Our first bad day

Well.. yesterday Samuel had a really bad day. It turned out that his Thanksgiving bath ended up being too much for his little body to handle. After many dips in his breathing the NICU doctor decided to move Samuel back to the Intensive Care room. As you remember, he was moved to the step down room b/c he was really stable. After being taken off his oxygen, moved to an open crib and then his bath it proved to be way too much too soon.

One of the major struggles for preemies is for them to stay warm once they are in open cribs. This uses up a lot of energy and when they use too much energy it starts to effect their breathing. So, being cold to begin with, taking a bath and the room was also cold.. he was unable to concentrate on his breathing. They also struggle with anemia. He is slightly anemic but that can be cured.

Having to take a major step backwards is extremely draining on us as parents. We went from being able to hold him, change his diaper and love on him to being afraid to touch him in fear that he will be over stimulated and stop breathing.

They did several blood tests to rule out any infections. So far so good. He is back on oxygen again and will most likely be put back in an isolette until he gets some more meat on his bones.

He has had so many good days that you forget that he is still so, so tiny and that every move he makes literally drains him of his energy. I have never felt so helpless in my life. We won't be able to relax until he his finally home.. and then I'm sure we'll be sleeping with at least one eye open.

On an even sadder note, my Uncle Kevin passed away today. He died suddenly at my parents house. Please keep my mom in your prayers as well. She is very upset to have lost her big brother, whom she has had to take care of since he was left handicapped as a child.