Aiden is such a trooper, he gave us a scare the past few days with is de-sats, spit-ups and slight fever. The blood test results came back positive at 3:00 AM (36 hours after the test) for clusters that will likely turn into a staph infection. This happens in the hospital environment, even though they sterilize everything.
Rachel, Aiden’s doctor, said the test could have been contaminated because it took so long for the clusters to form, and took a second test. We’ll see how the results come back. She started antibiotics anyway. She also decided to give him a blood transfusion because his cell count is low. Infection and blood transfusions are common for preemies. How is it possible for our little guy to go through so much?
Eric and I’ve met other parents of preemies (or “prems” as it’s called here). It’s nice to hear other parents share what their children have endured and overcome each week, it gives us hope.
I’ve also talked to other parents that have preemies with heart and muscle defects. These children and their parents have a long road ahead of them and our hearts go out to them.
aiden james elliott 
Hi Jamie! It’s Tiffany. Reading your story made me think of what my family went through. Not sure if I ever told you but Macie (now 13) was born 4 weeks early. Not so early, in comparison, I know. The big surprise was, she was born with severe RDS (underdeveloped lungs). No one expected this so it was a shock to all when she came out and couldn’t breathe. To make a long story somewhat short, she was in the NICU for 4 weeks. The first week spent on a ventilator. It was a series of ups and downs, as you describe. At first it was two steps backward for every one step forward. We were very scared but kept hope alive. Her oxygenation levels also got dangerously low and she had to have a blood transfusion. We didn’t want a random donor but we were running out of time to find a match from a person that we knew. We were told they had to do it immediately and that a random donor would be fine since they radiate the blood. She also wasn’t strong enough to feed so she was tube fed most of the time. Gradually she began to take two steps forward and only one step back. Moving in a positive direction. I loved holding her skin to skin like you are doing and I noticed the difference in her heart rate and oxygenation levels when I did hold her this way. Keep that up. It’s so important. We were released after four weeks and now she’s a spunky healthy, hard headed, sassy teenager. That was almost 14 years ago. I also have a friend that had a baby 3 months early, born at 1 1/2 pounds. Very similar situation to yours. He is now 19 years old and about 6 foot tall. The medical advancement continues. They work miracles these days!!! Stay strong and always keep hope alive. Sending prayers and warm healing thoughts daily!
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