Day 2: Febraury 16th
Ryker had a reasonably calm day again today. They did chest Xrays to get a better idea of how much lung development occurred. They were small, but were big enough to what they believed would stustain life. He was given medicine to help stimulate the growth of his lungs, and they were taken quite well. His bilirubin levels were high, so he has been a glow worm for most of the day. We were able to see more of his little noggin. I was impressed with how much hair he has already! Definitely a little blondie! They were also able to drop the oxygen he was receiving from the oscillator down to 30% (we breathe at about 20-22%) which was incredible! The only other issue he’s dealing with is maintaining a stable blood pressure. So he’s been on dopamine, and were able to wean him off of it towards the end of the day. He started receiving small amounts breast milk to stimulate his digestive system so he starts pooping and passing his bilirubin. Nick was able to help with care times (temp check, diaper change, etc) and give him lots of hand hugs. Such an incredible dad!
