Thursday, July 23, 2009

Good, Bad, Up, Down

So I'll start with the good. First of all my friend Dave had the entire 4 month post, pictures and text! Yeah!!! I'm so happy and grateful. Someone else (Emily) had the text as well. Thank you both!

Here is a totally cute video- as promised- of our little Jimmie!


Tuesday was a great day for Jimmie. He ate 4 ounces at almost every feeding with only a little struggle. He held most of it down too. He was happy and content all day and weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces when Rachael put him on the scale.

Here's the bad . . .

Yesterday and today (so far) have been terrible. He's taken 3 ounces at his feeds, but with lots of screaming, arching his back and shaking his head. He's throwing it up a lot and while I was on the phone with Rach a little bit ago he refluxed and screamed in pain. It made my eyes fill up with tears just to hear him crying like that. Rachael has also noticed him retracting a little every once in a while. That's where his chest sinks in with his inhale.

So Rachael just got of the phone with both my mom and Jimmie's Pediatrician. My mom gave Rachael a list of TKM sequences that Rachael is going to do all day long. She'll stay home from work and just focus on helping her baby. Dr. S is prescribing Jimmie the drug Zantac to see if that helps with the reflux. Rachael really has not wanted to start Jimmie on a drug, but she may end up trying it because Jimmie is obviously extremely uncomfortable. It's unbearable for her to watch him struggling, working so hard to eat and then suffering and in pain. I'll keep you all updated on what she ends up doing with the Zantac.

Just please pray for sweet little Jimmie and his mommy and daddy. He has ups and downs and they've just seemed so extreme the last few days. When Jimmie is having a good day Rachael is very happy and feeling "up". When he's having a bad day she is sad, discouraged and feeling very "down". It is just really hard right now. And it's also confusing because it is so "up and down" with no rhyme or reason.

Thank you for continuing to fight for Jimmie!

Love,
Amber

6 comments:

  1. Preemie life is hard and stressful on all. We ended up putting Josie on Zantac and what a difference it made - different baby! Just do what you all think is best for YOU and don't worry about what anyone else says about it. Great work Rachael!!!

    Allison Dull

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  2. Awww, poor little guy. Hope that the Zantac will work. He is such a little trooper. Go Supermom, Rachael! Go Superdad, Justin!
    Praying!

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  3. Awww.....we love Jimmie so much. Love the new video of him talking and smiling! We are praying the Lord give you wisdom and peace in your decisions for Jimmie's digestive happenings. It is perfectly safe and beneficial to give infants enzymes when needed too! I am curious if you are taking enzymes and a probiotic to optimize your own digestive health Rach...as that would likely help since Jimmie is still receiving breastmilk? It definitely wouldn't hurt to ask your pediatrician or suggest that you try supplementing digestive enzymes before every feeding, (you can just empty the powder from the capsule in like 1cc of tepid water and mix it and give it to him from a syringe.) I will call you tomorrow and would be happy to order you the right ones if you can try it. :) Will be praying!

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  4. we will be praying for more of those good days! the video is so cute!!! i know that you guys will do whatever you think is best. whatever that might be! love to all of you!

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  5. We're praying for all of you for wisdom and peace! He is so cute and sweet.

    We love you lots!
    Adrian, Janelle, and Kids

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  6. Tell Rachael we are praying for Him.

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