March 25, 2006

Zachary finally gets to wear clothes! He has a few preemie outfits to wear before he gets too big. His current weight is 7 lbs. 12 oz. so he's not really preemie size anymore. Zach has also been moved out of his warmer and into a regular crib so he's looking more like a big boy everyday.

He has a few more days of antibiotics before he's done with this round. We hope of course that he won't need another round for a long time. His ventilator support has decreased a little since the last update but he's been on the same settings for a day or two. The doctors are giving him a couple of days to rest and catch up from all of his changes.

Zach is now on full feeds. He's taking 55cc/3hours and no longer needs his IV nourishment. When he's finished with his antibiotics the doctors will be able to remove his PICC line. One less line attached to the little guy!

We're thankful that Zachary is making progress. Hailey got to hold him today which was a special moment. We took a video so Clayton could get a new perspective. We hope it's not long before he can meet his little brother in person.

A few have asked about Tieryn's condition. As a quick background Tieryn had a condition during pregnancy called Placenta Percreta. Placenta Percreta is a rare condition where the placenta grows through the uterine wall and sometimes extends to nearby organs. In Tieryn's case the placenta grew through the uterus and attached to her bladder. This condition can be associated with hemorrhage and bladder damage during delivery. For this reason Tieryn's doctors decided to attempt a procedure where after delivery the placenta was left "in situ" (inside the uterus) and the blood vessels to the uterus were embolized. Embolization is a method to shut down the vessels that supply the uterus and placenta. The hope is that the placenta will shrink and pull away from the bladder so that the uterus and placenta can be surgically removed without blood loss or damage to the bladder. Tieryn had an MRI on Friday and will meet with her doctor to evaluate the results on Wednesday. She will probably be scheduled for surgery during the first week in April. We will update soon.