Triple Chin.....A new milestone

Jaxson has reached new heights. His level of alertness today was more intense than any other day. His eyes have never been that wide open. His nurse said he had been that way this morning, too. She also told me she tried to get the doctors to take him off the CPAP today and put him on the nasal cannula instead * which would be a much more comfortable and less invasive method of delivering oxygen. She said she fought the good fight, and the doctor was considering it and crunching some numbers.

The occupational therapist, who apparently has been around once a week unbeknownst to me, stopped by today and spoke with me for a while. She explained some things to me about development tools and aids that we will all be employing with Jaxson in the next 7 or 8 weeks. She gave me an informative packet to read regarding stimulations,corrected age, etc. Jaxson's corrected age is -7 weeks...weird.

Calculating Corrected Age (CA) from Chronological Age (CH)

CA = CH - # weeks or months premature

Baby J was born at 26 weeks gestation
He was 14 weeks premature (40 weeks - 26 weeks = 14 weeks)
Today it is about 7 weeks past the day he was actually born (7 weeks CH)
CA = 7 weeks - 14 weeks
Baby J is -7 weeks corrected age

The packet has lots of good information on milestones for the next two years, how not to overstimulate the baby, feeding strategies, sensory integrations, etc. I'm going to the "parents university" class tomorrow at 2pm to learn more about all this stuff and will report later.


I got to the NICU for his 4pm assessment, so I changed his diaper and held him. He was very alert and was starring intently at the CPAP mask protruding from his little face. While I was holding him, the doctor on duty came by and told me they were turning the CPAP its very lowest setting and that he would be taking him off the CPAP in the morning and putting him on the nasal cannula!!!

This is a really big deal!! Jaxson is getting his big boy britches on, finally! I hope everything goes well with this. It's just one more step closer to home. I'm going to remain cautiously positive about this one....It's a big step for a little guy. I think he will do great, but it might take a few days to adjust and with all the adjusting he's already doing, its going to be important not to overstimulate him.

I'm going to ask folks to be quiet around his bedside. (that's a whole other issue...the NICU is supposed to be QUIET and it's NOT and it is kind of started to worry me for Jaxson....I'm trying to figure out a diplomatic way to ask everyone in there to SHUT IT!) When they took him out of the isolette, he got grumpier. It's because he's not getting the quality and quantity of rest he needs, I'm sure, because of noise, light, etc.

So, here are the pics from today. He's so gorgeous. I can't wait to get there tomorrow to see him. I get to see his face...He'll still have tape on his chin for his feeding tubes, but that's fine! I'll still see that triple chin!












*Nasal Cannula: Soft plastic tubing that goes around a baby's head and under his nose, where there are openings (prongs) to deliver oxygen.