He breathes ...

Truman is quite the amazing baby! Yesterday, he was promoted to C-PAP only. That means that the machine offers constant pressure to keep his alveoli from completely closing when he exhales, but he is doing all the inhaling and exhaling himself. That means he's doing the breathing. Nurse Julie likened it inflating a balloon. It's a lot harder to inflate a new balloon with no air in it than it is to inflate a balloon with a little bit of air in it. That's what C-PAP does. It keeps a little bit of air in the alveoli to make the job of breathing a little easier for Truman. There is still a good possibility that he will tire out and have to be re-intubated, but for now, he's impressing everyone. All the nursing staff is amazed at his progress.

He still has a couple of big de-sats a day (his blood oxygen level drops really low). Sometimes these are now accompanied by episodes of bradycardia, which means his heart rate drops really low as well. The staff said these are to be expected with the C-PAP machine.

We got two more rounds of kangaroo care this weekend. Both Mom and Dad each got a two-hour session. It was great. He's also recovered from his hoarseness and can truly cry. Granted, it's a cry that volume-wise fits him, but it's a real cry and doesn't sound quite as cat-like or bird-like as some preemies do. He is easily soothed by his tiny pacifier (called a "Wee Thumbie") and tends to fuss when you take your hands off of him. His tiny hiccups are quite adorable.

He also continues to do well with feeds and should finish up gut-priming today. That means the volume of breast milk will likely increase. He's grown to 1 lb, 14 ounces and 13 1/4 inches long.

--Kara