Clayton is doing great!

Most of you know the story by now, so to sum it up here's the scoop: Clayton was born a big healthy baby - but due to the high levels of Magnesium in Mom's body, he came out with more than double the concentration that an infant would normally want to have in their system. What was the significance of this? Well - magnesium is a soft muscle relaxer - and can have significant effects on a baby's ability to breathe, and make body movements. Some baby's would have reacted to the dose of drug by not being able to breathe at all. Second - Clayton aspirated meconium when he took his first breath. Somehow, he was stressed while still in mom's belly - (it could have been the preeclamsia?) Each of these issues are fairly common (minus the level of Mag that he had in his system) but together gave him enough issues to need some extra care.

A quick word on Clarian North's NICU - its amazing! Each child has their own room, with a dedicated nurse, who oversees the baby's care for their entire 12 hour shift. Each room had an amazing set of gear that allowed them to handle the tiniest of preemie's to big dudes like Clayton and any problems that may be at hand. Each room has a very nice sized daybed/couch and a curtain that can be pulled around so family can sleep in the room and be with the baby. From what I understand, there are maybe 3 of these types of facilities in Indiana, and less than 10 in the country. We are definitely lucky to have access to something like this! The best part of it all was the friendliness and helpfullness of the nurses and doctors. The personal attention could not have been better. I have never once felt that I was in their way. They were contantly giving me information on his situation, improvements, tough moments, or anything else I wanted to know - and I am good at annoying people with questions. Hell, they even taught me how to change a diaper (I had never changed a diaper until today!)

So, I'm happy to say that Clayton is definitely recovering very well! The doctors and nurses have all commented on how well he bounced back from the high Mag levels, and how strong he is. This respratory function has steadily improved and he is completely stable - where at the beginning I think some of them were nervous about his condition. They are still waiting for some final results of an infection test that has so far been clear of any issues, and I believe that the extent of his stay in the NICU will depend on the results. It could be 1 more day, or 3 more days, depending. Some of his pictures looks like he's hooked up to lots of stuff - he is, but most of it is monitoring wires so they can keep track of his vital signs and fun stuff like that. He's getting oxygen to help his lungs recover, and is eating through a tube for right now, until he can breathe strong enough to eat through his mouth. Also, you might notice him being in a bubble; that was for oxygen when he was having early struggles with keeping his nose tubes in - like I said ealier - he's a little eager to pull all of his wires and tubes off!! (His nurse has told me that he's definitely rambunctious, and has a mind of his own... great!)

Today was a great day - I was able to hold him for the first time since his birth - and even changed a dirty diaper - my first ever!! The best part was that for the first time, Kate was able to actually see him and hold him (she doesn't remember the first time when he was born... damn Magnesium!!). It was a great relief for Kate and I.

I feel like I could keep on writing, but I'm finally getting tired!