Max was doing very well today. They had tried to get him to breathe without the assistance of the oxygen tube for a while. He did reasonably well for 1.5 hours, but then they put him back. The issue isn't that he can't get up to the 88% required to be considered stable. The issue is that he dips too far below it, too often, and has to fight to get back up there. He needs to build up his strength a bit so that, if he does dip, he'll be able to bring his oxygen levels back up quickly and without wasting too much of his energy. It's important to keep in mind here that normal newborns do the same thing; they dip and hold their breath, turn funny colours briefly, strain for air, and do all sorts of things that would make any number of medical alarms go off. When it's a preemie though, you want a more stable baseline to make extra sure that they're capable of bringing themselves out of it. And tiring out a preemie simply isn't a good idea. They basically need to be not unlike an adult at a high end spa. They want all their needs attended to without having to work for any of it. So when Max is at a good baseline, he'll still dip, and still struggle every now and then; it will simply be less often and more on par with "regular" babies.
While his loving, doting, smitten father was holding him, Max took another few tries at swallowing some milk while he sucked on his soother. Despite still having a bit of that "What the heck is this?" face after the initial injection, he seemed to swallow the milk quite easily and kept sucking at his soother like a champ. It's quite enchanting to see him work that soother like a cartoon baby. His suck is great and he's slowly building up his stamina to be able to do it longer. Pride isn't a strong enough word to describe what his parents feel for him in regard to this (and all other) step(s) he's taken.
He was weighed this morning, and came in at 2640g (5lbs13oz) which is a good little increase. We're pretty sure all the added weight is hiding under his chins around his neck.
The surgery that is supposed to happen on the 17th will most likely be postponed until after he is "officially" clear of his MRSA issue. This means that he'll be at the hospital til the 27th at the very least. The reason for this decision is that MRSA has the potential to become problematic with surgery. It can either infect the patient, or it can potentially contaminate the surgery area itself. Either way, waiting is a smart choice and the hernia isn't causing any real issue. In fact, we were told that the size of his scrotum is a "good" sign in that it means the intestine has the ability to move in and out of the area freely. A smaller hernia would be more "pinchy" and would be a bigger cause for concern.
Today was a great Maximilian day. He is adorable, as always, and makes the cutest little cooing face when he greets his parents.
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