Look at this photo of Aiden, acting like he was never a 25-weeker. All nurses assigned to him early on say they don’t recognize him now, they can’t believe how big he is! He really is a different baby.
Aiden hit a big milestone last night – he weighs 5 pounds! He moved to Q3 feeds on Sunday, which means he moved from feedings every 2 hours to every 3 hours. He receives a larger amount at one time and seems to be handling it well. He continues to receive the supplemental formula to gain weight, the nurses think he can be removed from that over the next week or so.
He also graduated to a crib! No more incubator for Aiden. He’s able to regulate his body temperature on his own. Mom and dad are so proud.
His CPAP pressure has been moved to 5, which is the lowest pressure it can go. Once he proves he doesn’t need it, the mask will be removed and we can see his beautiful face all the time.
Once Aiden is off CPAP he will be able to learn how to breastfeed. He’s already showing signs by sucking on his pacifier. It’s a longer process for preemies because they have to learn the coordination of suck, swallow and breathe. This will be a big step for him!
In order for Aiden to go home, he needs to accomplish the following:
- No respiratory support. And no desats (oxygen drops) or bradys (heart rate drops).
- Breastfeeding or bottle feeding and gaining weight.
- Pass eye test, hearing test and car seat challenge.
- Hernia surgery.
We also need to make sure he can handle the pressures on the airplane. A very small number of preemies go home with some oxygen support. If Aiden is one of those babies, he won’t be able to go on the airplane.
So, we’ll just hang out in Vancouver as long as it takes. As much as we want to go home and sleep in our own bed, I know we’ll miss this city. We’ve done a lot of exploring and will want to come back to visit soon. Just not while I’m pregnant. 🙂
aiden james elliott 
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