Asher is Home!!!

The doctor discharged Asher from the hospital this morning. They had me stay in a room at the hospital last night so I could nurse him through the night. They wanted to be sure he would eat and gain weight before they released him. He nursed so well in one night that he had gained enough weight to be released in the morning. I was ecstatic. Asher is two weeks old today. It feels so wonderful to have him home!!!

Asher had his hospital pictures taken right before we left the hospital today. He was wide awake and they turned out really cute. See www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?action=view&BabyID=011608arj




Last night, when I had my own hospital room and could keep Asher with me, Ryan brought the kids to see Asher. They hadn't seen him since right after he was born and they were all thrilled to see him again.

Asher's shampoo

Asher got the pic-line that was in his head taken out this afternoon so his nurse washed his hair before he ate lunch. He looks like my healthy baby boy. Now we've got to get him eating well enough that the doctor will let him come home. He now weighs 6 lbs. 10 1/2 oz. He has gained 3 1/2 oz. since he was born.

Asher's in Special Care

This morning they moved Asher from the NICU to Special Care which means he's getting much better. They will take the Pic-line out of his head tomorrow morning once he has his last dose of steroids. Now we just need to get him to eat well on his own and we can bring him home. I am nursing him three times a day right now and they will move it to four times tomorrow. I am so grateful for modern medicine and a strong little boy.

Feeding Asher

Yesterday the doctor ordered I could hold Asher two times a day and this morning he ordered holding him anytime. That was so wonderful to hear. Also this morning the doctor ordered nursing Asher three times a day. I was thrilled. They keep track of how much he eats by weighing him before and after he eats. When I fed him at 1 p.m. he ate four teaspoons. That is wonderful because in his last tube feeding before he nursed he was given three teaspoons. That is great progress. They need to feed him through the tube in between each nursing so I will nurse him tonight at 7 p.m. and again at 1 a.m..

He will finish his antibiotics tomorrow and his steroid on Monday. We now need to get him to eat enough milk so they take him off his vitamin sugar water and fat and then they can take out his pic-line in his head. He will also be taken off his oxygen canula tomorrow if he does well when they continue to lower the amount of oxygen given to him. All in all he is doing really well and ready to come home. I'm not sure how many more days left but we are getting closer. The doctor is strict about not letting him leave until he eats very well.

Asher is off the ventilator!!!

Asher is recovering so well. Yesterday they took him off the ventilator and put him on the C-Pap. Today they took off the C Pap and put him on an oxygen canula. That is a very big step. This morning the doctor also gave an order that we (Ryan and I) can hold Asher once today. We're going to hold him tonight when we can go together. I am so excited and can hardly wait.

When I had called the NICU yesterday afternoon and was told Asher was taken off the ventilator I was ecstatic. I immediately called Ryan and other family members. Later that evening when Sterling was saying a prayer at dinner time he said "We are happy that baby Asher is off the elevator, please let him come home tomorrow". It touched my heart.





It felt wonderful to hold Asher tonight. He was not very happy about being moved around though.

Asher's baby steps

Asher is making slow but steady progress. Asher's left chest tube was removed last night, a small step, but any progress is great news.
We are so proud of him and the progress he is making. In addition to the left tube being removed, his right chest tube may be out as early as tomorrow morning. In fact, the right tube has already been clamped! We learned from Dr. Gerstmann this morning that Asher may only be on the ventilator another 24 to 36 hours. We will finally be able to hold our baby...We are thrilled. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon.
Since entering the NICU Asher has been on morphine and versed to releive the pain and help him forget his time there. Yesterday they began the weaning process and changed his medicine intervals from every two hours to every three. He is still out of it but is able to breath more on his own. He is slowly getting better. We are grateful to be in your thoughts and prayers.

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The nurse recently took the IV out of his foot and it looked so perfect I had to get a picture.