Life after RSV

As I believe I've mentioned before, RSV sucks. Totally and completely sucks. But thankfully, I think I can confidently say that the worst is behind us. For 21 days, we sat in a hospital room watching and waiting. Three weeks of my newborn baby's life were just stolen from me by that awful, awful virus.

For the first two days, we didn't know if he'd survive. Not only did he survive, but he kicked booty the whole way and did things 100% his own way and in his own time. It'll be interesting to see if those weeks were indicative of what he'll be like as an older child, teenager and adult.

While I still sometimes feel guilt (what should I have done differently to prevent him from getting RSV), I mostly feel thankful. Thankful for God's grace and strength; thankful for the prayers of family, friends, acquaintances and strangers; thankful that our sweet boy is home, safe and sound.

In the coming weeks and months, while we're still in flu/RSV season, our main job is to keep Hayden well. While the doctor said he's not likely to actually get RSV again during this season, any other cold--no matter how minor--could be really hard on him because of everything his lungs just went through. We're basically keeping him totally away from groups of people. We can go outside on nice days (I'm all about the power of a little vitamin D!) and visit grandmas' houses as long as there aren't extra people over. We've also been washing our hands nonstop and making the kids change clothes when they get home from preschool. I've gone through at least one can of Lysol and one container of Clorox wipes since we've been home!

All this hibernation means Hayden will miss out on some of the fun things we take Macey and Easton to, but the good thing is he won't remember missing out and the grandmas LOVE having one-on-one time with that sweet baby.

Two Weeks

Today marks two weeks in the pediatric ICU with Hayden. I had some frustrations over the weekend just because as the weekend team of docs changed, I felt like we lost some communication in the shuffle, which led to less weaning off the ventilator. I suppose that happens sometimes though.

But that being said...today has been a good day! I feel like we're all on the same page, and moving toward getting my sweet boy off the vent this week. He's made such a huge improvement from this time two weeks ago, and I feel like we're soooooo close to getting the tube out.

Right now, we're mainly waiting on the CO2 to come down to an acceptable level. It's been coming down slowly but surely, and this week's lead doctor had a plan to help get that number down. He's tolerating the lowered rate settings on the vent, and they'll continue to lower the rate as long as his little body is OK with it. They've begun some of the little things they do when preparing for extubation--changing certain meds, different methods of feeding, etc.--so that's all pointing in the right direction.

I'm very, very confident that he'll do fabulously when he's off the vent. Of course, I have no medical credentials, but I am very happy with everything I can wrap my head around.

One thing is absolutely certain...hospitalization has NOT slowed down this kid's growth. He's gained a little more than a pound and at least an inch, but probably more. We just dressed him in a little 3-month outfit tonight...and it's almost too short!