Busy Dad, Busier Mom…

Last Monday started out nicely.  I ran a few errands in the morning, dropped by the Schmuck Grandparents for a quick visit and then back home to watch the Trips for the afternoon with Sherri (the former owner of our house).  The afternoon was going very well until about 3:00, when JD had some trouble breathing during his feeding.  He turned very pale and his lips started to turn a slight shade of blue.  After rubbing his chest and back for what seemed like forever (but likely only 10-15 seconds), he soon recovered from his little episode.  At this point I was just a bit shaken up…  Although he seemed ok for the most part, it seemed that his breathing was a bit labored and JD wasn’t really himself.  Before long, Jill, JD, and myself were off to see his pediatrician.  Luckily Sherri and my mother-in-law were available to watch the girls.  After a quick visit at the doctor’s office, JD was admitted to the hospital for observation.  After getting situated at the hospital, I caught a ride back home from Jill’s aunt to pick up my Jeep and pack some clothes and gear for an overnight hospital stay.  That stay stretched into 72 straight hours for me at the hospital and an eventual discharge for JD on Friday afternoon.  We’re still not completely sure as to the root cause of his problems, but it appears that he has a moderate case of reflux that was aggravated by a bad cold.  The combination of the reflux and subsequent pain, the congestion, and the fatigue associated with both all seemed to contribute to his apnea episodes.  On top of that, he dropped from 8lb-1oz to 7lb-9oz the first three days……not good.  Because of the reflux we had to change his feedings to every 2 hours with a smaller quantity, after which we were supposed to keep him upright for 30 minutes afterward.  It seemed like once we got him situated after the feedings, it was almost time to feed him again.  Thankfully we only had to fight through this routine for about 4 days, before he began to return to his normal self.  He’ll be on an apnea monitor for about a month and is currently taking Zantac, Reglan, and caffeine, but all in all he’s doing much better.

The girls are still doing great.  After getting a bit more educated on the symptoms of reflux, we decided to cut the girls’ feedings down by an ounce as well.  So far, it appears that they are not very fond of this change.  I’m hoping that they will adjust soon.  All three kids have been more alert this past week, absorbing their surroundings for a while after every feeding.  They all seem to be developing good neck support and have done well on the boppy, so we’re planning on starting some tummy time with them this week to see how they do.  Keep up the good work kiddos!