Still Improving!

Some of you that receive emails probably already read the following information, but I know that there are readers of this blog that would like to hear from Holly. So, once again, I'm including a portion of her latest Tanner update.

"Tanner is doing much, much better and has made HUGE leaps and bounds in his situation. Thank you to everyone that has kept my family in your thoughts and prayers. They have worked miracles in his little life and body. For being born 7 weeks early, he is doing remarkably well now. He is no longer on the vent, CPAP machine, umbilical artery catheter, nor does he have the oxygen sensor on his foot. He still has issues with jaundice, but he is only under one blue light for phototherapy, as opposed to the three that he was on just yesterday. His bilirubin score is down to 8, from 17, and their goal is 5 before he can leave. He also has to be able to regulate his temp, but hasn't mastered that yet. There is still an arm board on his forearm with an IV in it and we expect that to come off within the next 48-72 hours. He has a small tube taped to his face for feedings that leads directly to his stomach. He is up to 25 mL of breast milk per feeding, and feedings are every 2.5 hours. I have fed him directly with a bottle, one time he took it down like a champ, but the next time, he kept spitting it up. Sooo, the tube taped to his face remains. He was in my arms for a little over 2 hours today! He is very peaceful when he is there and I love that. He also got some "kangaroo time" which is skin-to-skin time at the breast. He was like a little bird and seemed to know just what to do, but probably didn't get much nourishment there yet. Overall, he has just been such a little fighter and is doing sooo well for 6 days old and 7 weeks early! They are still thinking about 2 weeks, but I don't know if that means from birth last Friday, or from yesterday when she told me that.

I am doing well now, emotionally. Well, better now that he has less and less wires and hookups. They are difficult to deal with when you just want to hold your baby and have to keep everything on the correct side and not pull anything out of it's proper place. STRESS!
Physically, I am still having pain in my back, either from the pushing during delivery, or from the breast pumping. That occurs every 2.5 hours and once in the middle of the night. I get 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep at bedtime. I won't go into the pain from the breast pump, but suffice it to say that is excruciatingly painful as well, but it is what Tanner needs most right now.

Tobin is staying strong, for the most part, but we have both had our emotional breakdowns. It has been a LONG 6 days. He drives me back and forth to the hospital whenever I want and that means a lot. Plus, we take the colostrum, and now milk, over there for Tanner.
He is taking his naps when he feels tired, but I haven't seemed to get that done. Always something to do....I need to though because I can't afford to get sick about the time Tanner comes home."

Your prayers are working! Little Tanner continues to improve each day!