well, mostly positives today. we're all on the same page thinking he'll be home in 6 or so more weeks. he has to be stable for at least 2 weeks on nasal cannula. it would be great if he were sucking & swallowing to eat, but if not i can put milk through a feeding tube like he has going now. he should also need a few meds, but nothing too onerous.
he is behind for what a 5 week old baby should be doing, but doing fine considering his start. there are some position type things we need to work on, like stretching some tight little muscles so he'll be able to easily reach his hands to the middle, which becomes important for grabbing stuff later. being in basically one position on the vent for 18 weeks would cause me to be stiff, too! nothing is giving them a vibe that he's already starting any serious problems, and some stuff like his being able to be awake & alert & easily comforted are good signs. the medical problem likely to last longest is his lung difficulties. we should have a very good idea of medical forecasts in about a year. i asked point blank if they thought he was out of the woods and likely to live, and they said yes. woo hoo!
however, with all that has happened so far - born at 25 weeks, nec, surgeries, etc - his chances of long term problems is higher than a 25 weeker without medical issues. he has about 20% chance of no long term problems, 40% of mild ones, and 40% of serious ones. 'mild' would be like add/adhd or learning difficulties or mild cerebral palsy, and 'serious' would be severe cerebral palsy or mental retardation or serious comtinuing medical problems.
i'll handle what we're dealt, but i don't have to tell you i'm really hoping for the best, here! oh, his bilirubin was down another big hunk today, and he's off his fentanyl for 2 days now. he's on 20ml/hr of 26cal/oz fortified boobie juice, and peeing and pooping like a champ.
ihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihopeihope...