{Brecken is no longer naked}

Brecken is finally a baby!

Over the weekend he got to eat from a bottle. The first day he ate 7 cc's and today he actually drank 15 cc's. He also got to wear clothes for the first time. The nurses said they enjoy playing dress up with the babies. I don't think John will mind as long as they don't put him in a pink onesie.

When I was on bedrest John and I both made a couple beanies for Brecken. The nurses keep saying he looks like a little elf with his beanie on...I think he looks adorable ;)

And the most exciting news of all---he finally weighs over 4 pounds. He has gained over a pound since coming to Denver!!!

Thanksgiving and a Side of Breast ;)

Today was an awesome day. When we got to the hospital the nurses has just taken the central line out of Brecken's arm which meant he is now completely on breast milk. He is now getting 23 cc's a feeding and he is steadily growing. Over the past few days he has been growing like a weed and he is now at 3 lbs. 8 ounces.

We thought it would be at least a week more before we tried to breast feeding, but the nurses told us to just see what would happen. He did awesome. He latched on and was able to breast feed while also receiving food through his feeding tube, which runs down through his nose. It was an awesome experience because he is actually starting to act more like a baby. As he breastfed he was wide awake and kept looking around and playing with my hair.



Furthermore, today made both John and I really appreciate Thanksgiving. We are so thankful that Brecken is healthy and growing. Even though he is small we know that he is a fighter. He has such a personality and we know that he will keep us on our toes.

We are also so thankful for all those who have helped us during this difficult time. The same week Brecken was born we also bought a house. John keeps joking that all we needed to do was get a dog and then we would have completed the American Dream in one week. Over the last few weeks tons of our friends have come together to move us from our old house to our new home. The phone calls, letters, and visits from friends have meant so much to us and we are so thankful to have all of you in our lives.

Finally we are so thankful for our family. It has been their continual help, love, and support that has helped to make this trial bearable. We are especially thankful for Brice and Cyndee. Not only have they opened their home up to us while we are here in Denver, but they have fed us, entertained us, and have made their home feel like our home.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

No news is good news....

Brecken had a fairly good weekend. On Friday his Vapotherm was increased back to 4 because he was having a difficult time breathing on his own. Even though everytime we go in to see him he has pulled the Vapotherm out of his nose and is breathing on his own. The doctor also said that there may have been extra fluid in his lungs that was causing him not to breathe so well. They were planning on putting him on antibiotics, but he seems to be doing fine now so I guess they are putting off the antibiotics until they absolutely have to use them. The doctor was also worried about his heart and wanted to make sure that the hole in his heart had not opened again. When the cardiologist came to do the ultrasound he said that the hole was still open but it was so small that we would just have to do a check-up at one year to make sure it closed.

Because of the rough day he had on Friday we haven't been able to hold him all weekend, we are hoping the doctor will give us "The O.k." to take him out of his isolete and hold him on Monday. It is really hard to go in there everyday and see other parents holding their babies and we are stuck looking at him through his isolete, but he still manages to keep us entertained with all of his smiling.


Cardiologist performing the ultrasound.

kangaroo care and reflexes

Now, John usually writes the posts, but since John didn't participate in Kangaroo Care last night I decided I should write today's post. If you watched Grey's Anatomy last week then you know what Kangaroo Care is, for those of you that didn't watch it Kangaroo Care is when a parent holds a preemie next to their chest, exposing skin to skin. Many belief that Kangaroo Care helps to calm babies by listening to the parent's heart beat. Last night I did this for the first time. For an hour I was able to sit and hold Brecken as he played with my hair and suffered a severe case of the hiccups. By the time I put him back in his isolete his heart rate had dropped from 200 to 150 and he was calmly sleeping. The only downside to the whole experience is that he is a toaster oven and we were both sweating the entire time. For the sake of sparing all of your eyes we thought we would just post pictures of when I had my shirt on (we didn't want anyone to have a heart attack).




This morning the reflexologist came in to test Brecken's reflexes. What she looks for is the ability of the child to stretch out their arms and legs and then bring them back into the fetal position. Not only was Brecken very responsive, but he would often lay their in the fetal position without being swaddled. She said that at this age because their central nervous system is so under developed they often kick around. She also looked at the alignment of his hips and then she sat him up to test his head control. He did such a great job. Even more exciting, though, he was awake and smiling through the whole exercise. She said he was the one of the happiest babies she has ever seen. Most of the time we couldn't stop laughing at him because when he would smile all you could see were his big gums!!!

Graduation Day

Today was a very good day for both Brecken and us. Brecken has been moved to what they call the "Graduate NICU". This is a place where they focus on getting the baby ready to go home. In the Graduate NICU they spend alot of time helping the baby transition from patient to baby. They encourage holding the baby more often and helping both parents and baby to build a relationship with one another. They will eventually teach the baby how to eat which prepares him to go home.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Now that is just crazy...

Brecken has remained fairly stable over the weekend. A few new developments have occured. First, the nurses were finally able to take Brecken off of the C-pap machine and put him on VaperTherm. Vapertherm is basically pressurized oxygen that helps to keep his lungs expanded. Unlike the C-pap machine he is doing most of the breathing by himself. If he can get to the point where he doesn't need the VaperTherm the next step will be just an oxygen machine to provide him extra support.

Secondly, the doctors and nurses have been a little concerned about his heart rate. Over the last couple days it has been any where between 160 and 210 heart beats per minute. At first they thought it was the caffeine shots they were giving him, but since his heart rate hasn't decreased they have decided to call in a Cardiologist to perform some EKG's to see if there is something that they are missing. We will know more about that later today.

Finally, on Saturday the nurses decided that it was time to change his IV. The plan was to insert a central line near his heart. The central line would make it so they wouldn't have to change his IV so often. However, they kept blowing through veins. So the next step was to find somewhere else to put the IV. Instead of putting it in the other hand or in his foot they decided to put the IV in his forehead. Poor little guy didn't like that very much.

Just a quick update. Brecken is kind of keeping the status quo right now. Brecken hasn't made any significant changes but also hasn't had any real problems. This was sort of expected at this point though. The next big steps will be for Brecken to gain some weight and become a little more independent. Since he has stabilized they have moved him into an isolete to make him feel a little more secure and secluded.

However as parents we have made some progress...last night we were able to hold our baby for the first time. This was a big step for us.

Me holding Brecken for the first time as his father.


This video brings both joy and sorrow to us. Brecken is crying which obviously means he is not happy but it is one of the first times that he has been able to cry.

11/11/09 The first couple days in Denver...

Brecken has done very well since we brought him here to Denver. Over the last two days They were able to take him off the ventilator and put an oxygen nose peice on him. This doesn't make him breath but it provides constant pressure to help him expand his lungs. We also found out that he had a small hole in his heart(this is normal for most baby's especially those that are premature) that has closed up over the last 2 days. He has made some great improvments and is now able to cry, suck on a pacifier, and he has been moved into an isolete(incubator).

Here are a few picture and videos from the last few days.

Brecken sporting his new shades!!

Halsey looking at the baby.

Brecken holding my finger again. This is one of the ways that we have found that we can touch him without hime getting upset.

When brecken starts to get upset it helps to make him feel more confined by putting your hand over his arms.

Brecken playing with his hands.

Brecken sucking on his first binkie. There is a video later showing this in action.


Brecken waking up from a long nap before we started his cares.


Brecken sucking on his pacifier for the first time.

11/09/2009 Day 6 "Leaving on a jet plane..."

Well that last two days have been anything but uneventful. On sunday morning one of the doctors came in and woke me up and said that we had some decisions that we would need to make. We went into the NICU and were told that Brecken was not responding well to the ventilator that they had in billings. We had two options, we could go to the other hospital in billings which has a different machine and see if it would help, or we could go to denver where they have several different machines and far superior medical support.

The decision was made that it would be in Brecken's best interest to head to denver. By around noon that day my dad (Toney) and I were on the highway and Halsey was getting ready to go with the baby on the plane. Below are some pictures of the transport team from denver getting him ready to go.

The transport team at Billings Clinic preparing Brecken for transport.

Brecken waiving good-bye to the nurses in Billings.

Halsey riding in the ambulance from Billings Clinic to the airport.

Brecken's private jet...he's already spoiled.

Inside the plane.

5 Days old and he's already living one of my dreams...I've always wanted to ride in a helicopter.

Brecken in his new "isolete" getting ready to get on the chopper.

Brecken getting unloaded from the Helicopter in Denver.

Since we've been in denver things have been great. We've seen immediate response that the doctors have been unable to attribute to any specific change. One of the nurses said that sometimes all the little guys need is a "therapeutic plane ride". However, we've learned that there will be alot of ups and downs along the road. Fortunatly, we can live a little calmer knowing we are in the best place possible for out baby. We'll update you later today or tomorrow with some more specific progress Brecken has made since we've been here.

11.07.09 Day 4

Brecken has done great over the last two days. Chest X-Rays revealed that his lungs are still not as developed as they had hoped, however he is doing very well. They have put him on a medicine that "sedates" him a little and helps him to stay calm. This has helped to slow his breathing and allows him to conserve more energy, and helps him to sleep. Sleeping is extremely important for premies since they can't grow unless they are sleeping. In addition this also keeps him from "freaking out" as much when he is touched or moved.

Other news...his lungs are taking oxygen better, we were able to change his first diaper(this usually isn't something to look forward to in most baby's, atleast that's what they tell us), Halsey was able to see his face for the first time, we saw his left eye however his right was a little swollen, and the volcon death grip has re-emerged today. The video will show most of this. So enjoy...


In this video you'll see a lot of new things...diaper change, nurse taking his temperature in his arm pit, you'll see his face for the first time, and you'll get a little perspective on his attitude when he won't let go of his cord.

Just a quick profile view of our BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL...

Here Brecken is stretching a little bit aftwer his "rude awakening".

Our first picture of Brecken with his "eye" open.



Brecken got a little upset when we woke him up to change his diaper. The nurse in this picture is trying to calm him down by putting him back in the "fetal position".

11/06/09 Video and the Blue Light Special

Quick update. Brecken is doing as expected. His lungs are underdeveloped for his age but he is trying very hard. He wants to breath on his own and he takes around 40 breaths per minute on his own and about 20 that are assisted. Most of his breaths are too shallow to function by themselves to the machine aides him by forcing his lungs to expand. The hope is that this will teach him to slow down his respirations and take bigger slower breaths. The good news is that his lungs are accepting the oxygen well at the moment. They currently have him on about 30% Oxygen. The normal atmosphere is about 21%. This is a big improvement from yesterday when he was up around 60%. Anyways here are a few pictures and videos to check out.


BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL. This light is used to help PREVENT Jaundice, but holy cow is it bright. Hence the mask over his eyes.





A quick video to check out from day one. You'll notice all the tubes coming in and out. Most are constanty functioning but all are normal for a baby this age.


This is one of his more "well behaved" moments. You'll notice him playing with the tube in his mouth with his tongue. Usually he is trying to yank them out or getting really upset. He also throws in a couple big yawns towards the end for show.

11/05/2009

We've been trying to figure out a good way let people know how Brecken is doing and to get some pictures and video out for those who are interested and we figured a blog would be a great to get the word out. So I think the best way is to let the pictures speak for themselves. We'll put in some quick comments or explanations and feel free to comment and ask questions.

We'll try to keep it up to date with any new news. But first some background...At around 28 weeks and 5-6 days Halsey went in to Dr. Haugen for a routine check-up that revealed some initial signs of Pre-Eclampsia. Her blood pressure was very high and she was admitted into Bozeman Deaconess Hospital to monitor both her and the Brecken.

The next day they told us that we would need to go to Billings(the closest hospital equipped for baby's of less than 34weeks gestation). Once in billings the doctors continued to monitor Halsey and the baby for several days looking for any signs that the Pre-Eclampsia was worsening. However the test's were coming back good so they let her out after about a week. She then went to her sister's house in Billings and spent the next few days with her sister.


On Monday the 2nd of November we went into the doctors office and she had a high protein count(a sign that the pre-eclampsia was worsening). The doctors told us that she could go home for the night and to plan on coming in the next morning to meet with Doctor Damron.

That night Halsey started to have some pretty severe pain under the front of her ribs and in her mid-lower back and this was a sure sign that the Pre-Eclampsia was in full swing. We rushed here into the Hospital around 12:30 that night and she was admitted for the night. We sat around and waited and the doctors came back and told us that Halsey would spend the rest of her pregnancy in the hospital...some dissapointing news at the time but we had no idea how quickly the baby would be delivered.

That morning the doctors said that it looked like we would be able to hold of for a few days and I went back to Bozemand to catch up on some work, get ready to move, and get ready to close on the house. The next morning, November 4th (31 weeks and 1 day gestation), right as I woke up to go to work Halsey called and told me that they would be delivering the baby, and SHE informed the doctors that they would be waiting till I got there. I showed up around 10:00 jumped in some scrubs and we were off to the races. The C-Section was completed and baby Brecken was born at 11:30 AM.

I Decided This should be my Halloween costume since I was unable to celebrate it this year.

Obviously there are a few pictures missing here but you get the idea. Halsey is behind the curtain and then WALA...there's the baby.


Here he his for the first time.

The first 28 minutes for Brecken were very dificult for everyone. Once he had been delivered he was immediatly taken to the other side of the room where the doctors began working on him. They expected to have things going smoothly within 5 minutes and I was instructed that at that point I would follow them to the NICU(Neonatal ICU). After about 10 minutes it was obvious something was not right. The nurses began counting for chest compression not for his heart but for his lungs. His heart never stopped but his lungs were having trouble(at this time we had no idea what was happening). The doctors struggled for 28 minutes before they finally got him "stable".

The doctor later admitted that he had tried everything he could think of and for some reason at the last minute he just came around. This was probibly the longest and most intense 28 minutes of my life. Brecken was then taken to the NICU but I was not allowed to follow him at that point due to some "complications". However, later that afternoon we were allowed to go in and see him for the first time. Below are some pictures of his current condition. I'll try and explain things as we go. So without any furter adue here he is.
He definelty has the "Wallace nose"...it doesn't help that he has the tape pushing his nose up.


If you look closely you'll notice a small green tube in his hand. This used to go to his stomach...untill he pulled it out. The nurses say he is one of the most fiesty premie's they've seen (this is good for now but will ultimatly cause catastrophic pain in his teen-age years).

As a result of the picture above, the doctors were forced to subdue him for a while by restraining his arms so he wouldn't pull out any other cords. This clearly back-fired as the baby began to get angry and turn green...baby Hulk, actually he turned a dark red/purple because he was so upset and the restraints were shortly removed.

This is perhaps the most humbling picture...it speaks for itself.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

This picture illustrates an incurable disease known as "Wallace Ear".