Loving Extubation Life: Day 134- 143

Happy on the CPAP!

This past week since Benton has been extubated has been one of our happiest times in the NICU.  Seeing Benton thrive and interact with us has been the ultimate blessing and we honestly couldn't be happier to see him off the ventilator.  It has now been 10 whole days that he has been successfully extubated and we pray each day and night that he remains extubated and will never be intubated again!

Holding my little love.

During one of the first days of his extubation there was a new micro-preemie admitted near Benton's bed and it was incredibly loud and scary to watch.  Apparently, Benton agreed, because during this admission he started requiring over 60% oxygen.  To make matters worse he also had to get his eyes examined and that procedure coupled with his already heightened agitation skyrocketed his oxygen requirement to 80%.  As this was only one of the first days he had been off the ventilator, I had been hoping he would have a relatively peaceful day, but the NICU had other plans.  After all the commotion I spoke with his nurse and we were able to move Benton to the back bay again.  Now he has a window view where he can finally get a little sunshine as well as have a quieter location.

Trying to relax post-eye exam.

With Benton in his new digs he really started to shine and get stronger with each passing day.  His blood gases were stable with his CO2 levels in the 50s which is great for a baby with chronic lung disease.  The gases have been so stable that the doctors are no longer ordering them twice daily but every other day.  As the days have passed Benton has gotten weaned on the nitric oxide from 6 to 2 and his pain medication has been weaned as well.  He even got his PICC line removed again so he is free of most of his lines!!! :)

Awake and Alert Cutie in an Outfit from Auntie Elyse!!

In other big news Benton has been stable enough on the CPAP to get his own big boy crib!  Instead of an open warmer (which is used for intubated babies) he now has his own official crib and we are going to buy him a mobile soon.  Since Benton is doing so well he also gets to take rides in a mommaroo (i.e. a swing) which he loves and gets to check out all the nurses and look around the NICU.  Seeing him so alert and engaged is truly a wondrous thing and makes my heart fill with joy.  Finally, yesterday Benton got to try milk by mouth yesterday for the very first time!  Normally, babies are not allowed to feed by mouth on the CPAP, but the doctors want to make sure Benton doesn't lose his oral interest so they have decided to allow Benton to take 5 ml of milk by mouth once a day so he can be better prepared to bottle feed in the future.  This is a huge step forward and we were happy to hear that Benton did great with this new challenge and only de-satted to 85 while sucking down his milk.  Hopefully Benton can graduate from the CPAP to a high-flow cannula soon so he can get into bottle feeding in force!

New Crib!!

Hanging in the mommaroo!

As you know a few weeks ago we had quite the scary ordeal with Benton, so my mom had stayed in town to support us as we prepared for Benton to face tracheostomy surgery.  Well her patience and support finally paid off --- she got to hold Benton while he was on the CPAP!  Seeing grandma and grandson together was truly touching and warmed my heart.  My mom is a fantastic grandma and you could see Benton was truly comfortable in her arms.  So much so, that Benton attempted to nurse from his grammy!!!  As my mom was holding him he face planted into my mom's clothing-covered breast and started sucking away at her shirt.  Since being off the ventilator Benton had started sucking vigorously on his pacifier as well as face planting on my clavicle during kangaroo care, but this took the cake.  I guess Benton feels he is ready to nurse even if he focused his attention on the wrong mommy.
 
This past week we feel so blessed with all the progress Benton has made.  We know his progress is a direct result of God's grace and the prayers and love you have sent his way.  We continue to pray for Benton's continued progress and for him to be able to remain successfully extubated and move down from the CPAP to the high flow nasal cannula so he can finally come home!

Happy 20 Week Birthday Sign from Benton's Cousin!

Hanging With My Beautiful Boy