May 14, 2001

Alex News
Well today we have some good and some bad news. On the good side, he is starting to nurse for longer periods of time. He gained another oz that puts him up to 4.9. (over his birth weight) The bad news, he is back under the jaundice lights and he started making the nurses jump around there. He has started what they call Apnea / Bradycardia. Both are very common in Premature babies, and can correct them selves, and if it doesn't, they can fix the problem with medication. The Apnea is when he forgets to breathe for something like 20 seconds, and this makes the monitors go off. Most of the time he will remeber to breathe on his own, but other times they have to reach in and give him a little shake. The Apnea sometimes causes the Bradycardia, Which is the heart slowing down. The nurses have assured us that his health is not at risk, because he is constantly hooked up to monitors, so they know the instant something is wrong. Some babies grow out of this on their own, and others have to be given a shot of what is basically Caffine, this kind of gives them a jump start and fixes the problem. They will first see if he can pull out of it on his own. The nurse also told me tonight that he doesn't have a really bad case of it, and unless it gets worse, she is pretty sure he will pull himself out. Otherwise he is doing well. The nurses told me that they fight over him and that he is a really good baby. he only crys when they weigh him because he doesn't like to be naked on the scale. I told them that they would cry too if we put them naked on a scale in a room full of people. :-)

Comments:
Auntie Tracey:
A shot of caffine aye? He has fetal DP syndrome. (Dr. Pepper addiction inherited from Brent!) Glad to read that he is gaining.