Prayers and Thanks

Tonight they took Max's IV out so he is for now only getting calories from milk given through his OG tube. An hour after they took his IV out his blood sugar went from the low 80's to 44. This was of course disappointing to Kelly and John. Instead of reinserting his IV they increased the amount of milk that he is getting. Shortly after increasing his feeding it was up to 46. They want it to stay above 45. If it drops below 45, it is my understanding, they will have to restart his IV. Bless his heart, his little hands and feet look like pin cushions and his eyes are so puffy from the IV fluid. They stressed the importance of keeping Max calm, any time he gets agitated or overstimulated he is burning useless calories. He needs to keep those calories to stablize his blood sugar and put on some weight. He gained 30 grams today. Kelly and John are so focused on Max and want to do what is best for him. They are not going to hold him tonight so he can rest. Max was still pretty tired when they tried to nurse him at the 4:00 feeding. He latched on and swallowed a few times but quickly tired out.

Please print if you are able and carry the following lists with you throughout your day...

Prayers of Thanksgiving
~Max's head circumferance has not changed since admission to the hospital
~Max's fontanels (soft spots) have not grown
~Max is doing well with the tube feeding
~Kelly and John have been able to rest a little
~They were able to take his IV out
~Appears to have good clotting abilities
~EEG results were good, showed that seizures were most likely caused from stress, not something that will cause an ongoing problem
~Blood sugar hasn't fallen below 40
~He has been taken off of his antibiotics, his blood cultures showed no sign of infection
~Max's seizure medicine (phenobarbitol) has been decreased
~Max is digesting all of his tube feeding. They have increased his feedings to 30cc
~The doctor that evaluated Max today said that everything looks good from the outside. He said he has normal movements and actions, nothing appears out of the ordinary which is good since the part of his brain with the bleeding would effect his physical movements

Specific Prayer Requests
~Pray that we will receive good news after the ultrasound on Monday. That they will see no sign of bleeding or swelling, and that the blood clots have disappeared leaving normal brain tissue. (best case scenario)
~Max's platelet count is low - 129,000, Pray that it rises to a normal range (150,000-250,000)
~Babies usually bleed the 1st 7-10 days of life. Please pray that no more bleeding occurs. Max will be 10 days old on Friday, September 1
~Pray that when the physical therapist evaluates Max next week that they will see no need for therapy
~That Max's blood sugar will stablize and he will not have to have another IV started
~That Max will experience no seizures
~That he will be able to nurse soon and that he will tolerate his tube feedings
~For Dr Nestrud, Dr Sotomora, Dr Benton, & Dr Zuerlein and for all of the nurses caring for Max
~For continued peace and rest for Kelly and John. Please pray that the rest that they get will be sufficient for them and that they will feel well rested when they wake up.


As you can imagine all of Kelly's and John's energy is being spent on each other and on Max. Several people have mentioned visiting the hospital. They are still not up for visitors and may not be for a while. They are feeling your love and support by the comments that you are leaving and by the prayers you are lifting up to God on their behalf. Thank you so very much for respecting this need that they have right now to focus on their family.

We keep praying,
Karie