Friday, July 31st Update

Every morning before going to the hospital we call the NICU to see how our Cooper fared through the night, and this morning was no exception.  A receptionist answers, we give a secret password, and then we wait for several minutes listening to oddly peppy hold music while our nurse is tracked down to give us a report.  Except this morning we knew something was up because when the hold came to its end it was our resident doctor, not our nurse, at the other end of the line.
After doing fairly well throughout the night, Cooper decided that he wanted to get a little more attention once morning hit.
He began having constant Brady spells that caused his heart rate and oxygenation levels to go way down. They checked his blood and discovered that his potassium levels were dangerously high, his sodium levels were dangerously low, and that he just didn't have enough blood in his body.  They determined that the cause of all of these problems he has been having recently is likely that his kidneys have failed to produce a stress hormone that helps his body get through the tough times.
So our team got to work to fix the problems.
In order to balance out his potassium and sodium levels they temporarily took him off of his feeds, because they were fortified with potassium, and started administering sucrose water and sodium instead.  They also gave him a heavy dose of hydrocortisone steroid, which is the thing that his kidneys had been failing to produce on their own.  In order to help his oxygen levels remain stable he was intubated again, which is doctor speak for getting his breathing tube put back in and using a ventilator.  Finally, he was given a blood transfusion.
Needless to say, we rush to the hospital to be with Cooper and see everything that has been going on with him, and are shocked to see that his head is wrapped in bandages.  It appeared that in the relatively short interval of time between when we called and arrived at the hospital that he had undergone brain surgery. Fortunately, that was not the case.  While the doctors were caring for him during the morning Cooper had a brief spasm that looked like it could have been a seizure.  The head bandages were actually holding monitors in place that are reading his brain waves so that the neurology team can evaluate if he is indeed experiencing seizures and needs to receive some sort of treatment.
All of this sounds pretty bad, but it was actually a really good day compared to our last couple.  He's been having a hard go at it lately, and it seems as though they have finally discovered and addressed the root causes of the problems he's been having.  Cooper did not have a single Brady episode since they completed their cares this morning, and did absolutely awesome all day long.
-Taylor

Chloe's update:

I'll just add a few things... we received wonderful news about Cooper's brain today! Another ultrasound was performed this morning to help clear up the potential seizure mystery. (So far it does not appear that Cooper has had any seizures, but he will continue to be monitored, just to be sure.) Two of Cooper's neurologists reviewed the first ultrasound of Cooper's brain taken about three weeks ago, and then showed us the ultrasound from today. It appears that the swelling (clot) in Cooper's right ventricle has slightly decreased in size. It is hard to pinpoint the exact size, but it's definitely is not getting bigger. Additionally, the area with blood outside the ventricle appears to be fairly small and concentrated, which, if you have to have bleeding in the brain, is about the best news you could hope for. The doctors reminded us that they will still continue to monitor Cooper with weekly ultrasounds, and it's impossible to predict how Cooper will be affected by the swelling/bleeding long term. However, we are so grateful and know that Heavenly Father is answering the many prayers offered in Cooper's behalf!

Days like today (and our entire journey in the NICU) really put life in perspective. Much of what was important to Taylor and me a month ago (all things temporal and material) are simply no longer important. I'm grateful for this shift in perspective, and for the rest of our lives we will cling tightly to it.

Finally, I want to share this quote from Elder Holland. "The tests of life are tailored for our own best interests, and all will face the burdens best suited to their own mortal experience. In the end we will realize that God is merciful as well as just and that all the rules are fair. We can be reassured that our challenges will be the ones we needed, and conquering them will bring blessings we could received in no other way."

Cooper is bringing us incredible blessings that we could not have received otherwise. Thank you for your prayers and for following Cooper's journey!

Thursday, July 30th Update

Shortly after Cooper was born we had a conversation with our nurse where she told us, "With a baby in the NICU there will be good days and there will be bad days."  She was preparing us for the inevitable reality that was to become our lives.  Unfortunately, today was not one of Cooper's best performances.
The Brady episodes that he has been experiencing over the last couple of days peaked in frequency today.  During these episodes his heart rate and oxygenation levels will suddenly plummet and he requires stimulation, usually a vigorous chest rub, to remind him to start breathing again as his heart rate returns to normal.  By the time we had left the hospital Cooper had experienced 17 Brady episodes.  Needless to say, this was a stressful day spent with eyes glued to a monitor in anticipation of a decreasing heart rate.  We are quite tired.
That is the bad news, and I'm happy to have it out of the way.
The better news is that by the day's end Cooper had begun to do better.  The new theory as to why he is experiencing these episodes with increasing frequency is because he was working to hard to breathe.  Cooper had been the NICU stud over the past weeks, constantly surprising people with how well he was breathing and he progressed from breathing tubes to nose prongs to nearly breathing on his own at a very fast rate.  While he did really well for a couple of days without the ventilator, it takes a lot of energy to breathe when one is as small as he is.  These Brady episodes are Cooper's way of telling us that he is tired and would like some help.  So he was moved back onto a ventilator in the early evening, and he is already showing signs of improvement.  He did have a couple more episodes, but they were farther apart and less severe than they had been earlier.  Hopefully these will become a rare occasion as he regains his strength over the next couple of days.
That the problem is in the process of being resolved is the better news, but it is not the best news.  The best news is that our little man gained 50 grams today!  That's right, Cooper is back up to his birth weight of 1060 grams.  The doctors have made some changes in his feeds that should help him to keep gaining weight, so we're getting pretty excited to see what Cooper looks like with some meat on his bones.
Although today was stressful, we are all doing okay.  We are blessed that Cooper is in the capable hands of his nurses, doctors, and a loving God. We trust that things will get keep getting better as we travel down this road, even if we hit a few potholes along the way.

-Taylor

Wednesday, July 29th Update

Cooper is the world's cutest baby.  We love him to the ends of the earth and back.  In spite of these facts, he can sometimes be a wee bit mischievous.
Our boy has taken to doing something that is called a "Brady."  Whenever Cooper is having a Brady episode his heart rate will drop dramatically, which in turn causes his oxygen levels to decrease.  It's a scary thing whenever it happens, and it causes us parents a lot of stress.  Most of the time he recovers from these episodes on his own, but on occasion he requires extra stimulation that reminds him to breathe and boosts his heart rate back up.
He has had a few during his time in the hospital, but today he had more than usual.  As scary as these sound, and they are scary, they are extremely common and to be expected in premature babies.  The nurse thinks they have a pretty good idea of what caused his rough day and are taking the necessary steps to correct it.  (For those who are curious, their hypothesis as to the cause is caffeine withdrawals -- Cooper's caffeine medication was given an hour later than usual today.  I was pleased to find that Cooper and his old man have something in common).
All that being said, Cooper is still doing quite well.  Chloe and Cooper did skin to skin this evening, and Cooper loved every minute. They started fortifying his feeds again today, and he seems to be tolerating it much better than before.  The fortified breast milk in combination with a more concentrated and protein-dense intravenous feeds should help him gain weight at a much more accelerated rate.  They had not weighed him when we left the hospital, but our fingers are crossed hoping for a big(ger) number.
We sure love this little man, and he is hanging in there strong.

-Taylor

Tuesday, July 28th Update

Cooper is three weeks old! We received the results from Cooper's head ultrasound, and it showed a pretty minimal increase in swelling, like last week. There was basically no change. Cooper's head has grown one centimeter over the last week, which the doctor said is a normal rate, and they don't anticipate having to take any measures to relieve pressure on his brain. Overall, pretty good news (not bad news at least)! We're continuing to pray for the swelling and bleeding to subside.

Cooper had the quiet day that we were hoping for, and slept for most of the day.  He remained on 2 liters of high flow oxygen and was not weaned down to 1 liter, which I was grateful for. Giving him another day to rest without pushing him too much felt great. When Coop was weighed this evening he weighed the same as last night (1020 grams, or 2 lbs 4 oz). Around 5 pm today Cooper received his new formula of TPN (nutrition) so hopefully tomorrow after a full night/day of more concentrated nutrition, he'll have gained more weight!  We haven't held Cooper for the last three days, and I've officially decided that once he's home I'll be holding him 24/7 to make up for lost time. :)

I can't believe Cooper is three weeks old, and that we've survived three weeks in the NICU. Thinking about 11 (or hopefully less) more weeks in the NICU makes me want to cry:) but we're taking it one day at a time. Each day that passes is another day closer to bringing him home!

Monday, July 27th Update

Today was a pretty eventful day! This morning Cooper had his third head ultrasound, and we will learn the results tomorrow. He also had a leak in his ostomy bag this morning that resulted in a sponge bath and new bedding. They weaned his oxygen today from 3 liters of high flow to 2 liters, and Cooper did very well with this change.

When Cooper was born IMC placed a pic line in his right hand, and it been there ever since (nearly 3 weeks). About a week ago one of the lines going into his pic clotted and became unusable, leaving only one remaining line. This morning, one of our primary (a nurse who is with Cooper each time he or she works, which adds stability and consistency to Cooper's care) nurses brought up his concerns about the pic line. I'm grateful he did, and Cooper was able to have a new pic line placed in his right foot this afternoon. This new pic line will allow the TPN (supplemental nutrition) Cooper is receiving to be more concentrated, thus hopefully helping him to grow! I'm grateful for our wonderful nurse who advocated for Cooper during rounds this morning.

Between the ultrasound, bath, and new pic line (which took two hours to place) Cooper wasn't able to rest as much as he has been the last few days. I was not expecting him to have gained any weight today from being so stimulated. But Coop surprised us and gained 20 grams! He is now 2 lbs 4 oz. So close to his birth weight :) Taylor and I haven't held him for the last two days in an effort to let him rest as much as possible. Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice, quiet growing day for Cooper on his 3 week birthday!

Our brother-in-law sent this video to Taylor tonight, and it brought me comfort at the end of a long day. "If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest, as well as the easiest of times in life can be a blessing." - President Eyring

Thank you for following Cooper's journey! Since creating this blog two weeks ago, it has had over 4,400 page views. We feel the prayers and love that are being offered by so many people. Thank you!

Sunday, July 26th Update

Today Cooper had a very quiet Sunday, and slept basically the entire day. The primary goal for him right now is to gain weight, which is proving to be a slow process. His weight has been fluctuating over the last week because the part of his colon that is on the outside of his body is producing large amounts of stool, not allowing the breast milk to pass through the rest of the colon and absorb the nutrients. The doctors have said this is a normal issue with babies who have an ostomy, but still concerning. Cooper will have surgery prior to coming home to put the part of his bowel back inside his body, once he's bigger and stronger. Happily, when Cooper was weighed this evening he had gained weight, up to 1000 grams (just over 2 lbs 3 oz) from 970 last night! We're praying and crossing our fingers that he continues to gain weight and can get past his birth weight ASAP (2 lbs 5 oz).

I can hardly believe that Cooper will be three weeks old on Tuesday! These last three weeks have been indescribable, and we've experienced so many emotions. I feel like Ammon in the Book of Mormon when he said, "Yea, I know that I am nothing, as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things." (Alma 26:12)

If you come visit us at Primary's, look for this in the hallway leading to the NICU :)

Saturday, July 25th Update

Today Cooper's feedings were increased, but unfortunately he still lost weight (down to 970 grams from 1000 yesterday).  He was weaned down to 3 liters of high flow oxygen (from 4 yesterday) and is still doing very well respiratory wise. Those were the two big changes from today!

Obviously I think Cooper is the cutest baby ever, but then we put a tiny hat on him and I could barely handle the added cuteness!  Today Taylor and I were both able to hold him for an hour, and he was so sweet and alert while we held him. Holding Cooper makes the emotional hours in the NICU, the long commute to the hospital, stress and worry about the future, and the heart break each evening as we drive away from the hospital without Cooper all worth it. Nothing else matters in those perfect moments holding Cooper! We sure love our wonderful, tiny boy.

W

Friday, July 24th Update

Happy Pioneer Day! I wanted to share this sweet thought my Nana emailed me yesterday. In thinking of pioneer day tomorrow, I have just read from President Hinckley: "Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life, often in his own family . . .  to gain strength for whatever lies ahead."  Little Cooper is a real pioneer and fortifies my desire to keep moving forward. 

Today was a great day for Cooper. This morning they weaned his high flow oxygen from 5 liters to 4, and Cooper tolerated this change very well! The resident said they will continue to wean Cooper on the high flow oxygen, and possibly be taken off the high flow as early as Monday. We continue to be amazed and so grateful for how well Cooper is breathing. 

They stopped fortifying his feeds and put Cooper on a continuous feed flow today, hoping he would tolerate the feedings better than yesterday.  Before we left this evening the nurse weighed Cooper, and he gained 40 grams! (Up to 1000 grams from 960 yesterday) 

Cooper did tummy time for six hours this afternoon, and it was the cutest thing ever! (see pictures below) He was very alert today. :)

Thursday, July 23rd Update

Today Cooper was moved from the CPAP to high flow oxygen! He did really well all day breathing with the high flow, and we're so grateful for the amazing progress he has made respiratory wise.

Yesterday they began fortifying (adding extra calories) to Cooper's breast milk feedings, but unfortunately his stool output dramatically increased, which indicates that he is not tolerating the milk/absorbing the nutrients. They will likely stop fortifying the feeds tomorrow and see if that helps. Coop also lost weight today (dropped from 980 grams to 960), which we anticipated because he clearly wasn't tolerating his feeds. Both breathing and eating are hard work, and we're so happy with how well he's breathing:) Eating will happen soon enough!

Tonight I got to do skin to skin with Cooper for about an hour, and as we were finishing we realized that Cooper's ostomy bag was leaking, and I had poop all over my stomach and pants. His first blowout:) Our cute nurse said, "well if you didn't feel like a mom before, you should now!" It was actually kind of nice to have a normal motherhood moment. :)

Wednesday, July 22nd Update

Another good day for our man Coop!

His respiratory system continues to get stronger and stronger and there is talk of moving him to a "continuous flow" ventilator (which is basically the same thing that elderly individuals use with their oxygen prongs and tanks).  He's breathing almost entirely on his own, and seems to be surprising people with how strong he is in that regard.
Cooper gained weight for the second day in a row, and he is up to 1000 grams from 980 last night.  That's just over 2 pounds 3 ounces in American speak.  In order to help him gain weight they have begun to fortify the milk that he's been feeding on with extra calories.  So far his body has tolerated the change in diet well, but we'll see how he continues on throughout the week.

Since he has started to gain weight we are allowed to hold him again, albeit for shorter periods of time than was previously allowed.  He is a precious little guy, and even though they say he can't really smile yet I think I see a glimpse whenever he's snuggled up with his mom.  It's obvious that he knows and loves her as much as she does him.
Speaking of mom, Chloe is amazing.  She is always there for Cooper and nobody is more invested in his well-being than she is.  A true super mom.  Cooper and I couldn't have gotten luckier.

-Taylor

Yawning!

Tuesday, July 21st Update

Cooper is two weeks old today! (28 weeks gestation) He was put on the CPAP machine this morning (meaning Cooper is breathing on his own, just receiving pressure to remind him to breathe) which is a terrific step forward.

We received the results from the head ultrasound yesterday. There was a minimal increase (about .1 mm) in the swelling in the ventricle in his brain. Last week when the doctor talked to us about this type of swelling and bleeding, she said that typically one third of babies swelling/bleeding gets worse, one third stays the same, and one third resolves itself. Today we were told it is too early to assign Cooper to one of these categories, but if they had to, today he would be put in the category with no change. Overall, not quite the news we were hoping for, but it wasn't horrible news, either. Cooper will continue to receive these head ultrasounds weekly, and presently there aren't really any other steps to be taken.  We will continue to pray for miracles and have faith that the swelling and bleeding in Cooper's brain will improve!

Today Cooper tolerated his cares and the changing of his ostomy bag very well! For the last few days whenever he would have his diaper changed or was being handled in any way he would become pretty agitated and his heart rate would jump up. Today he was very calm:) We're so grateful for each small step forward happening every day!

Monday, July 20th Update

I have to begin by saying that we are so grateful for the multitude of prayers that have been offered on Cooper's behalf. His name has been on dozens of prayer rolls across the country and across the world, and there are literally hundreds of people praying for him! As Taylor and I were driving home one night, we were talking about how inherently good people are. This experience has only reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of family, friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers who have taken it upon themselves to pray for our sweet boy. We believe in the power of prayer and know mighty miracles are happening because of the combined faith of so many people.

It seems I start every post by saying that Cooper had a good day, but it continues to be true! He is continuing to take small steps forward daily. Today he did extremely well on his oxygen, and they are weaning the amount of pressure that the machine is doing for him. This is a great next step towards working toward the c-pap machine, which is the next kind of oxygen machine Cooper will be on.

As of last night he had lost more weight (he was at 2 lbs 1 oz) but when we left the hospital this evening he had gained 10 grams (not much, but at least he isn't losing weight!). In an effort to let Cooper rest as much as possible, his nurses are only performing his cares (changing his diaper, taking his temperature, etc) every six hours instead of every three. Coop spent the entire afternoon sleeping peacefully. :) His breast milk feedings were increased again today, and he is still tolerating them very well. This afternoon they performed a second head ultrasound and we will learn the results tomorrow.

We are so grateful for the incredible nurses and doctors at Primary Children's! The NICU is becoming our "home away from home," and all of the staff at the hospital are extremely kind and compassionate, as well as skilled. Although we wish more than anything that Cooper was home with us, it is comforting to know that he is receiving excellent care.

July 18th and 19th Update

Sorry for not posting yesterday! We didn't get home from Primary's until 11:30 pm, and 9 am church came quickly. :) Coop has had two good days. He was having some apnea moments yesterday on the ventilator, but those have lessened substantially today. He is impressing everyone with how well he is breathing!

Cooper is also tolerating his breast milk feedings (through a feeding tube) extremely well, and his doctors have been increasing the amount that he receives. Unfortunately he hasn't been gaining weight, but that has only been the real concern from the last two days. Today he had a great, quiet day, and hopefully packed on a few ounces:)

Also, the cutest thing about Cooper is that he is now sucking on a pacifier! The pacifier is so small, but gigantic in Cooper's tiny mouth. We're so happy that he is mastering his sucking reflex!

A volunteer at the hospital made this for Cooper's isolette:)

This last week was Be the Best You Camp, the teen girls camp that I spend months coordinating. I was so worried about how everything would come together for BBY when I went into labor the week before camp, but we had an amazing team of women that jumped in and were able to make sure everything ran smoothly while I was in the hospital and in the NICU with Cooper. Each day at BBY 230 teen girls and over 30 incredible women kept Cooper in every prayer that was offered. I know that the faith and prayers of these women for Cooper have contributed to the wonderful progress he has made this week, and how well he has recovered from surgery last Friday. These sweet girls have been Cooper's angels!

Sweet counselors making a C for Cooper & Chloe (with the 300 blankets our participants made and donated to Primary Children's)

So so grateful for these incredible women!

Friday, July 17th Update

Cooper is officially 7 days post surgery, and doing well! His weight dropped a little today, but hopefully he will gain it back quickly. Today he received the last dose of his antibiotics (from surgery) and he is still on caffeine. He is tolerating the breast milk feedings well, but having some reflux that they're monitoring. A few doctors from the neurology team came and met with me about the bleeding and swelling in Cooper's brain. We are praying for miracles!

For the past 10 days Cooper has been pretty sedated, and we haven't heard him cry because of the intubation tube down his throat. Today he was much more alert, and we heard his heart breaking little cry several times! It's so hard to listen to him cry and not be able to pick him up and comfort him. Before we left last night, Taylor and I were both able to do skin to skin with Cooper, and it was wonderful. It was amazing to watch his vital signs as he was placed on my chest and see his oxygen levels go up and his heart rate go down (both great things) immediately. Holding him was definitely the best part of the day. 

Since Cooper's birth last week, many women have told me what a roller coaster of emotions the NICU is. That is the perfect analogy to describe it -- the highs are so high, but the lows are very low as well. At times the energy in the NICU is so intense -- we are in a large room with 4 or 5 other babies in close proximity, and there is always a lot of people, alarms, crying babies (and sometimes crying parents) and emotion in the room. When we leave the hospital each day I feel so emotionally drained, but there is no place I would rather be right now. We are learning how to do hard things through the strength of the Lord, and he is helping our weaknesses become strong!

Thursday, July 16th Update

Today was the best day ever! When I walked into the NICU with my mom this morning Cooper's nurse excitedly motioned us over to his isolette. They had just removed his intubation tube and he was on oxygen prongs! I was so surprised and excited to finally see his cute mouth for the first time. Cooper did so well with his breathing today:)

Shortly after that, the doctors, nurse, nurse practitioners, dietitian and respiratory therapist came by for rounds. Cooper had a great night, was tolerating his breast milk feedings, and still receiving caffeine. He has been on antibiotics from his surgery, and they planned to wean him off of those today. His rash also looked SO much better! Overall it was all very encouraging news. At the end of rounds our wonderful nurse asked the doctor if we could hold Cooper today. The neonatalogist said yes! I was surprised and thrilled... I hadn't planned on holding him for at least a few more days.

Taylor left campus and got to the hospital quickly, and we were both able to do skin to skin with Cooper. When the nurse placed him on my chest I instantly felt another wave of immense love for our sweet boy. Physically, he is tiny, but his spirit radiates so strongly. We had a blissful two hours holding him, and it was an experience we will never forget! We're so grateful for the incredible day we had. Thank you all so much for your prayers and love for our sweet Coop:)

Wednesday, July 15th Update

Cooper had a good day! He is learning to breathe more on his own, and will hopefully be ready to remove his intubation tube within the next few days. The big milestone from today was giving him breast milk for the first time since last week! (Prior to surgery) I was able to give him a small amount through his feeding tube this afternoon, and he tolerated it very well and was given more milk a few hours later. This is very encouraging, and if he continues to tolerate the feedings they will slowly increase the amount he is given. Beyond that, there weren't many other changes, but we are always grateful for a day full of small steps moving forward! His hair looked super blonde today, just like Taylor's when he was a baby:) Also, in these pictures he looks pretty big... but rest assured, he is our tiny little 2 pound peanut.

As I was driving home from the NICU this evening, the line from the Primary song "The Family is of God" was playing over and over in my head. God gave us families, to help us become what He wants us to be. These words have taken on a new meaning to me this week. God has given me an incredible husband and the sweetest son, and right now he is giving us the opportunity to become what He wants us to be. Heavenly Father wants us to become refined, stalwart, and Christ-like people. Cooper's birth is refining us, and we will never be the same because of the lessons we are learning.

 

Sunday, July 12th Update

Cooper had another stable day on Sunday. He did have some redness around his groin area, thought to be caused from the humidity in his isolette and vaseline from his incision. They started treating him with a powder to help with the rash, and turned down the humidity in his isolette.

They turned the bilirubin/jaundice lights on him for the majority of the day and through the evening to help dry his skin and improve his bilirubin levels. He looked pretty cozy all day in his little tanning bed:)

Coop's big milestone from today was pooping for the first time! I have never been so excited about poop:) We are thrilled that his body is responding the way it should.

Friday, July 10th Update

When we went to IMC on Friday morning, the idea of being in a helicopter several hours later did not cross my mind.  My dad sent out this email update to family members, and he did a great job of detailing the events of the day:

Yesterday was a very rough day. In the morning a wise nurse was watching discoloration in Cooper’s stomach area. An X-ray was ordered to look for a tear in the intestines. This test came back negative. The tenacious nurse ordered the X-ray again and found the suspected perforation in Cooper’s bowel. Repairing the tear requires surgery, which Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) does not do on Neonates. Chloe and Cooper and a life flight team traveled via helicopter from IMC to Primary Children’s Medical Center.(PCMC) at 4 PM. Taylor traveled by car and set some new and very impressive driving records. The four grandparents were alerted and we all arrived at PCMC at the same time at 5 PM. Taylor’s two sisters, who are both nurses, also came.

The surgeon gave us very grim statistics about the severity of this operation on a Preemie: a 40% mortality rate. Prayers and blessings were offered. The surgery was expected to last from 1.5 to 3 hours. Instead, the surgery lasted one hour with a positive outcome. The perforated bowel has been brought to the outside of Cooper’s body (called a colostomy). Another surgery will be performed to return the bowel inside the body in several months when Cooper is stronger. Everyone went home emotionally exhausted about 10 PM.

This update came from Taylor this morning (Saturday) at 9:30 AM:

Cooper had a good night. They say he's really stable and that they are probably going to switch him to a conventional ventilator rather than the rapid breathing one he's on now. Also, his blood pressure is doing very well and they are taking him off the medication he was on for that. 

Cooper will remain at PCMC for the duration of his hospital stay, which could be several months. 

Your prayers are greatly appreciated and very effective! I will share with you one beautiful miracle out of many: the weather yesterday was overcast and rainy. Then the clouds suddenly parted with sunny skies. The life flight nurse told Chloe that the helicopter could not have left for PCMC in the rainy weather one hour before. The sun came out at the right time so that Cooper could be transported at the right time. God is happy to change the weather (and do a lot of other amazing things) for this boy! 

Cooper will likely have more difficulties through his development. One analogy we heard from Taylor’s sister is “three steps forward, two steps backward.” It’s a bumpy road. We will take all of it in stride and trust in God’s will, coupled with the power of the priesthood, the faith of many wonderful family and friends, and the benefits of modern medicine.

Saturday, July 11th Update

After the craziness of Friday, we were so grateful that Cooper had a nice, quiet day one day post-op. His nurse and doctors said that he was very comfortable and not showing any signs of pain, and he was doing better than expected for how recently he had been in surgery. When Taylor and I first saw him that morning we were amazed at how much better he looked. The part of his stomach that was blueish was now normal colored, and overall he looked much healthier, despite his large incision across his abdomen.

At one point during the day, Taylor and I were watching Cooper and he opened his eyes for a few minutes! It was so sweet to see him so alert.

Tuesday, July 14th Update

Cooper is one week old!

Today we received the results from Cooper's ultrasound last night. He has experienced some brain bleeding and swelling. This is pretty normal for premies and Cooper was at a higher risk due to his transport from IMC to Primary's, and because of the trauma from surgery. The brain bleeds are correlated with some developmental problems, but there is no present cause for major concern. Medically, there is nothing that can be done about the bleeds except to monitor them and see what happens. Cooper will be receiving weekly head ultrasounds for the foreseeable future. A neurologist is also being added to his team of doctors.

He's been doing awesome with his breathing, and they decided to try taking him off of the oscillator today and put him on the oxygen prongs (in his nose). Unfortunately sweet Coop didn't want to breath on his own (he was still getting oxygen, not suffocating or anything) and was only breathing 5 times per minute. This wasn't sufficient for him to stay on the oxygen prongs, so they placed the intubation tube back in his throat, and instead switched him to a lower grade conventional ventilator. Moving in the right direction! They will try to remove the tracheal intubation tube again in a few days after he is stronger. They also started doses of caffeine to help stimulate his nervous system, and they will continue the caffeine over the next few days.

The sweetest milestone of the day was hearing him cry for the first time. Coop has had the intubation tube since birth, and it presses against his vocal cords so we haven't heard any sounds from him. When they initially removed the intubation, we heard the softest, sweetest little cry.

Cooper was finally measured, and is 13.84 inches long! He also gained an ounce since yesterday, and now weighs about 2 lbs 6 oz.  Cooper had a really good day, and actually hasn't been on morphine (for pain from his surgery) for over a day. He hasn't shown any signs of pain, and is definitely a tough little man!

This weekend we will be fasting specifically for the bleeding and swelling in Cooper's brain to heal. We know that Heavenly Father is mindful of Cooper and that He can provide miracles on his behalf.

Monday, July 13th Update

Morning update: Cooper had a stable night! His blood pressure was a little low, so they gave him a saline IV to help that come up. He is weaning on his ventilator, and is basically breathing room air. The resident said that depending on how Cooper did today, he could be ready for prongs (in his nose) as early as tomorrow. First thing in the morning his rash from yesterday around his groin area and right arm was still fairly red, but the skin and wound specialist came in to look at it and determined that they should keep using the powder to clear the yeast from the area, and they would keep an eye on it.

I spent the majority of the day at the NICU, and Taylor came in the evening after he finished his classes. Aunt Brandi also came to visit us:) Taylor and I both got to do a hand hug (cupping my hand around Cooper's head) for the first time since Friday morning, and it was so wonderful to touch Cooper after going a few days without being able to.

They turned off his jaundice lights this morning (they had been on for the previous 24 hours) and Cooper's skin looked amazing today! He had a nice tan:)  They put a bag on his stoma (the part of his bowel now moved to the outside of his body) because he has been producing stool.

He spent the day very sedated and cozy in his isolette. The best news of the day was that he jumped up from 1 lb 12 oz back to 2 lb 5 oz! He is still on TPN (protein) and lipids, and not receiving breast milk for another day or two. We are extremely happy that he is gaining weight, and hopefully he will respond well to the breastmilk. They did a head ultrasound around 6 pm to scan for bleeding in his brain. Cooper is very high risk because of how early he was delivered, and further risk came from being transported from IMC to Primary's. We will learn the results of the scan tomorrow morning. Overall, it was a great day for Cooper! Tomorrow is his one week birthday.

Our NICU Journey

On Monday, July 6th our lives took a very unexpected turn. I was 26 weeks pregnant, and hadn't had any complications or irregularities in my pregnancy. The previous Friday I had started having some Braxton Hicks contractions (some were fairly painful, but for the most part they subsided) but they had eased by Sunday afternoon, and I was feeling normal.

Monday morning I went to work and had an uneventful day. Around 4:30 PM, I felt a gush and realized there was some blood. I drove home from work and had another gush, and immediately called the on-call doctor at Riverton hospital and he told me to come in and they would monitor me for a few hours. Taylor got home from work a few minutes later and we left for the hospital. When we arrived, they took some samples to run a test and make sure my water hadn't broken. They were watching baby's heart rate on a monitor, and it was steady and looked great. I wasn't having any contractions and wasn't dilated. They did an ultrasound, and baby boy was transverse (sideways). (If I did go into labor, I would have to have a C-section.)

My doctor was actually at the hospital, and he examined me and said he didn't see any other blood, and that if the membrane test came back negative he felt good about sending me home. I had a doctors appointment scheduled with him for the following morning, and he would make sure everything was going okay. Taylor and I were feeling pretty reassured at this point and thought we would be on our way home soon.

The nurse came back with my test results, and it was positive. My water had broken, and I was starting to have some mild contractions. I was in shock as they told me they were going to transfer me to IMC, where they would keep me on bed rest for at least five weeks and do their best to prevent me from delivering so prematurely. My parents met us at Riverton hospital, and it took an hour or two for everything to be arranged for my transport. Meanwhile, my contractions were getting worse. Finally it was decided that I was going to be taken by ambulance to IMC. Right before leaving the hospital they checked my cervix and I had dilated to a 2.  The pain was becoming more intense and they gave me a small amount of morphine before leaving Riverton. Taylor came with me in the ambulance and my parents followed behind. The ambulance ride was surreal - I could hardly believe what was happening and that I was going to be on bed rest for the next few weeks.

When we arrived at IMC, my contractions were getting worse. I was given magnesium and some medication to hopefully stop the contractions. I was also given a steroid shot to help my baby's lungs in case I did deliver soon. The doctors told us that their goal was to go at least 48 hours from giving me the steroid shot (and they would administer another one later) so that the baby would gain maximum benefits from the shots. After another hour or so went by, I was pretty loopy from the magnesium but still in a lot of pain from contractions. A doctor came in and talked to us about the risks of delivering at 26 weeks, but I don't really remember anything she said. I was having difficulty breathing through the contractions. I think I was able to sort of fall asleep for an hour.

I woke up and felt extremely flushed and in pain. They checked me again, and the doctor said she could see hair (!) and that I was dilated to a 7. An ultrasound confirmed that baby had changed positions (a miracle!) and he was head down. At this point it was about 3 AM, and the anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural. I don't remember much about what he did, except that he was asking us about the origin of Kordsiemon and kept talking about Prussia the entire time he was in the room. :) At this point I still couldn't fathom what was happening around me. My parents, Laura, and Taylor were with me and we were all having difficult processing how quickly things were escalating.

Around 4:20 am they took Taylor and I back to the operating room, and after pushing for about 15 minutes, Cooper Ross Kordsiemon was born at 4:36 am. I remember looking at him and thinking that he looked bigger than I expected. He also had quite a bit of dark, beautiful hair. :) He was immediately handed off to the waiting NICU team, and we were told we would be taken to see him as soon as he was stable. I was taken back to my room, where we all fell asleep for a little while.

A little while later I was ready to be moved up to a recovery room, and Taylor and I were taken back to see Cooper. The doctors told us he weighed 2 pounds 5 oz, which was more than they expected for a 26 week baby. I felt the most overwhelming love as they wheeled me over to Cooper's isolette. The nurse let me reach in and touch him for a minute, and I cried and cried as the reality of the last 12 hours sunk in and I laid eyes on my beautiful son. I was only able to be there for a few minutes, and then was taken upstairs to my recovery room.

Cooper's delivery is not even close to how I pictured the birth of my first child. I hadn't had any baby showers (but have been assured by wonderful family and friends that those will happen soon:) ), hadn't purchased a car seat, and didn't have a hospital bag packed filled with the things we would need. I hadn't even worn most of my maternity clothes yet! Cooper was not immediately placed on my chest, and even now six days after his birth I have yet to hold him. Despite these things, I know Cooper and I were watched over by our loving Heavenly Father and miracles surrounded his birth.

Cooper is the light of mine and Taylor's lives, and we are so thankful for the tremendous support and love that has been shown from our family and friends. I plan to update this blog daily with Cooper's progress, and will work on posting the events from the last five days. Thank you for your prayers for our super Cooper:)

The tiny feeding tube used to give Cooper his nutrients. 

1 day old (under the bilirubin lights)

Our hospital room at IMC

Flexing for us at 2 days old