Forgot to mention

I don't know if I ever said in the blog that Abraham not only had bilateral (both sides of the brain) grade 4 interventicular hemorrage (brain bleeds) but that the CT scan also showed periventricular leukomalacia. So far he does not need a shunt placed. I am too tired to read about this and translate to laymans terms at this time. The term can be googled if you want more information however be careful what you find on the Internet. I would stick to National Institute of Health or another medical website since as the Institute of Neurology. I was able to hold him twice today for a little while. He just needed to be in warmer clothes and have the isolette temperature raised. I am still concerned about this temperature. Premature babies have low temperatures with infection rather than a fever. However he has no evidence of infection. The resident really can not explain it other than it's a neurological problem and he is a little behind in development. This is hard for me to swallow since he is 7 pounds 2 ounces and 21 inches long (definitely the size of a full term baby). He does have a thyroid disorder (still unsure if it temporary or permanent) and I know that this can effect temperature regulation however the resident does not think this is causing him to not be able to regulate this temperature. Her advise was lets let him grow a little more. Other full term babies go home weighing this much or less. Are normal full term babies constantly buddled up in lots of clothes, hats and blankets all the time? Probably not because they get baths occasionally and lay in cribs without many blankets at due to the risk of SIDS. It is not recommended to that babies at home are wrapped in blankets while alone in a crib because they can cover there faces and breath in carbon dioxide which increases the risk of SIDS. There are many other causes of SIDS however this is a risk factor. His eye exam showed that his right eye is maturing (good) and that his left eye is still immature. He still has stage 2 (mild-moderate ROP) however it has not progressed to more severe stages. I think he can hear and see me because the eye doctor said he is trying to look at mom during the exam. I stopped talking so that they could do the exam. On a different subject Glenn discovered that rice/veggie steamers can be used to sterilize bottles and breast pumps parts. This saved us money and the hassle of finding space for it at our house. The one that I almost bought was $89.00. Since the product is marketed for baby bottle/breast pump parts that increases the price. I have so much breast milk at the hospital, Fisher House, our house and Katie Carters house that I am considering donating to the milk bank. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? Glenn does not eat dinner very often because he has no freezer space to put food. It's completely full of milk. I started pumping less for 2 days then got concerned that I might not be able to meet Abe's needs. He is on 2 ounces plus 2 cc every 3 hours so 16 oz daily. Please pray for a new mother that found out her baby has down syndrome, a baby that needs the eye surgery due to ROP; 40% chance of blindness and a mother who has been at Children's for 8 months. She and the baby's father are in disagreement over whether or not to place a feeding tube. The father is 3 hours aways with their other child therefore the mother is alone at the hospital. She is considering just signing the paper and letting the doctors put it in however he does not want this. Having a sick child or one with chronic medical issues not only is physically and emotionally draining on a person it can tear relationships and marriages apart.