Wednesday, December 15, 2010

9:00 and All's Well

The night nurse was quite proactive! She hadn't been here long before she decided that James was struggling too much on the ventilator, so after consulting a doctor, she took it out! And guess what: his oxygen levels went up! He's doing well with just the little tube that goes under his nose, and this morning the nurse said they may even be able to take that off in a little while.

This nurse had her own specific way of doing things. All the tubes were lined up nicely around the bed, taped down to rolled-up blankets, anchored and secured with clamps, and James had a diaper on! (Since he hadn't had any food, and he has a catheter in, there isn't really any need for it, but she makes a policy of giving all her babies diapers.) I really appreciated all she did.

When I went in before shift change this morning, the nurse had also taken out James's NG tube (that was keeping fluids out of his stomach to prevent problems if he were put back on the ventilator), and he had taken 2 ounces of Pedialyte! The nurse was thinking that his next meal would be breast milk. Hooray!

My mom is in with James now. Jon and I had a pretty good night. Certainly not the best sleep we've had, but not the worst, either. It's very interesting how this waiting room turns into a home at night. The lights come on at 8am, at which point everyone cleans up their area, puts away the linens, and takes turns in the shower. There's coffee brewing, but we're heading to the cafeteria now.

Much love to all. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

By the way, I have knitted three rows of stitches. The skein of yarn is a jumbled mess (HOW am I supposed to find the end of the yarn??), but I think it's going well.

4 comments:

  1. I am so happy for thoughtful caregivers. It really makes ALL the difference. Hooray for James and taking food! Sending another O'Brien hug for you...and knitting??...you must teach me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Lydia and family! Sheldon and I will be praying for little James and your family. Praise God that all went well during the surgery. :) You and Jon are such strong, amazing parents. I know we're miles away, but please let us know if you need anything.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Lydia and Jon,

    Praying God's continual healing touch and miraculous recovery! Praying rest and health for you guys and joy amidst the journey.

    We are so excited about the progress through the night!

    God is able to do much, much more than we can ask or imagine!

    ReplyDelete

Got something to say? Leave a comment!