Pete here:
Well, it was bound to happen - Finn had a less than stellar report this afternoon - but it's not that bad.
Finn needs a blood transfusion. The doctor says he is anemic, and because of his early development, his body cannot create new red blood cells. This is affecting his breathing, and she wants to take preventative measures to decrease the apnea spells he's having.
Apparently his apnea is less frequent than most 26 weekers, so that's good, But she's afraid that if they don't boost his red blood cell count that he may slip backwards, and nobody wants that. So they're going to give him about 3 teaspoons of a highly concentrated red blood cell cocktail that should hopefully give him a boost and allow him to NOT have to work so hard to keep up the regular breathing. O negative, the universal donor.
Other than that, he is doing very well. He's managing the breast milk feedings very well, and he's gained some weight. 40 grams, I think. He's back on the CPAP to help him breathe a little more than he was - 3 hours out of 4 as opposed to 2 and 2. But that kind of variation is expected, they tell us.
I miss him terribly when we are away from him and yet I feel so helpless when we're with him. I love the "Kangaroo Care" when I get to hold him and let him sleep on my chest - and yet, all the damn alarms and the bustle of the NICU combine to make me anxious when I'm with him, which is no good for him. It does feel good to touch his little head and hold his feet, and feel him calm down with my touch. I love that little bugger so much it's amazing.
Well - we're off to run errands and then ultimately visit with him for a while. Thanks for tuning in and thanks again for all the love and support!
(Note: Finn is already a celebrity. There's quite a buzz going on about him on ravelry.com...)
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