Quiet Time

Griffin has really shown his dislike for some things. He hates getting his diaper changed and he hates having the CPAP put on and taken off. He will quiet down once the task is finished. He has a great set of lungs. (April 27, 2008)
He had worked up to 3 hours twice a day with the CPAP off. He did very well with only the nasal cannula over that time. He was going to be getting his CPAP put back on but he had a small tear inside his nose. The prongs were really stretching his little nostrils. The RT asked the doctor if he could just stay on the high flow, seeing as he had been doing so well.

This is his time to show them. If he can go without having any episodes and breath without to much strain, he will stay off CPAP. Let's go little man. We will keep our fingers crossed. He is weighing just over 4 pounds 11 ounces. He looks huge. (April 27, 2008)

Off the air for a few minutes

We have to react quickly when he gets to come off his CPAP. He gets some time off every day to give his nose and mouth a break form the apparatus.
The nurses like to put him in yellow. (April 22, 2008)

One Step Back

Every book that we read on preemies tries to prepare parents for the roller coaster ride they will experience. For every good day an equally emotional day can be lurking around the corner. We thought that we were back on track after the NEC scare.

He was removed of his high flow on April 21 and was pretty good for a few hours. He had not had any B & D's and the doctors thought it was a good time to ween him off the high flow. Within a few hours his breathing became very laboured. The doctors made the decision to put him on CPAP.

Notice the safety-pins and elastic bands. Welcome to Canadian healthcare. :)

Griffin's First Bath

Griffin get's his IV out and starts back on breastmilk. That means he can have his first bath. He absolutly hated it at first. (April 20, 2008)

Once he calmed down he seemed to tolerate the water a bit better.
He now needs a touque to cover up his partially bald head.

Blame Canada

We took a little hiatus from pictures. This picture is from April 18, 2008. The whole ordeal started on April 14, Happy birthday dad. Griffin had some discolouration around his belly button early that day. The Resident and Fellow on duty that day were quick to react as if it was attributed to NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis. Not a good situation. His feeding was stopped and he was given antibiotics.



It turned out not to be the case. It was a very stressful day for everyone. We are not sure if the same things would have happened if we were still in Seattle, but the difference between his care in BC vs. Seattle has started to show.
Griffin had his beautiful hair shaved so that he could get an IV in his forehead. Once that came out they shaved more and moved it farther onto his head. It is difficult to see it placed on his head when you arrive to see him.
Mommy and Griffin spending a moment to reflect on the week. Mommy spent the night there to ensure that he wasn't poked during the wee hours.

Welcome Home Griffin

Saying Goodbye to Seattle

Everyone at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle was incredible. Nurse Suzie has contributed some of the art on this blog. She put together the Welsh inspired sign and the hand cast. It was tough to leave without getting a shot of Griffin and his favorite nurse.
Dr. Stoltz was there at the delivery of Griffin and was there to see him leave. The incubator for the helicopter ride back to Canada.
Bye-bye Swedish. It was about 11:30pm on Friday, April 11, 2008 when we left from Seattle.

Griffin continues to grow

Griffin opens his eyes more these days and is able to focus on faces. We still need to wrap him up tight to keep him from pulling his vapotherm out of his nose and his g tube out of his mouth. He manages to wiggle his fingers free sometimes and likes to suck on them. Don't feel bad for him, he likes to be wrapped up tight.

Jordan came back to Seattle on Friday after a long week at work. Nothing erases a long week at work like a snuggle with Griffin. That is my finger in the picture to give you a perspective of how small he is. He is now up to 3lbs 12oz. Almost a 'big man' now.

Griffin is on breast milk feeds only (thru his g-tube). So he had his PIC line removed from his arm. This means he can be put into clothes. This outfit is for babies under 5lbs and it still looks huge on him. It was picture day in the NICU this day, so we cleaned him up and briefly removed his g-tube. Don't worry, he did not miss a meal time.

Another, not so rare moment, Griffin pulled at the tape of his vapotherm so much the tabs needed to be replaced - that is why there are red marks by his eyes. I think he gets his sensitive skin (and stubbornness) from his mother. It is a rare moment when he can see his full face. He likes to suck on his fingers and often falls asleep with them in his mouth.

In addition to graduating to clothing, Griffin has now moved to using a new born soother. Still not able to keep it in his mouth, but it really calms him. All moves to becoming a big boy.

The man know what he wants

This is a rare moment when he gets to have his vapotherm out of his nose. Of course, this only happens when Griffin has pulled the tape off so many times that the vapotherm no longer stays in place. All existing tape had to be removed and replaced, which Griffin was not happy about. He is very persistent.

He is very content when he is sleeping. He had a new nurse today and decided to show off his ability to pull things out. You will notice the difference in tape in the next picture.

After pulling his G-tube (the tube in his mouth that goes to his stomach, the one that feeds him) completely out of his mouth, the nurse put layers of tape on his chin. He began to pull it off instantly. Multiple layers should give the nurses a day or two before they have to replace it all.