiful. And he is getting the cutest cheeks!

Sunday 11/30/08

Sunday, November 30, 2008 2:59 PM, CST

The bad news: John had a bad episode last night. His heart rate dropped, he turned blue and he needed both stimulation and oxygen to bring him back to normal. He continued this morning having heart rate drops but brought himself out of them. This will likely keep him in the NICU this week.

The good news: John is doing better this afternoon and is up to 5 pounds 15 ounces. He has had no feeding tube for a week and is still gaining weight. He just needs more time before coming home. Tammie bought him a build-a-bear with her voice message on it so he will not miss her as much when he comes home.

11/28/08

Friday, November 28, 2008 8:32 PM, CST

6 WEEKS....

Today John is 6 weeks old. We are still amazed at how fast (and slow) time has passed.

John now weighs 5 lbs 12 oz, almost 2 pounds from his birth weight and is almost an inch longer. And he almost made Mommy cried tonight; he has outgrown the very first outfit he wore!

Daddy and Mommy bathed John together for the first time tonight. And since his circumcision and umbilical cord have healed, it was a true bath. =) John really enjoyed it. Afterwards, he was off the monitor during feeding, burping and cuddling time to help us get comfortable with reading him rather than relying on the monitors/alarms. RN Tammie was right next to us supervising, but John (and parents) did a great job.

He has done such an amazing job these past weeks. It's incredible to think he is still a month premature now. WOW!

We are hopeful that, if he continues to do well with no new episodes, he will be home very soon.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

P.S. Please keep John's little roommate Aiden and his family in your prayers. He had a REALLY, REALLY BAD episode today. He doesn't look well....

Thursday 11/27/08

Thursday, November 27, 2008 7:51 PM, CST

John had a great Thanksgiving Day.

He only gained 5 grams from yesterday, but the doctor is not concerned considering how much he's been consistently gaining. He had only two incidents where he dropped his heart rate, but he immediately brought it up on his own.

In the spirit of the holiday, he wore his Gobble 'til you Wobble onesie. And he looked adorable! And true to his word, he stuffed himself today having between 60-70 cc at almost every meal.


John also enjoyed some cuddling time with grandma Haltom. He behaved himself the whole time. Is he too young to know Christmas is around the corner?

He wasn't able to meet his great aunts Delores & AA and great uncle Gary as we had originally hoped. However, we shared the hundreds of pictures and videos of John. We were reminded how far he has come in just a few weeks.

We are thankful for how wonderful he is doing and for all your prayers on his behalf. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day.

Wednesday 11/26/08

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:01 PM, CST

John continues to gain weight. He is up to 5 lbs 9.7 oz. He is also doing a great job breast feeding. He's had a couple of heartrate and O2 drops today but has pulled out on his own.

For now, he continues to grow and get stronger. And of course, he continues to be the cutest baby in the NICU.

We hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. =)

P.S. Thanks for all your prayers for John and for his little roommate Aiden. He is also doing much better. Both boys now have a competition as to who "christens" the most nurses. They are getting quite good at it.

Tuesday 11/25/08

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:45 PM, CST

John's weight today is 2529g or 5 pounds 9.2 ounces. He had an ultrasound on his head today (standard) and it was normal. He had two episodes yeserday, one of which needed stimulation

, so John will be spending the holiday weekend in the NICU. But he looks good and is eating well, and we hope to have him home next week.

Saturday 11/23/08

Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:32 PM, CST

John continues to gain weight at 2479g (or, more importantly, 5 pounds 7.4 ounces). He breast fed 4 times today and took bottle feedings each other time, eating his entire meal each time. He peed on his mother three times and projectile pooped on nurse Lisa twice at 3am. He played with Daddy at 6am and with Grandma Haltom at 7p.


John passed his hearing exam with flying colors and will get measured for length this week. It is starting to look like coming home is a possibility in the next 7-10 days, but we are not taking anything for granted.

Saturday 11/22/08

Saturday, November 22, 2008 8:33 PM, CST

"Warp speed ahead Scottie."

That is exactly how it feels now. John had an amazing day. Everything is clicking together.


After doing a great job with nipple-feeding 2 out of 3 feeds yesterday, he progressed to nipple feeding all feeds starting at 3am today!!! He has done an amazing job. We have also progressed enough that we are breastfeeding at least twice a day without supplementing. And at 3pm, John decided he had had enough of the feeding tube. He took it off...for the 5th time. But this time, we hope it's staying off for good.

John continues to gain weight to 2456g (5 lbs 6.6oz). And so far the only times he had brady and O2 drops were when he was trying to eat too much too fast.


John just continues to amaze us!

Friday 11/21/08

Friday, November 21, 2008 11:03 PM, CST

John had quite a hectic and eventful day today.

He continues to gain weight. He is now a hefty 5 lbs 5 oz! His feedings were increased to 50cc not including whatever he eats while breastfeeding. And more importantly, he is now nipple feeding 2 out of 3 feeds!!!

The brady and O2 drops have noticeably decreased in frequency. They mainly occur during feedings, and he pulls out of them on his own. The neonatologist believes they are now mainly a result solely of reflux rather than any other prematurity issue. So he is now off the caffeine.

And John is no longer a baby, he's a little man.... He was circumcised today. He was great and did not cry at all (except when he lost his Pacifier). Although, he did take revenge on the nurse and doctor by peeing on them. The poor tyke was a little more irritable and cranky (not at all like him) during the afternoon and evening. But the nurses have been amazing loving and giving him extra attention.


We still don't have a set discharge date, but we are now talking about it! It will all depend on when he meets the criteria for discharge:

1) Maintain/control body temperature --- CHECK
2) Nipple feed every meal --- currently 2 out of 3
3) Continue to gain weight --- obviously not a problem
4) no brady/apnea episodes needing stimulation --- working on this

Thursday 11/20/08

Thursday, November 20, 2008 10:59 PM, CST

John has been trending up the past couple of days. He now weighs 5 pounds 4.6 ounces or 2398g, and he is self-correcting his Brady (heart rate) and apnea (respiratory) incidents. He does have a bad habit of pulling out the feeding tube in his nose, but the nursing staff doesn't get angry because his "cute head" makes him popular with the ladies.