Tonite's visit

This evenings visit went really well. Braden had an eye exam today. The first eye test was good. He will have another one in three weeks. They are checking to see if his eyes are developing properly. His oxygen was still down which is also very good. His Daddy helped with Braden's bed changing, diaper change and put his oil on his skin.

We also took several new photos. Including a few with his bunny scratch mittens and his gingham hat. :-) Which he can't wear for long because he will get too hot.

Morning visit

So sorry for the delay. I had a Dr. appt. this morning and we were running errands. Braden looks great. He seems to be doing well and his oxygen is down to 24%. We are very pleased. The Dr. would like to see him put on weight so they are giving him 16 CC's per feeding. Hopefully, we will see results soon. :-)

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit with Braden went well. He is doing good. Daddy got to interact with him some tonite. He really enjoyed it so they had a really nice visit.

Morning visit

Good News Braden does not have MRSA (the antiboitic resistant staph). The preliminary result was incorrect. So, he will not have to be isolated. Maybe they will move him back to his old spot. :-) Braden is having a good day. He is down to 34% oxygen.

Pictures from Last nite

Stephen took these new pictures last nite. I was too tired to post them so I am doing this today.

Tonite's visit

Braden was looking good again tonite. He is down to 40% on his oxygen. He seems to be doing really well with the CPAP - I think even better than on the other method. He was moved this evening closer to a room he will eventually take over. He had a new nurse tonite.

We would like to thank the Rodda family again - Braden loves his new blanket!

Morning visit

Braden looks really good today. He is down a little more on his oxygen. They are going to have to isolate him though. They found out he had the antibiotic resistant staph. Which is not something they want to spread. It's not a huge concern because it can be treated. They just don't want to spread it to other babies.

Tonite's visit

Braden is doing well again tonite. We are so thankful. He is on 54% oxygen. Hope you enjoy the new photos. I hope to see Braden tomorrow if I can get over this sinus infection. :-(

Morning visit

Braden is having a good day so far. He is resting and tolerating his CPAP. He has been weaned down on his oxygen and is doing well.

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit was a good one. Braden was doing well and had his eyes open most of the visit. He got a grammy today. He official reached 1000 grams. He is now 2 lbs 5 ozs. :-) He is still on his CPAP. Hope you enjoy the new pics from Nurse Patty.

Morning visit

Well I am sick this morning and missed visiting Braden. :-( However, it seems he had another eventful morning. Daddy said when he got to the hospital Braden had pulled out his vent tube. He said Braden decided that he didn't want that vent tube anymore. So, the Doctor went ahead and let him keep it out. She put him on the CPAP for oxygen and he is breathing on his own again. He's at 100% oxygen due to all the activity. Hopefully, he will do well this afternoon and can come down. As for his new infection it seems to be clearing up well.

Tonite's visit

Braden was doing somewhat better this evening. His fever is gone. He looked a little aggitated when we were there but then our nurse fed him. That seemed to make him feel a little bit better. He was getting pain meds shortly after we left so hopefully by now he is resting.

Morning visit

I think we are back to the bad weekends again. Our little man now has what they think is a staph infection. It is around his stitches where they put in his Broviac line. He is running a slight fever. They are treating him and hopefully he will not require further testing. If his fever increases they may need to look for something else. Meaning a different kind of infection. :-(

On another note we want to thank the Rodda family for the sweet card to Braden. We washed his new blanket last nite and brought it up to the NICU. His little bear will be put in his room. We hope the triplets are doing well. I'm sure you are glad they are home.

Tonite's visit

Braden was looking better tonite. He was experiencing some pain which they are treating for his little nose. Over all though he looks good. Rachel had changed his blanket to the race cars tonite. :-) Rachel is taking great care of him and we hope they both have a good evening.

Morning visit

Well we have a minor set back for Braden this morning. Apparently, a membrane in his nose has a tear which could expose him to bacteria or infection. So, they had to put him back on the vent for a few days so his nose can heal. At least we know that Braden is capable of being off the vent. In a few days he should be able to get off as long as his nose is healed. Once he has recovered and is back off the vent he will be on an older method for providing oxygen called a CPAP. We hope that this method will keep him from having this issue again. He has been on vaportherm.

Tonite's visit

Braden looked really good again tonite. He has even been on his back a few times today and has lasted a good while. He still has to be put on his tummy after a while but we are making progress. :-) No changes for this evening.

Morning visit

Braden looks so good today. We are very pleased that he is feeling better and having an easier time breathing. His oxygen is down and he seems to be very relaxed and resting well. Hopefully, in the next few days he'll continue to conserve his energy. That way he can start growing again. :-)

Tonite's visit

Tonite Braden looked much better. :-) His oxygen was turned down to 39% when we left and he looked so peaceful. He is resting well and his color is really good. Nurse Stacy was so pleased and we hope they both have a good nite.

Morning visit

We met with the Doctor today. They have told us that Braden has PVL which is cysts on a part of the brain. Basically, this is somewhat common in preemies and it may or may not have long term effects. Also, his stats kept dropping because his air way is blocked by swelling. The swelling was caused by being on the vent. The steriods they are giving him will hopefully remedy this problem. Hopefully the yeast issues should be resolved thru his current treatment.

Braden is still off the vent which is a good thing. He is also doing well with his feedings and his calories are now maxed out to 32. He looked comfortable today and bigger. He had lost several ounces and was down to 2 lbs but, is now back up to 2 lbs 2 oz's.

Thanks Missy for the sweet message. Braden loves you taking care of him too. :-)

Many thanks to Nurse Patty, Stacy and Bonnie too.

Tonight's visit

Tonight's visit brought some good news and some not so good news. Braden is still off the vent and fighting hard. He has had some issues with keeping his stats up so they have started him on a steroid to help with his breathing. So far, it seems to be helping. He was resting well and breathing easier. The not so good news is that they did an ultrasound on his head yesterday (19th) and the results today were inconclusive. The fear is that he may have a bleed in his brain or that the yeast has spread. We are suppose to meet with the doctors to discuss on Thursday morning. We are praying that whatever the results show it will be something that Braden can fight. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he is going through a difficult time.

Thank you
Stephen and Stephanie

Morning visit

Sorry for the late post.

Braden is still hanging in there. He has had a few issues with getting stopped up in his nose and/or throat. Usually a good suctioning out of both helps him recover. This is common with preemies and not something they can't work around. Otherwise, no new news.

Tonite's visit

Braden was doing pretty good tonite. He had gotten a treatment for his breathing and another suctioning out of his nose. So, he was pretty aggitated when we got there. He was calming down when we were getting ready to leave. He doesn't like to be messed with so hopefully nurse Stacy will get things done despite his temper. :-) We wish him a goodnite and hope he has a good morning too.

Morning visit

We are thankful for each day Braden stays off the vent. Things today are pretty much the same so no new news. No news is good news. :-)

Tonite's visit

Braden was having a good evening so far tonite. Melissa had his feeding tube out so he could have a clean one. We got a couple of photos without it. :-) We also watched him get another breathing treatment and his little nose cleaned. Melissa had Braden all tucked in by the time we left. Braden looked comfy and ready to sleep. We wish him a good nite.

Band Together

Aunt Leslie has created a band in Memory of Kaleigh Grace. Any one wishing to donate please use the following link. All proceeds go to the March of Dimes in behalf of premature births and research to stop it.

http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/b.asp?band_id=42154

Aunt Leslie has also created a band in behalf of our little man Braden John. To donate in his behalf the link is as follows:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/b.asp?band_id=42158

Morning visit

Braden is doing well today. We are so blessed to have had a good weekend. That is a first for him. We were able to see him get a breathing treatment today and how much it assisted him on his breathing. He took it really well. We are so proud of him. He has really accomplished alot over the past several days.

We also saw the Ray family and I was able to meet Jesse. It's funny but Braden actually looks a bit like their babies. Jesse is now 5 lbs and looks like a giant next to Braden. It's good to see how far someone else has come in this NICU experience. It's also a reminder of how long of a haul we are in for and the many ups and downs to come. Jesse and Levi have been in the NICU since November. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as well.

Tonite's visit

Still going strong... Braden looks good tonite. We are very pleased with his progress. Nothing new since this morning. We are just glad to see Braden doing so well breathing on his own. :-)

Morning visit

Well Braden just keeps amazing us. He is hanging in there and has even went down on his oxygen rate this morning. We are so proud to have another good day. Hopefully, he can continue to progress. They have up'ed his calories to 30. He has gained a few more oz's and now weighs 2 lbs 3 oz. Way to go Braden. Hope you enjoy the photos nurse Patty took just yesterday. They are some of the best photos of him yet. :-)

Today

Braden is doing so good being off his vent. We were amazed to see him still off today. Nurse Patty said he is doing better than yesterday and still working hard. She said he even did well on his side and back. They will keep him on his tummy though since that's what he likes best.

We are going out to dinner and to see Braden this evening. We will not post again till tomorrow's morning visit. Thank you all for your continued support. We know Braden is doing better because of all the thoughts and prayers.

Hope you enjoy the new photos. :-)

Tonite's visit

Braden was still off the respirator this evening. We are so amazed by him. He had a few drops while we were there... one was because he gets so calm when I touch him that he falls into to deep of a sleep. The other time was when we had to tell him goodnite. :-( Hopefully, he picked it back up after we left and will have a good nite. Nurse Stacy will have him from 11 Pm till morning and then Nurse Melissa will have him tomorrow nite.

Morning visit

Well Braden is still hanging in there. He is continuing to breathe on his own. We are not sure how much longer he will last, but he sure is giving it everything he's got. :-) He looked good today and we enjoyed our visit. He may even go up on calories later on today. He looks so much bigger we are wondering if he's gained a little more. They are trying not to aggrevate him so he wasn't weighed last nite. It'll be a nice surprise for later.

Tonite's visit

Well to our surprise Braden was still breathing without a respirator tonite. We know that he could go back on at any time but, what an accomplishment for our little guy. :-) It's been a good day. We are hopeful that Braden will continue to take steps forward no matter how small. We are very proud of him.

Morning visit

Braden is still off his ventilator but, the poor little guy is getting tired. We expect that he will have to go back on for a while. Hopefully, if he does it won't be too long before he can try it again. From everything I've read it takes 2 or 3 times before they can successfully get a preemie off the ventilator. We are very proud of him for his latest attempt. Especially with the pneumonia. He looked good today. He didn't open his eyes for us though. He had been handled earlier so he was wore out.

Tonite's visit

The encouraging news Braden is off his ventilator tonite. We will celebrate this small victory in hopes that his larger victory will be getting off it forever. Although that may not happen just yet. Even though he's a very sick little baby he sure is fighting hard. We are so proud of him for breathing on his own tonite. Something we all take for granted.

I wish little Braden a good nite and an even better day tomorrow. :-)

Morning visit

Braden is looking good again today. We talked to another Dr. that is coming on shift. She is concerned as we all are still about the yeast in Braden's joints and kidneys as well as his lungs. He is continueing to fight this infection along with the Pneumonia. He continues to grow despite it and seems to be feeling o.k. as well. The Dr.'s are anxious to get him off the respirator and hopefully later on today Braden will accept that challenge and succeed.

Tonight's Visit

Tonight's visit with Braden went very well. He had a good day and was resting well during our visit. He did wake up for a few minutes so we got to spend a little time with him while he was awake tonight. He had his abdominal ultrasound today so we are awaiting those results - hopefully we will hear something tomorrow but it could be a couple of days. Please continue to keep Braden in your thoughts and prayers. We also ask that you keep the Ray family in your prayers. We met them during one of our first visit's to the NICU when we didn't know what was going on or what to expect. God placed them in our lives and they have been a true blessing. Please add their twins, Jesse and Levi, to your prayer lists.

Morning visit

No new news for this morning. The doctors haven't made rounds yet. The nurse says he is doing good today. Braden seemed to be resting well for our visit. We hope he has a good day and we look forward to seeing him tonite.

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit was a good one. Braden seems to be doing well despite his pneumonia. He was very active tonite and almost pulled on one of his tubes. I had to reach in and stop him. I was surprised at how strong he is.. and guess what? Our little man reached passed his 2 lb mark. He weighed in at 2lbs 1 oz this evening. :-) We are so very excited. Hopefully everyone can tell from the pictures that he has really started to change. He is actually filling out now.

Morning visit

It's hard to believe our little man had such a rough day yesterday. He looks so good this morning. That just tells us that he is a little fighter and he's not allowing the pneumonia to over take him. I sure hope he can keep it up and work thru these tough days ahead. He had just had his lunch when we arrived. He is back up to his 14CC's per feeding which is encouraging. We really want to see that 2 lb mark. Hopefully, he can reach that goal with his feedings back to normal. :-)

Tonite's visit

Braden looks better tonite. He was resting and has his color back. He had a little bit of a rough day so they cancelled his feedings this morning. He will get a feeding at 11 PM tonite and they will see how he does with 7 CC's. I'm sure he'll be glad when he gets fed. He was getting a little restless during our visit and we think it's because he hadn't eaten. We hope he has a good nite.

Morning visit

Well we found out this morning that Braden wasnt' feeling well because he has pneumonia. Not a good thing for a little one but, he is fighting and he's already being treated. Braden's still active and seems to be holding up. Hopefully, in the next few days he'll start feeling better. Although treatment will be at least 8 to 10 days.

Evening visit

Braden had a not so great report today. Poor little guy is fighting another infection. They think it's bacterial and have started him on antibiotics. Hopefully, he will recover within the next few days. He is still active and not showing any signs of stress. The only reason they noticed he wasn't feeling well is because they had to turn up his oxygen. He is also continueing to breathe over the ventilator a good bit so that's encouraging as well.

Morning visit

No new news to report this morning. Braden is doing well and will have routine labs done in the morning. He was sleeping on his tummy and looked very happy. We look forward to our evening visit.

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit was good. Braden is just doing so well. He is now 1lb 15 oz and is receiving 14 CC's per feeding. He is doing well breathing over the ventilator and you can really see his weight gain. He is looking more filled out and his skin has thickened up. We are very pleased with his progress.

Morning visit

Braden looks really good this morning. His blood culture is negative again today for growth. They also checked his spinal fluid for growth and it was negative as well. Very good news for our little man. The NICU staff was impressed with his quick recovery from yesterdays procedure. Braden is breathing over the ventilator again and they will attempt to take him off early next week.

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit went very well. Little Braden had just been fed and was completely tuckered out. He had a big day and was ready for food and rest. He looks really good and they didn't change any of his settings on his ventilator except for his oxygen. They turned it up just a little to help him out. Needless to say Braden let the ventilator do most of the work this evening.

This afternoons visit

Our visit went really well this afternoon. Braden is doing great with his new Broviak line in place. He was a bit unhappy about not getting fed for the last several hours. They wanted to wait and keep him on schedule.
I did make a mistake on last nites blog. Braden will still have IV's when needed. They want to use his Broviak line for his yeast meds only for right now. We were pleased with his day and the staff in the NICU who took care of him during his procedure. They are awesome. :-)

Braden's blood culture came back negative again today for yeast. I also found out they are doing a 5 day culture this time instead of a 3 day. So we are hoping for the good news to continue over the next few days.

Morning visit

We will be delayed on the morning visit. The doctor got a late start on Braden's Broviak line procedure so we will post later this afternoon. Everything is good and Braden is doing well today according to the reports.

Tonite's visit

Well Braden is still holding his own and we are proud of him. The Doctor's attempted to do a Picc line today. They were not successful. So, they are scheduled to do a Broviak line in the morning. This will be the best way to distribute his meds and even nutrition if needed. This also means no more IV's. :-) Which should make Braden a very happy little man. This time we will not have to worry about Braden going to another hospital. We are thankful to the staff for making special arrangements.

Morning visit

Braden had just had a bath this morning and was looking great. He is active again today and his skin is looking better. The blood culture is still negative but, the lab is looking at three days as Thursday at 2 AM. So the official word will be tomorrow. They may put his picc line in this afternoon.

Tonite's visit

Braden is looking good and is very active. He was trying to roll over on his side tonite. He is so cute. The test they did on his knee did come back positive for yeast. However, he seems to be feeling good. Melissa (his nite nurse) said that his activity is a good sign that he is doing better. We are encouraged. Braden was weighed again tonite and is now 1lb 14 oz. Just two more ounces and he'll be two pounds. We are very excited about his weight gain.

Morning visit

The doctor hasn't made his rounds this morning. Our nurse did tell us that the second blood culture has come back negative for growth. It's the second day so hopefully tomorrow will give us the same result. Braden looks good and is doing the same. Which we like to hear. We look forward to tonites visits.

Tonite's visit

Braden is doing good this evening. He has new bedding, a new clean feeding tube, and new tape. He is up to 13 CC's per feeding again and weighs 1 Lb 13 oz. Since he has maintained this weight for a few days now we are certain it is actual and not fluid related. He is still breathing over his ventilator a good bit so that is encouraging. He also seems to be responding well to his meds. and some of the places on his skin have cleared. Tomorrow they will run a test to see how long they need to medicate him. We met one of the other doctor's tonite. He is one we haven't had a chance to meet. He seems very nice and gave us the run down of what to expect this coming week. Braden will probably get a PICC line in the near future. This is to improve the delivery of meds to his system and save his tiny veins from all the IV pokes.

Braden also lost his tooth. No one has been able to find it. :-( It was really tiny. We also get to bring some of his blankets to him. I am washing them tonite and we will label them tomorrow evening. That way they won't be taken from his bed.

Morning visit

Braden is looking good this morning. He is continueing to hold up under his circumstances. We are pleased he is hanging in there. We look forward to seeing him again this evening and hoping that he will continues to progress.

Tonite's visit

Tonite's visit went pretty good. Braden is still doing well even though he has this serious infection. He is actually breathing alot on his own again tonite. His color looks good and he was fairly active this evening. We read a few good outcomes on the March of Dimes website about other preemies who survived yeast in their blood. One preemie had to under go 16 weeks of treatment but, still made it home and is now thriving. Our nurse said that she knows of survivors as well. Just know that Braden could get very sick before he gets better. He is eating well right now too. The more weight they can get on him the better.

Morning visit

This mornings visit brought more bad news. The blood test confirms yeast is growing in little Braden's blood. They also think it has settled in his left knee. Braden still has good blood gases and seems to be holding up despite this infection. We are very concerned and just trying to be as strong as possible. It is a tough road for all of us. I just hope our little man can beat this and continues to grow and make it.

Evening visit

Braden is holding up well this evening. He looks good and is active as usual. He had just had dinner when I took his photos so he was ready to sleep. :-) One thing I meant to share this morning is that Braden actually has a tooth. Nurse Patty had found it today. I noticed it when we came in. It's on his left lower gum line in the front of his mouth. We were all amazed. Our little man is just full of surprises. Braden weighed in at 1.12 Ibs tonite. We are hoping that he continues to gain weight.

Morning visit

Things are looking good today. Not much in the way of changes. We did get a report that the first blood test came back negative for growth. We are happy with that result but, we also know that the third day result is the most important. Braden looks good and is still responding appropriately to his meds and feedings. They bumped him back up to 12 CC's per feeding today.

Evening visit

Tonites visit went well. Although we know nothing new and won't for a while Braden seems well. He is active and comfortable. He looked around at us during the entire visit. One of the Doctor's came by and said he is holding his own. Everyone is hopeful that he will do well over the next few days.

Thank you again for everyone's continued support.

Morning visit

The good news is the two infections Braden had are now gone. His blood gases are good and his chest xray was better than in the past. The bad news is they found a little of the fungus or yeast that Kaleigh had in his ventilator tube. So, they are treating him immediately. They have taken a blood sample to make sure the fungus or yeast is not in his blood. Braden is not showing signs of distress. He is stable and we are hoping since he is older, stronger and eating well that he has the ability to overcome this set back. It'll be a rough three days to wait on the blood test results to confirm that the fungus is not in his bloodstream.

We have some new pictures from Nurse Patti. We are hoping to be able to post later on today. Our little man was picked by the March of Dimes to be their poster child. It's to help them raise money for research on preemies and help find out the cause for early deliveries.