Birthday Wishes Do Come True!

The past few days have really shown that prayers are being answered! On Friday, March 16, we started the dialysis treatments. I'm going to get a little technical but this is mainly for my record keeping...hopefully it's not too boring to read. Brody started with 6 passes of 40ml of dialysate solution. The process of  continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis consists of 3 basic steps. All of which are currently done manually by Brody's nurse:
1: Fill for 5 mins
2: Dwell for 40 mins
3. Drain for 15 mins
...More fluid was drained than went in...Brody is pretty puffy, especially around the face, because he's retaining a lot of fluid. So more coming out than going is is a good thing. Interestingly, the dialysate is basically just sugar and salt. The high level of glucose pulls the fluid from the blood through osmosis. Did we all pay attention in Science class?? :) 

After his second treatment on Saturday, Brody's blood tests came back and showed that the dialysis was doing it's job.  Dr. Kapasi told us that he had cut the pressure down even further on the respirator he was hopeful that they could remove the breathing tube within the next day or two.

First PD Treatment

Sunday morning, my 29th birthday, Dr. Kapasi called to tell us they had extubated Brody and he was now breathing completely on his own!! They removed it around 9:45am....almost exactly (within minutes) one week after he was born. Nine doctors told me, before Brody was born, that there was a good chance his lungs would be hypoplastic and not developed enough for survival. Man did my baby prove them wrong!!

After a good ol' Irish lunch (corned beef minus the cabbage :) with Adam and Ryder at my mom's house, Adam and I went to spend the rest of my birthday afternoon with Brody. Here he is without the ventilator down his throat...I bet that felt good to get it out of there!!

When we walked into the NICU I immediately washed my hands before even looking at Brody. As I washed my hands I heard him cry for the first time! That was the sweetest sound I have ever heard. I think I traveled the next 10 feet to his bed in one large leap. It was such a precious sight to see him cry as well. Up until this point he had been pretty sedated...either that or he was ALWAYS sleeping when I was there. ...The tiny tube in his mouth is the vent  going into his belly. After removing the ventilator, Dr. Kapasi kept him on high flow oxygen (the nurse described this to be like hanging your head out the car window while going down the highway) and said he would attempt to lower the oxygen later. They also stopped his feedings while on the high flow. (btw, his feedings are now up to 9ml/hr.).  Dr. Jernigan said his blood work was so good that he didn't need the PD treatment either!

On top of all this great news, I got to hold my baby for the first time since the day he was born! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present!! I got to hold him for about an hour. Although I admit, I was pretty nervous because he still has so many tubes and wires all over him. Brody was also visited by his Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff. Brody never opened his eyes while Jenny and I were in there, but Adam and Jeff got to see him open one eye. I guess he likes hanging with the boys :)  I'm glad Adam got to hold Brody as well. It's such a process moving him and all the equipment...bless the nurses!

I tried to give Brody the pacifier (which the nurse had flavored with vanilla) but Brody didn't seem interested. I loved hearing him cry but at the same time, I kind of felt a little helpless. I thought maybe he's uncomfortable, maybe if I just hold him a different way...but I didn't budge. I kept checking to make sure no lines were tight and that his oxygen cannula wasn't coming out of his nose! It was so hard to leave him on Sunday. I was so proud of the progress he was making...and this time he was in reach to give him kiss after kiss.

Today, Monday, I got to hold him nearly the entire time I was with him. He is now on the regular flow oxygen and still doing great. They started feeding him again through a tube in his nose ...which he pulled out while I was holding him...freaked me out just a tad! The nurse then put it back in through his mouth. He seemed to like that better. I don't blame him. Dr. Kapasi said they would try bottle feeding him maybe next week. And his blood work is still great so no dialysis again today. Dr. Jernigan said it will be ordered on an as-needed basis. I'm hopeful this means his left kidney, or cyst, or whatever it is, is doing SOMETHING. The doctor sent off the fluid from his nephrostomy tube for more testing. It sure does look an awful lot like urine. But previous test were inconclusive.

One of the Urologists came by and took out the catheter that went into his bladder. He's now gone from 7 tubes in his tiny little body down to 5.  Although it sucks that this catheter proved nothing is going into Brody's bladder, I sure am glad it's gone. The catheter went in right above the pubic bone and to my surprise didn't require a stitch or anything. The nurse just put a bandaid over it. ...Ryder would be jealous of Brody's bandaid collection.

I am thankful for each tiny step in the right direction. Everyday is one step closer to bringing him home. I know we still have several weeks to go but it's encouraging to see such amazing progress in just one week. What a party we will have for Brody's homecoming!