2 weeks old today!!

Pete here. Our little Finnbo is 2 weeks old today!! 'Finnbo' is one of my nicknames for him... I'm not sure how much Karen likes the moniker. We'll see if it sticks.

Finn is still steady; there are a few things that the doctors are watching closely, and so therefore of course we are worried about him. He has been exhibiting a swollen belly, which in preemies can be the sign of many things. The biggest concern would be if he has a rupture of the bowels or intestines; that could lead to an infection and it would require surgery, and we really don't want him to have to have surgery. But right now he is not exhibiting symptoms of this occurance other than the swollen belly. It could also be a sign that he's simply not tolerating the breast milk as well as we 'd like: but for a 26 weeker this type of delayed development is common. His insides weren't meant to process food for another 2.5 months, and it may just take some time for them to get used to it. It's also possible that he's swallowing too much air while on the CPAP, and so they have a (another) tube going into his belly to allow for venting of excess air in the belly. They're keeping the amount of breast milk they're giving him steady now rather than increasing every hour to see if that affects things.

His weight is up though - he's above his birth weight today at 2 lbs and 4 oz!

His temperament has been really good lately - the blood transfusion seems to have helped him to breathe easier and more regularly - he has had significantly fewer apnea spells than he had prior to the transfusion. Last night and this morning when I visited him he seemed relaxed and able to get some sleep - which is of course the most important thing for him.

So - keep your fingers crossed that this swollen belly thing is just a minor obstacle for Finnbo. I'll try to post a new doctor's update as soon as I have more info - and hopefully tonight Karen will get a chance to cuddle with him. Stay tuned and thanks again for all the love and support!