NICU

Braxton has been in the NICU for the past 36 hours.

We had been having trouble getting him to eat, pretty much from the beginning.  But some of our feedings were "good", so we weren't overly worried.  Until we hit the 48-hour mark and he still hadn't passed his first stool. 

We went in to the Pediatrician's office to have him checked over, and things quickly got scary.  Although Braxton had an excellent nursing while we were in the office, we discovered some alarming things.  First of all, the nurse was completely shocked that she was unable to get him to poop by inserting a rectal thermometer.  That was a first for her.  Second, his cries and overall demeanor were weak, and his reflexes very slow.  Most alarming, however, was that we discovered his body temp was a mere 91.1 degrees.

Next thing, we were in an ambulance on our way to the ER, then quickly admitted into NICU.

It's been a scary two days, but things are finally starting to stabilize.  Body temp is back up to normal.  And after many, many enemas and rectal injections, we finally have poop.  We do know that there is a narrowing of the colon, which should correct itself with more feedings.

I have been allowed to try to nurse Braxton this evening, but he's been too tired to give it much of a try.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better with that.

We still have some unknowns and hurdles to pass, but things are slowly improving.  We appreciate your prayers for little Braxton and our family.