Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Home at Last!



Danny is HOME!! Whoo hoo! I am so excited! They did his final stats before we left. Here they are:

weight - 5lb 7.5oz.
height - 18 in
head circumference - 32.5cm

(all of these are below the 5th percentile obviously since he is a preemie)

Anyway, he is doing GREAT! The only thing I have to do at home besides the norm is to give him his vitamins and iron supplement each day. Poor Danny - they smell and taste HORRIBlE! He is always mad when we give it to him.

Anyway, because Danny was so early (his due date isn't for another 2 1/2 weeks!), he is not allowed to be in public areas for about 2 months...so no church, no grocery stores, etc. Also, we have to avoid anyone who is sick (obviously), so if I tell you you can't hold him, PLEASE don't think it is anything personal! They have just told me that I need to be mean and even more cautious with this whole swine flu thing going around...gotta keep my boy healthy! Anyway, thank you all for all you help and prayers! Can't wait for you to meet our little guy!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tomorrow?

So, after having a bad day on Sunday with feeding, Danny's amazing nurse, Heather worked REALLY hard with him all day yesterday and he did GREAT! He ate really well at all of his feedings and gained about 1/3 of an ounce. Anyway, they said as long as he does well today then he will be coming home TOMORROW! YES! This was REALLY good news to hear! I'm so happy! Also, yesterday after having a rough morning, the nurses helped me give him a bath in the afternoon and we were able to do some other things. It really helped me a ton. It was nice to be able to do such simple "mommy" things to help me feel better. I absolutely love his nurses there. They have made such a difference through this whole ordeal. And everyone was right - soon enough I'll have Danny home and I'll get to spend all the time in the world with him! Thanks so much for checking in on us and having us in your prayers! I have felt the powers of heaven helping us through all this. We've been blessed with lots of angels through this - both seen and unseen. Thanks everyone!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Danny Update

So, Danny was making really good progress with eating and gaining weight all last week. This weekend, however, he was not nursing as well. Whereas he usually was eating 11-17 minutes each time, on Sunday he was only eating about 5 minutes each time. He may have just been getting really tired because he continued to eat well with the bottle feeding. Anyway, because of this, Danny has lost weight 2 days in a row...which is a real bummer since we were obviously hoping for weight GAIN. I KNOW that this all has to go on Danny's time frame, but I want him home so badly! I will tell you - running back and forth from the hospital multiple times a day for 3 whole weeks thus far is getting really old.

It was really hard this morning when I went to the hospital. Danny could have potentially come home today, but because of the weight loss that obviously won't be happening. Kind of hit me hard. If he loses weight again today, then he will have to move back to Stage 2 for eating (where he gets some feedings through his tube again). I kind of was a blow for me to hear this...here I was thinking he would be home in the next day or two, and now it may be another week. It all depends on how today goes. Anyway, trying to keep my head up, and would love all the prayers our little family can get. Thanks.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

3 weeks old

Danny is 3 weeks old today. Just when I thought things were getting easier emotionally that all came to a head-way today. I feel like I hit a brick wall. Emotionally I am completely drained. I feel like a terrible mother. I feel like I can't do anything right, and I feel like a complete IDIOT for my lack of "mommy knowledge" - I swear Kenneth is a better "mom" than I am. Anyway, I'm going to sleep...perhaps this feeling is partially because of a lack thereof...and hopefully tomorrow will bring a brighter, new day.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Our little boy is growing up!

Little Danny is growing up! He is now 5lb 5 oz. He is getting so big!! I can totally tell that he is way bigger than he was at birth. He's beefing up a little and doesn't feel so fragile. He's got some meat on his bones at last! It kind of cracks me up though because he is still WAY smaller than most babies...and he is almost 3 weeks old!

He is also doing great with his feedings! He eats between 11-19 minutes per feeding (10 minutes is considered a full feeding). They were going to move him to Stage 3 feeding starting this morning, but last night he didn't quite complete his nightly bottle, so they gave him one more night. Hopefully starting tomorrow morning we will be on Stage 3!! The nurse said that usually the transition from Stage 2 to Stage 3 is the hardest and longest for most premies - and typically it goes very fast from there! I SURE HOPE SO! :)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

NICU Day #18

Today is Danny's 18th full day in the NICU. Danny has improved and developed a ton since he was born, so there aren't too many updates. Here are the couple though...

- weighs about 5lb 3 oz
- nurses 3 times a day and eats from 10-17 minutes
- had his first bottle feeding last night and did very well
- is starting his car seat testing today. They have to sit in the car seat for an hour and a half and monitor his breathing

I spoke with the Dr. this morning and he said that the following things need to happen before Danny can come home:

1) must feed for 8 feedings straight - which means no eating through a tube (either bottle or nursing)
and
2) must maintain or gain weight for 2 days straight

So, this all depends on Danny and how he feels. He is currently on a stage 2 feeding plan (2 out of 4). Stage 1 included two times feeding through nursing/bottle (1 day and 1 night). Stage 2 is four times total, shift 3 is six total and finally Stage 4 will be eight total. So, we're about half way there! He has been gaining weight really well lately, so hopefully that will keep up!







Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Randomness

Alright, so here are some more updates from our busy lives:

- Baby Danny continues to grow stronger every day. We are introducing bottle feeding to him to help reduce the need of a feeding tube. He now weighs 5lb 2oz. They are going to start doing his car seat test every day as well...which means he IS actually close to coming home hopefully!! They are hoping he'll be home in a week or so. I'm so excited!

- Our baby room is ALMOST ready for Danny! Michael and Kim came over the Saturday before last and painted out cute circles on the wall! Thanks guys! I'll get a picture of it up asap.

- I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. Last Saturday Kenneth and I went on a hike with our friend Arlon, and yesterday we were able to do some rock climbing. It was SO much fun! Some people we met there made the comment that it was good we could get out and do things now since it won't be as easy once Danny comes home. They said, "hey, at least you've got a babysitter right now...an expensive one, but a babysitter nonetheless!" - how true it is!

- Yesterday we got NEW CARPET! For those of you who have been to our house, you may remember the nasty multi-shades-of-brown-70's-shag carpet that was there previously. We opted to get new carpet because A) the old one was nasty and B) Kenneth has done SO much construction in our house that I worry about all the dust and nails that are probably stuck in it! YIKES! Anyway, the new carpet is fabulous! Again...pictures will come asap.

- Yesterday we also painted our shed. We painted it white - because we already had the paint, and we painted the door blue (left over paint from Baby Danny's room). So...not gonna lie...the blue is a bit much! I think we're going to repaint it. It really looks funny. I'll have to do a comparison picture.

- Last update - Kenneth's sister Stephanie (my old collage roommate and best friend) comes home from her mission (Montreal, Canada) on August 5th!! I CANNOT wait! She missed her sister's wedding and THOUGHT she would be here in time for Danny's birth...but obviously that didn't happen. Hopefully she'll be able to see him OUT of the hospital!

Well, I think that's it! Phewf!

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Day in the Life of Mommy Noyce



Goodness...life is so crazy right now! Here is my typical schedule:

6:15-6:30 - wake up and take Kenneth to work
6:30-7:45 - get ready for the day
7:45-9:15 - visit Danny at hospital
9:30-1:30 - work
1:30-1:45 - eat the lunch I forgot to eat earlier
1:45-3:45 - visit Danny at hospital
3:45-5:00 - run errands, clean house
5:00-5:15 - pick up Kenneth
5:15-7:30 - eat dinner, spend time with Kenneth, complete projects around house
7:30-9:00 - visit Danny at hospital
9:00-9:30 - get ready for bed
9:30 - go to bed

I cannot wait for Danny to come home. The nursing thing is going kind of slow...so it may still be awhile. Keep praying for our little guy. He's had a rough start, and needs a little help learning this last, crucial thing before coming home. Danny currently weighs about 4lb 14 oz. so as soon as he gets the feeding thing down he will hopefully start gaining some weight!

P.S and by the way - we got Baby Danny's first medical bill on Saturday...pray that I don't faint from it and the hundred more bills I know are coming our way...he certainly is worth it though!

Friday, July 17, 2009

NICU Day #12

So, here is the latest update on Danny:

- now receives 42cc of milk every 3 hours
- as of today will try nursing 2 times a day
- extra calories being added to milk administered via feeding tube (any time other than the 2 feedings where he nurses) because he has been losing weight lately
- IV officially came out yesterday - YEA!!

Here are some pictures!







Thursday, July 16, 2009

Wow

Wow. I can't believe that my due date isn't even for another month. It seems crazy to me...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

NICU Day #10



So, today is Danny's 10th full day in the NICU. I cannot believe how well my baby is doing! I know all the prayers out there in his behalf are helping a TON! Here is the update:

- feeding up to 26 cc every 3 hours
- off antibiotics
- will most likely be able to take him off his "Vitamin Water" and supplemental lipids and protein solution today...this means NO MORE IV IN HIS HEAD!!
- maintaining body temperature well
- now weighs 5lb. .5 oz.
- learning how to properly latch and suck better every day

This is VERY exciting news!! I talked with the nurse this morning and she said that the only thing he needs to do now before he can come home is learn how to nurse properly!! YEAH! Granted, this still may take anywhere from a week to a couple of weeks. It just depends on how Danny does. The doctor mentioned this morning that Baby Danny has been through QUITE the ordeal thus far. As such, he is just barely waking up (seriously, his eyes are open all the time now and he is much more alert) and may take a little while to learn how to do it all...he is just so tired overall! Anyway, once he gets the latching part down (which he is doing pretty well at), then it is learning how to suck. He sucks once or twice as it is, and then just kind of sits there. His cheek muscles aren't very developed though, so it is really tiring for him. After that, then he needs to get the swallowing action down. Most babies don't develop these muscles and reactions until about 36 weeks, and since he was early, it may just take a little longer. We'll see.

Anyway, please continue your prayers in his behalf. I know that with enough faith from all of us he will continue to grow and progress as he should. The faster he does that, the faster he will be home!! I can't wait!

P.S. I can't wait to get the doctor's OK to exercise...I want to get out there and do some serious hiking and climbing. I can't wait to look like this again:




(my "look we're prego" picture)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

"Day-Old Child"

Kenneth's mom gave us this poem. I love it.

"Day Old Child"

My day-old child lay in my arms.
With my lips against his ear
I whispered strongly, "How I wish-
I wish that you could hear.

"I've a hundred wonderful things to say
(A tiny cough and a nod)
Hurry, hurry, hurry and grow
So I can tell you about God."

My day-old baby's mouth was still
And my words only tickled his ear.
But a kind of a light passed through his eyes
And I saw this thought appear:

"How I wish I had a voice and words;
I've a hundred things to say
Before I forget I'd tell you of God -
I left His yesterday."

Monday, July 13, 2009

NICU Day #8 & Photos

I love our naked baby!



Baby Danny!


Daddy & Son


Baby Danny! He is always so animated with his hands!


Mommy & Danny


Our little guy definitely wants to come home! He improves a ton each and every day! Here is the most recent update:

- 21 cc per feeding; this amount will increase by 5 cc daily
- no more antibiotics as of today!
- upgrading to a "big boy" crib
- upgrading from naked baby to clothed baby - granted, I do LOVE seeing him in just his diaper! He is adorable!
- very little oxygen being administered. Yesterday he spent most of the day on ZERO oxygen, and when he does need it, it is only a small amount.

I am going to admit that it is getting old having to only see him at the hospital. We are able to hold him now at least, and he is going to start "training" for nursing - which definitely needs to be learned before he can come home. Although it rips my heart out having to leave him at the hospital every night, I am so grateful to know that there are amazing nurses and doctors looking over our little boy. More than anything I want him to get bigger and stronger, and I know that his time in the hospital is helping SO much. Thanks for all of your continued prayers for our little Danny.

Friday, July 10, 2009

NICU Day #5

Danny continues to improve a little bit each day! Go Danny! Here are the most recent updates:

- C-Pap has been removed and has been replaced with a standard breathing tube
- no more jaundice which means no more sun bathing
- oxygen level down to 23% (when he was born he was at 30% and normal level is 21%)
- feeding up from 5cc every 3 hours to 7 cc
- still being administered IV fluids including fats and protein (IV in his right foot has gone bad and caused his little foot to swell. The IV has now been moved to his right hand)
- still on antibiotics as a precautionary
- breathing is less laborious and has also slowed to a more normal level

I'll write when we have more updates!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Story of Baby Danny



So, people have been asking me the story about Baby Danny's birth, so here it is! It's pretty long, but I need this for record keeping...so feel free to skip if you want. By the way, I'll have more photos up tonight...I seriously can never figure out how to use our cameras, and since we have 3, I have no idea where all our photos are! Anyway, on with the story...

It started on Friday, July 3rd. My stomach felt really tight and I was having a lot of cramps that felt similar to menstral cramps. I rested most of the day (thank goodness I already had the day off of work!), but don't worry - we still went up the canyon with Kenneth's siblings - Chantale & Mike, and also Steven & Britney. I sat on a cot the whole time while people rock-climbed. I was feeling pretty miserable thinking that I would probably endure this type of pain for the next 6 weeks. I wasn't going to complain too bad though because I had a very easy pregnancy up to this point.

On Saturday, July 4th, I was still feeling pretty crummy. We had a family BBQ for the 4th, and after talking to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Rachelle, we decided that what I was feeling was probably just Braxton Hicks contracts (practice contractions before the real deal) and that the pain I was feeling was probably just the muscles supporting the uterus - as I was getting towards the end of the pregnancy, these would obviously be more sore.

Well, thank goodness we opted out of the firework show and instead went home and went to bed, because around 12:45 am, I woke up to go to the bathroom and my water broke!! It was crazy! I was obviously really nervous since I still had 6 weeks. I finally was able to get up and wake Kenneth up. How suprised we were!! We had absolutely NOTHING ready! Kenneth hurried and packed a few essentials and then we headed to the hospital.

Funny thing - since my water broke I actually felt much BETTER than I had the previous two days! I no longer felt any pressure, and I didn't feel any sort of contraction. I felt pretty silly walking up to the ER and telling them my water had broke...typically you think of women going into the ER and screaming their heads off because they are in so much pain...no pain for me. Whoo hoo!

Anyway, they set me up on a moniter and the nurse did several tests (to determine whether or not it had actually been my water breaking) and she came back every time and said that it was NOT my water that had broken...okay lady, I know I'm new at this, but I'm pretty positive I did NOT just urinate all over myself! She told me however, that it was very good that I came in since I was already 1 1/2 cm dilated, 80% effaced and my contractions were coming every 6 minutes apart (kind of funny since I didn't even feel them). NOT what you would expect for 34 weeks. Anyway, I figured that apparently I didn't know what contractions felt like (since I'd been experiencing them for about 2 days), so maybe I was wrong about the water breaking as well...They gave me 2 shots to stop the contractions, gave me a steroid shot to help Danny's lungs develop just in case, and sent me home at 5:30 am with instructions for me to be on bed rest for at least 1 week.

I went home, and slept most of the afternoon, and got a call from my midwife, Gretchen, around 5 pm. She was in the office and wanted to see me. We went in and Gretchen was like, "Yeah, I don't know what they were talking about. Your water OBVIOUSLY broke!" She immediately sent me over to the hospital. Typically once your water breaks they want you to deliver the baby within 24 hours to prevent infection. Since I was sent home initially, I only had 6-7 hours before my 24 hour window was up.

I was feeling pretty calm until they admitted me to the hospital and the doctor from the NICU unit came to talk to me about some of the problems that could occur from Danny being born early. It is pretty emotional hearing them say that they will probably take him away in a rush to resucitate (sp?) him, etc. etc. NOT the highlight of the night. Kenneth was great about being supportive and helping me remember to have faith - that everything would work out, and that things happen for a reason.

Once at the hospital things progressed very quickly. I went from feeling no contractions around 6:30pm to having moderately intense ones, and around 8:30pm they started getting really intense. I opted for the epideral (never really considered delivering without one because I am a wimp) and was very comfortable at that point. I was about 4 cm when I got the epideral, and by 10pm I was at 10cm and ready to push. I didn't even realize what was happening...we were just hanging out in the room with my brother, Michael & Kim, and our friends Danny (Baby Danny is named after him)& Heather and Debbie.

Because Danny would be going to the NICU, I had to deliver in an operating room that had a little NICU unit attached to it. The labor itself was actually very easy for me. After a half hour of pushing, Danny was born at 11:02 pm on Sunday, July 5th. I was able to see him while Kenny cut the cord. Danny was so adorable and cried as soon as he came out which was SUCH a relief! He also was pretty big for being 6 weeks early - 4 lb. 12 oz. They took him and started working on him. Now, I don't know why Baby Danny had to come 6 weeks early, but I know things happen for a reason! My midwife said that the umbilical cord was attached to the outside sac of the placenta, instead of directly to the contents of the placenta as it should. There is a name for this, but I can't remember it right now. Anyway, there was no problem with it at the time, but it could have been a problem later on in the pregnancy. It very well could have happened that the cord could have become disconnected from the placenta, and then Danny would not have received any of the blood, or oxygen flow that he needed. Like I said, I know things happen for a reason!

Overall, Danny is pretty dang healthy! It is normal for babies that early to have some trouble breathing. Babies don't start producing a substance called surfactant until about 36 weeks. Surfactant coats the lungs and makes it so the lungs aren't sticky when you breath out. Because Baby Danny doesn't produce surfactant yet, when he exhales, the lungs collapse and stick together. As a result, he has to put a lot of effort into re-filling the lungs. He is utilizing a machine called a C-Pap which creates positive pressure which helps keeps the lungs slightly inflated so he doesn't have to work so hard. Right now, he is having oxygen administered at about 28-30% (normal oxygen level we breath is about 21%). Other than that, he has a little jaundice which is totally normal. He is our little sun-bather!! He is adorable when he sprawls out his arms and legs and takes in the "sun." Love it!

Anyway, so that is our story! We don't know when Danny will be able to come home. It could be anywhere from 2-6 weeks. I'll keep up all updated on his progress! We are so happy to have Baby Danny in our lives. We are so grateful that he is healthy. He is a beautiful baby and we can't wait until we can bring him home!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Baby Danny is Here!



So, our baby was just a LITTLE TOO ANXIOUS to get here! Daniel Scott Noyce (Baby Danny) was born yesterday, Sunday, July 5th at 11:02 p.m. (exactly 6 weeks early). He weights 4 lbs. 12 oz, and is 18 inches long. He has a little bit of dark hair, and we haven't seen the eyes yet...so we'll have to wait for that. Because he is so early, he will need to stay in the NICU for 2-4 weeks depending on how he does. More details and pictures to come.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Gross!

My toes are turning into sausages. Gross.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Job Anyone?

Hey! Is anyone out there looking for a job? It is a customer service position at my work - 3form. Check out the website at www.3-form.com to see what we make. Anyway, it is a full time position - M-F. I think they are looking for someone to take the 7am-4pm shift, but they may be flexible and switch it to the standard 8am-5pm if needed. Anyway, if anyone would like to apply, let me know and I'll send you the appropriate email address for my manager. Thanks!