Wednesday, September 23rd Update

Cooper is officially 6 pounds! He actually reached that milestone last night. Today his weight was 2740 grams, which is just over 6 pounds. Cooper is now 5 days post op and seems to be feeling pretty good. He didn't receive any morphine in the last 24 hours, but did receive a few doses of Tylenol. Cooper moved back into a crib this evening.

Cooper's stomach looked a bit distended today, and his output in the Anderson tube in his stomach was still pretty green. They are watching it closely. We're hoping tomorrow things will look better and they will be able to take out the tube... Cooper hates it and frequently gags on it. :( Today he was showing a lot of hunger cues (which is a good sign), and with any luck they'll be able to start small feedings soon. (He is receiving TPN and sugar water through his picc line.)

He has continued to do well respiratory wise, so this afternoon they decided to remove the high flow oxygen and see how Cooper did. Amazingly, his oxygen levels were about 99 - 100% for the rest of the afternoon and evening! He decided to breathe all on his own. We're so proud of him and love seeing his face without the oxygen in his nose. :)

Cooper had an eye exam today, and the results were good! His right eye has vascularized and is no longer concerning. His left eye still has a bit of ROP, but hopefully it will continue to develop and the ROP will regress. Cooper's next eye exam will be in 4 weeks. (I sure hope we are discharged and have to come back to the hospital for it!)

Right before I left the hospital this evening I was changing his diaper, and he pooped again! It was a very small amount (much smaller than yesterday) but encouraging all the same. Right now the bottom part of his colon is pretty small from not being used for the last two months, so it takes some time for things to move through him. As he gets stronger and his bowels are now in use he will become more "regular."

Thank you for the continued love and support for our family! We still haven't heard much about when Cooper will be discharged, but each day brings us closer to going home. We're so thankful for the kindness of our friends and family and miracles bestowed by Heavenly Father.