And the wheel turns.

Here he is in the heirloom bassinet! My father slept in this bassinet as an infant, and it's been passed between family members since then. Ian's cousin Olivia was the last resident. He's very excited to meet her!

Ready to go home!

In his car seat and full of excitement; ready to go home. He slept the whole way.

Day 7 - Ian's Big Day!

GOOD NEWS!  Ian is GOING HOME today!!!

Ian was taken off the photo-therapy lights last night at about 9:30pm, when his bilirubin levels showed to have dropped from 15.8 from the night before to 9.2 (a great improvement).  He was also weighed and has gained back the weight he lost the previous day, so the supplements are working. 

He's got a nasty rash on his tushy because babies apparently get rid of the bilirubin in their diapers, and the "byproduct" is a bit harsher than regular diaper contents. But, the fact that he has it is a sign of progress!

This morning his bilirubin levels have only increased to 9.4 having not been under lights for 6 hours, which means that he is no longer at risk and is clearing the bilirubin well on his own.

SO.... this means that little Ian will be home in time to help hand out candy for Halloween!  (Although I expect he'll be sleeping, along with Kristin).

Our Little Pumpkin

Of course, the nurses couldn't resist putting Ian in a little pumpkin outfit the night before Halloween. It was a little big, and I think he was a little confused. There was a green hat that went with it that really made the outfit, but alas, no picture.

Day 6 - Saturday, October 30, 2010

This morning (about 3am) we were told that Ian is losing a little more weight than they would like to see.  He is down 11% from  his birth weight.  They are saying that he's not getting as many calories as he probably needs, so they are going to start supplementing him with a higher calorie formula along with Mom's milk (so not drastic or unexplained, and fully treatable).  Also, they say the phototherapy lights can sometimes cause a drop in weight.

So unfortunately, Ian will not be coming home today, and probably not tomorrow.  His is making steady progress, but slow enough to still keep him in the hospital.

The doctors have reassured us that jaundice is extremely common and treatable, as is the drop in weight.  Both conditions are also very common for a 4-week early baby and that there are no "hidden" surprises waiting for us.

They will test his bilirubin levels again later tonight after he has been under the lights for about 24 hours to see how it has improved.  He already looks better - less orange.

Day 5 - Friday, October 29, 2010

Ian is doing great!  Today was a big day for him!  He got his first bath and his circumcision.  I got video of the bath (not the other).  Will post it as soon as I convert it from the older miniDV tape to digital.  (Gonna have to consider getting a new video camera with a flash drive!)

As for the medical stuff... he was taken off his glucose IV on Wednesday and his levels have been great since.  O2 levels remain perfect.  His left arm, which was a little lethargic right after birth, is moving great and is quite strong!  His jaundice is clearing, but they are still monitoring him for that.  He was taken out from under the photo-therapy lights yesterday, but may go back in today depending upon how his blood work comes back.

The doctor says he won't be coming home today, but there is a good chance he will go home tomorrow depending, again, on how the blood work comes back for the jaundice.

Other than that... Kristin is exhausted, as you might imagine, but doing well.  My job has been making sure she gets as much rest as she can, feeding her and helping her feel as human as possible.  Hard to do when she's feeding Ian every 3 hours or so!

Day 4 - Thursday, October 28th, 2010

They took him off the therapy lights this afternoon!

Day 3 - Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Ian's oxygen levels are no longer an issue.  He was taken off his glucose IV and his levels have continued to be great and in the proper range.  He also started photo-therapy for jaundice.

Welcome, Ian Christopher Gauld!

You may have already heard, but if not....

Kristin and I were surprised by the early arrival of our new son, Ian Christopher Gauld, at 8:33am, Monday, October 25th, 2010!

He may have been 4 weeks early, but he still weighed 7lbs, 13.8 oz! 19-1/2 inches long.  Everything went smoothly, right until the very end of delivery when his shoulders got stuck (what do you expect... he's a linebacker!).  It was a little scary for a moment or two, but the L&M staff was fantastic and took care of the problem.

Mom and Ian are doing well, but because he's about 4 weeks early, they are keeping Ian in the NICU for observation, probably until Saturday.  Kristin will be released tomorrow, and then camping out in NICU.  Ian had a host of "minor" preemie issues that they are continuing to monitor:  He had a little trouble "transitioning" at first and needed some oxygen, but his O2 levels are right where they need to be now and he's having no problems maintaining them.  His glucose levels were also a little low, so he's on a glucose IV and they keep dropping the amount he gets each time he nurses, which means he getting more adept at regulating his own glucose levels.  His left arm was a little lethargic right after birth (the one that got stuck), but he is moving it more and more every hour and the PT says he shouldn't have any problems moving forward.  Lastly, he had some pretty heaving bruising on his face, and as those heal he will likely need to be treated for jaundice.  So, lots of little things that the NICU staff say are normal and expected for a 4-week preemie, but that Ian is progressing fantastically.

I've posted some photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jimgauld/IanChristopherGauld?authkey=Gv1sRgCKD-ueL55tr9wgE&feat=directlink

Enjoy!