Saturday, May 17, 2008
Update of the Day Current mood: hopeful
Eric is now 8 days old, or gestationally about 25 weeks and 2 days.
Currently Eric has somewhat stabilized. The IV tubes have been removed from his belly as it can no longer support them and still heal. The PICC line in his arm is working well for blood tests and transfusions. So far Eric has had 3 transfusions at about 2 oz ea. He will need more, but much less often as they are now only doing blood tests every 24 hrs, down from every 2 hrs when he was brand new. For those who have donated blood or would like to do so, check out the directed donor section of this website. We really, really appreciate those who have donated blood so far!
Eric continues to do well, but his current weight is at about 550 grams (454g = 1 pound) which is down about 30g from his last measurement. Apparently differnet nurses weigh him in a different way, and with the respirator and other lines in him, it is hard to determine what is his weight and what is the weight of the equipment. His weight loss is of serious concern and since measuring that yesterday morning, his doctors have increased his feeding to every 3 hours instead of every 4 hours. Since he has been taking Joanna's breast-milk well, they have also increased his amount to 3 ccs (30 mL) per feeding as of midnight this morning, up from 20 mL per feeding yesterday. There are about 20 cal per oz in breast milk, in which 1 oz is about 30 mL. Eric continues to get IV food as well.
Eric is way too fragile for Joanna to handle or hold still, and skin to skin contact is going to have to wait a while longer. Eric can be touched, but the doctors are really trying to reduce the amount of stimulation Eric gets. Eric did get his black foam goggles removed now that he is no longer on the light therapy for jaundice and so his incubator now has a blanket over it and he has a thin blanket over him. Still no significant stool, just the one smear from Wednesday. Eric is now on his stomach and he seems to be much more comfortable that way. Still of concern as well are the level 1 IVH in his right brain and the level 2 IVH in the left brain. Another brain scan on Monday will see how they are doing. IVH is IntraVascular Hematoma which is bleeding in the brain. Level 1 is very small and of limited risk. Level 2 is small and of some risk. Too much bleeding can cause the brain to swell and be damaged. So far that has not happened, and in a baby the size of Eric, it is very common to have these. We are hoping they will have cleared up when he is scanned on Monday.
We continue to be hopeful and are blessed every single day we get to share with Eric! Thank you all for your love, prayers, blessings, and concerns!

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Eric Update Current mood: hopeful
Eric is continuing to do well. He is improving and slowly being weaned off his respirator. Joanna got to change his diaper and also feed him by syringe today. Eric's weight is still fluctuating, his weight is down about 60 grams to about 580g, probably because of less equipment connected to him. He continues to look better and we continue to have a positive outlook every day. He had a new line inserted into his arm to replace the one that is in his umbilical cord, since the cord is healing and will not be able to be used soon. This line will be used to draw or add blood to him as needed.
Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Saturday, May 17, 2008
Direct Blood Donation
After filling out the proper forms, directed donations are not the best way to go. There is a $70 fee for each one. We are instead asking that when people donate to let us know and to let the Red Cross know that they are doing a donation in the name of Eric Reid. This is treated as a regular donation and Eric may be one of the ones to receive the blood. I have been tested and I am CMV negative as well as O+, so Eric can take my blood. I will do a direct donation, as I now have the proper forms filled out, the written authorization from our doctor stating that I can do a directed donation for Eric. We have put up Red Cross Baby Brigade stickers with each person's name who is donating blood in Eric's name around his NICU unit. It really is appreciated!
Current list of Honors:
Amy Kruse, Paul Kruse, Joann Johnson, Scott Harders, Jackie Glenner, Garret Roberts, Ann Reid, Cris Reid
If you have donated blood and we do not have your name, please tell us, so we can honor you as well.
Cris attempted to do a directed donation on Friday, but they were unable to find a vein in either arm. He will try again on Thursday (updated: He was able to donate on 5-22). He did not drink enough fluids and his blood pressure was pretty high. The two places in Tucson you can donate blood for the Red Cross are Foot Hills Mall and the Broadway/Kolb collection centers. You specifically have to ask about Baby Brigade as that blood does not go into a 1 pint bag but instead into four 4 oz bags. You must be CMV negative and if you have donated at the Red Cross before, they can tell you if you ask. Thanks to all of you out there! You are our heroes!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Eric is 78 hours old
Eric is now 78hrs old! Total age is 24weeks and 5 days. Current weight 610 grams. Original birth weight of 450 grams was incorrect, birth weight was 610 grams (approx) which is about 1.3 lb.Length is about 32 cm, which is about 12.6 inches. So far he is doing well. The right lung has reinflated and they are hoping to remove his chest tube for the lung later this today.He does have a very small hemotoma (sp) in his right side and a small hemotoma in is left side of the brain, which they will be monitoring closely.These are small and currently not causing any damage to his brain. The doctors are hopefully they will heal on their own in a week or two.If things continue to go well, we may actually be able to hold him by the end of the week.His first transfusion of blood on Sunday morning went well and really helped. Eric is a true blessing and every day is a miracle. He continues to inspire awe in us every day. He is definitely a fighter and his odds are now at about 50% which is a huge improvement, but still not out of the woods. Thanks for all your support! Sincerely, Cris and Joanna PS. For those who said they were willing to do a O+ directed blood donation to Eric, I will be getting a written prescription to that effect today to take to the Red Cross in Tucson. Once I have the details on where to donate and what to do, I will be eagerly sharing those details. I will make sure the Red Cross knows to expect multiple donors and donations can be done on different days/weeks.Eric should need at least 7 more transfusions until he (hopefully) is able to produce his own red blood cells. Currently they are drawing blood 8 times a day for tests and the transfusions replace that.Blood donated must be both O+ and CMV (a virus found in 80% of all blood) negative, so out of 5 donors on average only 1 will be used for Eric. All others will be distributed normally, as prenatal babies cannot have CMV positive blood. PSS. Who thought my biology classes would be so handy. Learning new things every day. :)

Blood Donation
Thanks for all the well wishes and thoughts! So far Eric is defiying the odds and doing well. His right lung has reinflated nicely and is looking good. Most of his other issues are minor for the most part at the moment, but it will be a day by day thing. So far it looks like we may have about 8 people who have said they will donate blood in a directed donation, so hopefully at least 1 will be CMV negative out of the group. We are hopeful and taking every day as it comes for the blessing and the miracle that it truly is. We should get your card today, so thank you very much! Cris and Joanna

Monday, May 12, 2008
Eric at 45 hours Current mood: contemplative
Eric, born at 10:10pm on Friday May 9th at UMC weighing in at 450g (almost 1 pound) and was 16 weeks early. Joanna is doing well and is feeling much better now, being able to walk around again. His first day went real well. His skin is more developed than normal and he did not bleed out. He has all his arms and legs, with very large feet and hands. He is on a respirator as his lungs are not developed enough for him to breath on his own. Current Sunday update on Eric: He developed an air pocket between his rib cage and right lung, which caused his right lung to collapse. An invasive technique was use to put a suction tube into his rib cage which removed the air pocket and he was able to get is right lung re-inflated. His jaundice has been significantly reduced through the light therapy and he is starting to look a bit more pink. He is currently 45 hrs old and doing way better than what was expected. His odds of surviving have increased a little bit, but are still not good. He is still doing better though and we are happy to have all the positive thoughts. He had his first transfusion of blood this morning. He will need at least 7 more transfusions until he can produce red blood cells on his own. Anyone who is O+ and can donate blood, you are encouraged to do so. Supposedly you can designate your blood donation to Eric in the UMC Newborn Intensive Care Unit if you wish to do so. Otherwise we are just asking for positive thoughts and well wishes. So far, he is doing quite well for his age. Joanna and I are taking one day at a time and we will be spending all of our available time that we can with Eric. Thank you all for prayers and well wishes! They are greatly appreciated! Sincerely, Cris and Joanna