One of the "rules of thumb" for preemies is that they usually get to go home either by reaching 5 lbs or by their original due date. We were told that Paxton could possibly go home April 9th (his original due date), as long as everything else looked good.
4/21/99 - Wednesday
Well, we found out yesterday that you won't be coming home for another month or so...You're having side-effect reactions to your meds. The fortifier in the milk & the diuretics have caused calcium deposits on your kidneys. The doctor (T.K. this week) has taken you off the fortifier and is weaning you off the diuretics. The steroids they're giving you for your lungs are causing the muscle walls of your heart to thicken. So, they've taken you off the oral steroids & are trying one that is an inhalant that is also an anti-inflammatory. She said your heart will be back to normal in 2-3 weeks. They've also put a tiny feeding tube through your nose and into your stomach to feed you when I'm not here, so you can get more rest and grow faster! I love you!!!
It's easy to get angry and frustrated when our expectations are unmet. It's easier to shift blame on others and their lack of competency, than to accept the due course of things and press on, one babystep at a time. We tend to want to rush things, have things go according to our plan, and become impatient when they don't happen that way. I didn't know it then, but God was slowly teaching me patience and waiting on Him in His timing - which is always perfect. I can praise Him for that!!
Sweet shot. He looks so alert. I wonder what he's thinking as he takes it all in.
What a precious mother/baby photo! Thank you for sharing with such transparency!