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.