Henry's First Days at Home

Henry has made the transition from the NICU to home quite well. He is sleeping soundly and eating a lot.

I was surprised at how well Henry took the car ride from the hospital to home on Thursday. He wasn't fussy during our travel. The cats were very interested in Henry's arrival. I don't think Princess is thrilled at having Henry around (she's not a fan of kittens either). But Jackson continues to play the "papa" role. When Henry starts yelling, Jackson commiserates with him by yowling. Bits loves it when Jeff holds Henry because he's stationary, meaning that she knows she'll get a good chunk of lap time in.



















Jeff brought Henry's swing into the living room. Because of Henry's GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder), Henry has to sleep in a Danny sling that props him up at a 45 degree angle. The swing is nice because it props him up as well.

Thursday was a bit exhausting for Jeff and me, but Henry had a very good day. My dad brought us dinner and held Henry.

On Friday, we had our first visit from Henry's home nurse, Michael, who will be coming to check up on Henry every Monday and Friday (except this Monday, because we have an appointment with Henry's pediatrician that day). Michael will be visiting us for the next month. So far, Henry looks good and is doing developmentally appropriate things. On Friday, he weighed 4 lbs 13 1/2 oz. Strange not having Henry measured in grams. In the afternoon, we had an oxygen delivery, which should get us through the week. My dad came over again with dinner and held Henry for a while.

On Saturday, Grandpa Kenski came by at noon to hold Henry over an hour. Henry's steri-strips from his surgery fell off. Jeff went to Babies R Us for various supplies. He tried to get a baby scale, but they were out! We miss having Henry weighed each night. On Saturday night, Bits found a baby scorpion on the floor. I wasn't too happy about having a scorpion in the living room. Despite my vegetarian beliefs, I eliminated it. I usually have Jeff do the dirty work, but he was holding Henry. I was happy that Bits alerted us to it.

On Sunday, Henry spent a good deal of the day sleeping. His appetite was high. He ate every two hours or so. Marley took an interest in Henry today and sniffed his head. I think that she actually licked it too. I wasn't thrilled about that, because of my heightened neuroses regarding germs. We ended up giving Henry a sponge bath and washed his hair (not because of Marley, but because he'd been spitting up quite a bit during the day and hadn't been washed fully in a few days). My mom returned from Washington state, where she was visiting my sister Carolyn who had orientation for vet school this past week. My mom and dad brought dinner over this evening, which was nice. Both took turns holding Henry.

Jeff and I very much want to show Henry off to our friends. But, unfortunately, the NICU staff made it clear that Henry needs to be isolated from people (other than immediate family) for the next few months. He's allowed to go outside, but not in areas where there are a lot of people (e.g., we are staying away from the mall, stores, etc.). They said that he shouldn't be exposed to too many germs from others (for now). For family, we have to make sure that everyone washes their hands before they touch him. We aren't washing our hands quite as frequently in the NICU, but per nurses' recommendation, we do have hand sanitizing lotions around the house. We are making sure to sanitize our hands after we pet the dogs and cats before touching Henry. I'm a little nervous about the pediatrician's office tomorrow. We are actually going to entry through the side door, so that we won't have to sit in the waiting room with sick children.

Henry has been put on a priority list for synergis, a shot that is given once a month during RSV season (approximately October through March). Apparently, synergis is very expensive ($1,600 per shot), so you have to fall into an extremely high risk group to get it. RSV gives adults a cold, but it can be deadly to preemies (especially those with chronic lung disease, like Henry).

Our schedule for the week includes tomorrow's appointment with Dr. Moussa. On Tuesday, we have Henry's follow-up eye exam.

That's all for now. Henry's about to stir, so I need to help Jeff.