Check-Up

It was a long day yesterday......we didn't end up leaving Children's until about 6:45pm.
Samuel weighed 10 lbs 6 oz at his appointment. I was a little disappointed despite the fact that his doctor was VERY happy with it. I thought for certain he would weigh 2 oz more than that - not that two ounces is that big of a deal - but I like being able to say, "He weighs ten and a half pounds!"
The funniest thing about the weight gain is that I've been mixing his formula wrong. His formula is called Enfacare - which is essentially a 22 calorie formula with extra iron. Regular formula for full term babies is only 20 calorie. Because I have to add Simply Thick to Samuel's bottles, I make up a batch of formula twice a day and pour the formula into the bottles as I need it. All of this time, I've been adding more water than I should and Samuel's only been getting a 20 calorie formula (technically even less than that since Simply Thick doesn't have any calories) and he STILL gained weight really well!! God makes up for a lot of mistakes.....
I had been hoping that they would take a blood gas (blood test) from Samuel to see how his lungs are doing. His CO2 was AMAZING! During our NICU stay, Samuel's CO2 never fell below the upper 40s. Yesterday his CO2 was 32!!!!! I wonder if the reason for the good result is because we had to turn up his oxygen while he was in his carseat......hmmm.
Speaking of oxygen weening, we didn't get a referral to a pulmonologist like I had hoped. Apparently neonatologists and pulmonologists disagree on how aggressive to ween. I was told that if we didn't have him off the oxygen in the next month or two, that he could be referred. No one is in a hurry though since cold and flu season is upon us. For that reason, I'm trying to view the oxygen as a help instead of a hindrance....
For the last few months, there has been some debate from Samuel's home health nurse and Samuel's local pediatrician about his little 'whoo-haws" (if you know what I mean....) The home health nurse thought that Samuel's hernia had returned but the pediatrician thought that the swollen look was from hydroceles (which are collections of fluid.) The pediatrician at Children's couldn't tell from examining him, so she sent him down for an impromptu ultrasound of the area. Thankfully, his hernia has not returned. He DOES have hydroceles - which may go away on their own or may require surgery later on. I'm waiting to hear from his doctor about what her plan is... My vote? No surgery.
So as I've mentioned before, I've been really worried about Samuel's arm. Micropreemies have a high risk of developing cerebral palsy - and unequal movement is one of the signs. When I discussed it with the pediatrician, she felt that it was very unlikely that I was seeing signs of cerebral palsy. Apparently, preemies are generally affected in their legs if they have it - not their arms. Of course, she wasn't telling me that he doesn't have it....but she did feel that it was probably just weakness....a big relief to me. I'll just keep praying about it and working with him.
Milestones this week? None to speak of....he's decided that he CAN push up while on his tummy (and doesn't just lie there and bawl.) He's decided that he DOESN'T want to hold his rattle anymore (or anything for that matter) He's getting pretty good at sitting in a tripod position. He falls over to the sides after a minute or two....but his trunk control is getting better. Rolling over isn't on his list of priorities.....he did it when we first got home from ACH but hasn't done it since. It really makes me grumpy when he quits doing something that I'm proud of.....haha.
Speech therapy came by so that I could ask a few questions about Samuel's vocal cord issues. They told me that the scope done last month said vocal cord weakness, not paralysis.......so now I'm confused. I've called ENT to figure out exactly what the diagnosis is.....I read the official report myself and they called it paralysis (not that I completely believe that diagnosis yet.) We should get clarification on Monday.
Overall, it was a good visit and I'm glad it's over.
Samuel's adjusted age is 3 months now....I hear this is the month that milestones begin to come quickly and that babies really begin showing their personalities. I'm looking forward to more progress.
I feel like he is on the verge of laughing....I can't wait.