Light At the End of the Tunnel

The light at the end of the NICU tunnel is bright!

Landon is now 37 weeks gestation and 6 weeks old. It's weird to think that I should still be pregnant!

Today, Landon's had his NG Tube (feeding tube) removed. He has been nursing and taking a bottle almost exclusively for a couple days. He was no longer relying on his feeding tube for full feedings!! It was a huge day. When Landon's doctor said, "Just tell me when you want to room-in with him...", I started crying and hugging her. I have been waiting for that moment for so long. His nurse, the nurse who was with him when he was delivered, was so happy to remove it. As soon as the doctor gave us the green light the nurse practically skipped to his bed side and waisted no time pulling it out! Landon did not quite understand the excitement. For him the experience was less positive and just one more time someone was pulling tape from his face and pulling something from his body. Some day he will understand the momentous importance of the event.

NG tube is gone!!! His little cheek is red and irritated with that tube taped to his face for so long.

Big sister is so happy!

Now what? Now we start the paperwork, education and organization to get him home. I can barely type it without my heart melting. Starting tomorrow I will be "rooming in" with Landon in the hospital. For two days I will have Landon in a hospital room with me. We will play, cuddle, talk, eat and sleep. Landon's only job is to nurse and gain weight. As long as he continues to do that he will get to come home. By this weekend our little miracle should be home.

He will be coming home on oxygen. They feel he will outgrow his need for oxygen in a month or so.

The past week he has gained weight every day. He now weighs 5 pounds 13.9 ounces. We started nursing once per day. As his stanima increased we went to twice per day and then to every other feeding and finally to nursing or having a bottle at every feeding. Just a couple days ago he was still getting tired by the end of the feeding and we would have to complete the feeding using the feeding tube. He now has enough strength and stanima to complete the feeding.

The nurses were able to wean him a little more off his oxygen. He now recieves 100% oxygen at .1 liters of pressure. This is the mixture he will go home on.