HAPPY Halloween!

Hyrum is doing really well! We were delighted when we went to the hospital today. I'll let the video below explain:

Hyrum is also done with one of the antibiotics, his Bilirubin counts are way down, and he's doubled his feeding again to 12 ml (.4 oz) every 3 hours, he's off all his sedatives and his pain killers (i.e. morphine). He still has to let the other antibiotics do their job, probably for 9 more days (dependent upon the germatologist's suggestions). He just keeps doing better and better. The nurses say that he's doing amazing. We totally agree, plus he's about the cutest thing there is:

Don Carlos

Hyrum just keeps on getting better! Today when we got to the NICU in the morning the nurses told us that they were going to give him a different respirator. He had previously been on an oscillating ventilator, which helped keep his lungs inflated. The new ventilator simulates real breathing and is supposed to be a good transition to help wean Hyrum from needing the help of any kind of respirator in order to breathe. When we went back to the hospital this evening, the nurses told us that Hyrum is responding really well to the new ventilator. He is mostly breathing on his own. This is a huge step in his progress. One of the best parts for me is that they say once he's good and stable on the ventilator, we'll get to hold him! Here's a picture of him with his new ventilator.

It is a lot quieter than his other one was, and the nurses say he seems to love it. As far as everything else goes, they're still waiting on some lab results from the blood culture, the viral tests, and the spinal tap. They say so far everything else has come back negative. They doubled his feeding--he's now up to about 1 tsp of milk ever

y 3 hours. We are so thankful for his progress. We know the improvement he has seen the past few days are because of the many prayers of faith offered in his behalf. We can't thank you all enough!

Oh, and as for the title of this post, when I was in recovery in the hospital my mom bought me a big stuffed teddy bear. It's been great to have something to hold and cuddle while I can't have our little Hyrum with us. And, since he's Hyrum's "pseudo-brother," I named him "Don Carlos."

Doing a Little Better!

Hyrum is improving! We thank you all for your faith and prayers. Today, Hyrum was able to go completely off the Dopamine, which was to control his blood pressure. His CRP values are a little less than half of what they were. Conjugated (processed by the liver) and unconjugated (the kind that causes most babies' jaundice) Bilirubin levels are also half of what they were. His respirator settings are a lot lower, including the oxygen percentage they are pumping into him, which has been sitting between 21-25% all day (usually sat around 40%). He is eating 1/3 teaspoon of Laurie's milk every 3 hours, and is able to process most of it. Overall, things are improving greatly! All of the nurses say that he just keeps doing better and better... and it's true - he just keeps getting a little healthier every time we see him. We don't doubt that it is because of everyone's combined faith and prayers for our little Hyrum.

My Favorite Visit So Far

Last night was probably my favorite visit so far to see Hyrum. There were a few new developments in way of his progress. His dopamine is down to "5" which is the lowest we've seen it. He was also able to process a little milk, as evidenced by one of his first dirty diapers. The visit was so much fun! When we got there it was time to change the linens in his bed and give him a little sponge bath. The nurses let me help. I got to hold him up while they switched his blankets. I also helped wash his legs during his sponge bath. It was so awesome to get to do a few "mom things" with him!

One interesting fact Dan and I learned last night is that because of the way the tubes are positioned in Hyrum's throat, he doesn't make any noise when he cries. The tubes block the vocal chords from vibrating correctly. So, last night during his bath, he was screaming, but no noise was coming out. It was actually pretty funny.

Well, we're off to the hospital again this morning so we should have more info later this afternoon!

Hyrum Update - Wednesday PM

It's hard to believe it's already been 6 days since Hyrum joined our family. In some ways the time has flown by, but at the same time, it feels like one of the longest weeks of my life. One of the first things Dan and I noticed when we got to the NICU this morning was that the "droplet precautions" has been lifted. This means that the virus tests they ran came back negative and you no longer have to suit up to be next to Hyrum. Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday with Dan and me in robes, mask, and gloves.

The nurse told us that today was the first day they were going to try feeding Hyrum some breastmilk. Up until now he's been fed a solution that has all the right proteins, vitamins, fats, etc. that he needs. However, they want to get him started on the milk so that he can get his bowels working and they can make sure there's no problems there. The plan is to start with a feeding of about 1/3 teaspoon every 3 hours and see if he can handle it. We'll find out how that went a little later on tonight when we go visit him again.

The PICC they put in seems to be doing well. It's sad to see it in his head, but I take comfort in knowing it doesn't hurt him. They're still waiting on 2 lab tests to see if they can find exactly what kind of infection he is fighting--the rest of the tests have come back negative.

Other than that, things are about the same. We might know more after tonight's visit. Dan and I continue to be impressed by the NICU staff. The nurses and doctors take time to really answer our questions and make sure we understand what they're doing for Hyrum and why. I'm even starting to understand some of the machines Hyrum is hooked up to! It is so comforting to know he is in such good hands.

We love our Hyrum and continue to feel such strength and support from all of you. Thank you for your prayers and love.

Hyrum Update - Tuesday PM

Hyrum is stable, and seems to be slowly progressing still. There is a little less concern about his liver, as it looks like a normal sick liver. They said that his blood pressure is doing better and better, and they have lowered the amount of Dopamine to "8". The newest thing is that they have inserted a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) Line. The line was inserted in a vein in his head and runs down right next to his heart. It's used, as I understand, similar to an IV, but can be more permanent and is sometimes used when giving treatment to cancer patients. Usually PICC lines stay in a patients body for 14 days or so. The PICC line will help feed Hyrum.This picture shows what a PICC line generally looks like, but Hyrum's was inserted through a vein in his head, like I said. The nurses said that having a PICC line inserted in NICU babies is actually quite common. Yesterday, they sent out lung secretions and drawn blood to be tested for viruses at a central testing site in Murray, as they are now not as concerned about the cultures that have grown on the placenta. One of those viral tests have come back negative, but still no word on any of the others.

It was fun this afternoon to spend some time with Hyrum. He held Laurie's finger, then mine as he napped. It was cute to see him interact minimally with us. It was also cute to see his brow furrow, or him to make sucking motions. As you understand, Hyrum has been sedated most of his life, so this is exciting for us.

Hyrum's Bilirubin count has decreased a little and his color is better.

The other newest thing is that Hyrum is current under Droplet Precautions. That means that anyone interacts closely with him has to wear a gown with full sleeves, a mask, and gloves. The purpose is to protect us from any virus that Hyrum may have, because it's undcertain how dangerous it could be. Pregnant staff are not allowed near Hyrum, as another precaution, to keep their kids safe. Then, we are asked to put on hand sanitizer as we leave as well.

Every time we're near Hyrum, we feel of the love of each of you, and your kindness in keeping him and us in our prayers. We feel that we've been watched over, and we find strength from all of you.

Hyrum Update - Monday AM

We got a call from the NICU this morning, telling us what they've found and their plans for the day. They informed us that besides the E-coli found growing on the placenta, they found Clostridium. Both colonies are large. They said they were going to talk with their germ specialist to find out the best way to treat the Clostridium. The E-coli has already been treated. Hyrum's little body is a bit jaundiced, but they said it's not from the normal bilirubin, but that this bilirubin strain possibly comes from a weak liver. They believe that the Clostridium could be a potential cause for the weak liver, and the weak liver could have caused the bleeding. The good thing is that the bleeding has ceased, and they only find older (not frank, or new) blood - and that, at a minimum. They're letting Hyrum move around a little bit to reduce the Edema (or water-retention) in his little body. His hands already are a lot less puffy than they were. They'll be giving Hyrum another blood transfusion to help with low blood pressure and hemoglobin counts. However, we trust and have faith that Hyrum will continue to get better, and that the nurses and doctors watching over him are being inspired on how to treat the sicknesses. We love him, and appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

More Info...

Hello all! I had some time today to sit down and think about all that has happened the past 3 days. So much has changed. So much has happened. I thought I'd give a quick run-down of the happenings for those who may not have heard details or would like to know a little more.

I started having some pretty intense contractions Wednesday night around 11:00. By about 1:30 a.m. they were coming about 3-5 minutes apart, so Dan and I packed a bag and headed to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital I had dilated to about 4 cm, so they decided to keep us and got me all checked in and everything. I can say I have learned for myself that epiderals are true. It was amazing to watch the little graphs they have that measure the contractions and see these huge contractions but not feel a thing.

Just before it was time for me to start pushing, I got a fever of about 101. The baby's heart rate wasn't doing too well. Rather than being too high or too low, it was just all over the place--high one minute, low the next. The doctor wasn't sure if I should push because he didn't want to put stress on the baby. He told me I could try pushing a little but I would have to stop if the heart rate showed any more signs of distress. During pushing they realized that there was quite a bit of muconeum (baby stool) in the amniotic fluid. The doctor told me I had to get that baby here as quickly as I could. He used a little vacuum on his head (the baby's head, not his own head) and I pushed a little more and was luckily able to get him here pretty quick. He was covered in the muconeum, so the doctor gave him immediately to a respiratory specialist (who they had previously called to the room) who started putting tubes down his throat to clear out the muconeum. Dan and I each got to hold him briefly before they whisked him away to the NICU.

Dan went with the nurses and the doctor went to work stitching me up and getting me some drugs for the fever. They moved me down to my recovery room and my parents were able to come in and see me. Dan soon joined us. The doctor had originally told us the baby would only be in the NICU for 1-2 hours while they ran tests and got his lungs all cleared out. However, we soon found out that the situation was a little more complicated than that. It turns out that the baby's trachea or possibly lungs were bleeding.

Exactly what happened next or when the following things happened, I'm not sure. It was kind of a blur... But here are some of the findings of the next few days:

-The baby was having trouble getting his blood to clot. He had run out of the chemical that helps it clot. It is possible the bleeding started while he was still in utero, so his supply was depleted. The doctors were able to pump out blood from both his lungs and stomach. They also pumped out the muconium he had swallowed.

-X-rays showed some clouding in his upper right lung. This means that the alveoli (the little parts of the lung that hold the oxygen) weren't holding oxygen. They have the right side of his body raised a little in hopes of getting rid of the cloudiness.

-X-rays also showed a little dark spot near his lower right lung that the doctors believed was a patch of trapped air. They weren't sure if the air was trapped in the lung, or where exactly it was trapped, but it has since worked its way out.

-He was having problems controlling his blood pressure, so he's on medication to help regulate it.

-He is hooked up to a respirator so they can make sure he gets the oxygen he needs since his lungs aren't working at full capacity.

-He had to have a blood transfusion.

-The poor little guy even has to have a catheter.

-He is on medication that basically paralyzes him so he can't move around and possibly irritate the tubes down his throat.

-The doctors ran some test on the placenta and found E. coli. The nurses said this can cause spinal meningitis in babies, so he's on some good antibiotics just in case.

-He was retaining so much water from all the fluids being pumed into him that they eased the dosage of the drug that keeps him immoble, in hopes that by moving he would be able to lose some of the water. However, the moving caused too much stress on his system so they had to give him more of the paralyzing drug. Luckily, the swelling has gone down.

I'm sure there are some things I can't recall right now. A lot has happened in 3 short days! Despite all of Hyrum's health problems, he is an adorable little baby. I love how much hair he has. I may be a little biased, but I think he is WAY cute.

We are seeing little improvements each day. Baby steps. That's what he'll have to take to make it home to us. And I know he will. There are hard days, hard hours, and hard moments. But overall, the Lord has blessed me with a calm assurance. I know in my heart that everything will work out.

Dan has been a great source of strength to me. He is taking such good care of me as I heal and get my energy back. He is so kind and attentive. I couldn't ask for a better man to have at my side. I love him and am so grateful for his support and faith as we go through this trial together.

Please keep our little Hyrum in your prayers.

Encircled in His arms...

Laurie and I want so badly to hold our Hyrum. Just outside of the NICU, where little Hyrum heals, is a painting of Christ standing on clouds, holding a baby. Laurie said something about Hyrum being encircled in the arms of His love, and immediately that picture came to mind. I don't doubt that our son has angels around him watching over him. We feel so grateful that he is being watched over and protected. I've felt quite strongly that now that the bit of internal bleeding has stopped, his little lungs can begin to heal. We love the staff at the NICU watching over Hyrum, but like I said, we also know he is being watched over by others. The nurses and respiratory therapists say that Hyrum is getting better in little baby steps. We surely love him. (Reading over this, I know it doesn't flow well, but honestly, there are SO many thoughts in my head and heart right now, it's hard to sort it all out... in other words, deal with it! :)

Update - and name!

I guess I should first clarify things. When our son was born, he weighed 8 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. People have been anxious to find out his name. Laurie and I finally decided on one this morning... (is the tension building enough yet?) our little guy is Hyrum Daniel Meservy. We're so excited to have him with us, and we love him so much. He's still in the NICU, but he's been stable, and that's important to us. We both know that he is God's son too, and have felt how much He loves little Hyrum. We have hope that he'll get better, and appreciate all the prayers. His lungs have been having a hard time, but he's on the respirator, and like I said, he's still stable. Thank you again all for your prayers!

Our Little Guy!

He's heeere! That's right, our little guy was born today, October 22, at 12:33 pm. Laurie started laboring at 11 last night, and labored through the night... we came into the hospital at 2:30. The epidural was wonderful (even for me, the husband!), and it helped Laurie labor while being able to get a little rest. When Laurie started pushing, she only had to push for 13 minutes before our little guy was here! They let us hold him briefly, then took him to the NICU. He had/has some bleeding in his lungs, a slight fever, and muconium throughout him. Now, he's hooked up to a respirator, and his breathing is a LOT smoother. I was relieved to see how much better he was doing by this evening. We're excited to be parents! Laurie is doing well, and hopped up on drugs! We're both exhausted physically and emotionally, so hopefully tonight will bring well-needed rest. Thank you for your prayers!