Nicholas Lewis Grimes

Tuesday, January 3, 2006    4:10am

3lbs 9.8oz    16.5 inches

On January 2, 2006 we headed to the hospital thinking I had really bad heartburn and ended up with me being rolled into the operating room for an emergency C-Section around 3:45am on January 3rd! My blood pressure had jumped to 205/147 and my urinalysis registered with +4 proteins, so I was in danger of stroking out or my liver failing due to HELLP Syndrome (similar to toxemia or preeclampsia). *I, by the way, recovered immediately after delivery, but this is Nicholas' page, haha*

Since Nicholas was only 30 weeks gestational age, he was immediately taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Medical Center of Lewisville. He was put on CPAP, a central IV line into his umbilical cord, and of course the typical heart, temperature, and respiratory monitors. As you can see from the first picture he had lots of wires, but that picture was before the CPAP was even put on, which is a large blue and white set of tubes that go up and over around his head like some type of futuristic head gear (see picture below). Very scary for a parent new to NICU, but even scarier for a first time parent who has nothing to compare with.

The first few weeks, I spent most of my time hovering over my tiny baby, crying. He was so small and red and hooked to so many wires, I was just sure life as we knew it was over for all of us, FOREVER.... but we were lucky, each sonogram came back with positive results; each medication did just what it should; and every day brought us a new milestone (see timeline below). Just as I started getting more optimistic about our situation, I began reading preemie sites as suggested by our insurance case manager. There was something missing though, all the sites mainly covered the extreme cases, super-preemies, and other such stories. I started to become very upset, thinking I had way oversimplified Nicholas' diagnosis. I started asking nurses if I was looking through rose-colored glasses, but they assured me that EVERY case is different and that many preemies go on to have a wonderful quality of life, as my little Nicholas appeared to be heading towards. I hope if someone comes across this story, they can take it at face value, as a positive story of the limitless variations of NICU outcomes.

Update as of February 12th, 2006

Nicholas is doing well, taking 2 bottles out of 3 feedings (the 3rd is delivered by nasal tube directly into his little tummy) and gaining weight - already up to 6lbs 6.9oz! He is in an open crib and enjoys interacting with all the nurses (what a little flirt). He's starting to actually focus when we talk to him so you know he's listening. He is happy and about as vocal as his daddy, only peeping up when extremely peeved or to make little noises. Which is only right, since you can see that if he looked anymore like his daddy, I'd have to question if I had anything to do with this child! *I guess that's ok, I must like the look, I kept his daddy around this long *wink*

Update as of February 20th, 2006

Nicholas is doing very well, he has just been upped to 60cc's (2oz) per feeding and he's back to 2 bottles out of 3 feedings. The nurses all tell us he is doing just perfect and we only have to get up to 8 (all) feedings via bottle a day and then we can start looking to come home! Taryn (my brother's daughter) got to come and see him this past Saturday and I think she was not quite sure what to think of him, but he was just smitten! Every time she spoke or made any noise at all he would move his head around trying to see her. I think he'd have just hung out with her forever if we'd let him!

Update as of February 22nd, 2006

As of today, Nicholas is now on 8 (all) feedings a day by bottle! So far he's doing pretty well; he still tires out, but he only has to meet the minimum of 45cc's per feeding so it's not quite so much that we have to get into him... He gets a little more alert every day and has his really good and awake time around 5pm, so when we get home it'll line up perfectly with Daddy coming home from work! Now, to come home, all he has to do is keep up with the bottles, keep gaining weight, and not have another bradycardia (where his heart rate and breathing take a dip for more than 10 seconds) and we're home free! Just in case you're wondering, every time he has a bradycardia it knocks us back another 7 days until we get to leave. The nurses just keep reminding us to be patient because really he shouldn't even be here yet, it's about 2 1/2 weeks until our due date!

Update as of February 24th, 2006

It's amazing, all the nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors all kept telling us feeding was like a light bulb that would just flip on one day. For the most part, I thought they were nuts, but I've seen it happen! Nicholas is taking all his bottles, just slurping them down (he's a messy eater!) and then snuggling in! We're really excited that this could be the beginning of our path home! He's going to get his "newborn pictures" done tomorrow because he's all pretty and wireless in the face, finally!! Now we just have the car seat test, another eye test, and his circumcision. We do have to keep in mind that he had a bradycardia in the night time of the 20th, so the very earliest we might get to go home is the 27th, and I wouldn't put any stock in that date. There's too much they're waiting to do, and tomorrow starts the weekend *aka "doctor ghost town"* If I were to guess, if everything goes well this weekend, we'll probably room in next Friday night and take him home on Saturday.. at least that's what we're hoping for! Funny thing is, we've really started bonding with some other NICU parents and I will miss them!

Update as of February 26th, 2006

We're Coming Home! We've been keeping it quiet just in case it fell through, and of course, there's still a chance it will, but tonight Glenn and I "room-in" and stay the night in the NICU with Nicholas in a private room. The nurses will check in on us periodically and make sure all is well, but other than that, it's just us and him. It will give us a chance to see if there are any other issues we need to make sure we're educated on and then tomorrow (Monday) we'll get to take him home around 2p or so! We're so excited and a little nervous too, but after 8 weeks of "on-the-job-training" with the nurses near by, we're probably not as nervous as first time parents of a term baby! We're going to church this morning as it will be our last time to the church until we get the all clear from our pediatrician that RSV season is over (mid to late April). We'll keep updating here for a couple of months, but then we'll move over to Nicholas' 1st Year as we settle into normal family life. Thanks for coming back to check on us!

Update as of February 27th, 2006

WE'RE HOME - WE'RE HOME - WE'RE HOME

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to snuggle with my son, but I'll leave you with our "going home snapshot" that was taken at the NICU

Update as of March 6th, 2006

Well we've completed a full week at home and things are going great! Nicholas is eating like a horse and getting so big! This has been a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is wonderful! Make sure and keep up with Nicholas as he strides through his first year at Nicholas' 1st Year.

Major Milestones (NICU)

January 3rd: "baby boy" Grimes is born

January 4th: Ventilator Removed/CPAP Attached

January 6th: "baby boy" officially becomes Nicholas Lewis Grimes

January 8th: Nicholas moved from open warmer bed to Isolette

January 10th: CPAP Removed/Oxygen Cannula Attached

January 11th: Mommy holds Nicholas for the 1st time

January 13th: Mimi holds Nicholas for the 1st time

January 14th: Gigi holds Nicholas for the 1st time

                        IV Removed from Umbilical Cord

January 15th: Daddy holds Nicholas for the 1st time

                        IV Removed from Hand

January 16th: Nicholas moved from Isolette to Open Crib

January 21st: Oxygen Cannula Removed

January 23rd: Nicholas' 1st Bottle Feeding

February 3rd: Nicholas' 1 Month Birthday

February 5th: Pastor Tom Comes to Visit Nicholas

February 8th: Nicholas Weighs in at 6lbs!!

February 22nd: Nicholas Weighs in at 7lbs 2.4oz!!

February 22nd: Nicholas goes to 8 bottle feedings a day

February 23rd: Nasal Feeding Tube Removed

February 27th: The Grimes Family Exits NICU, one day short of 8 weeks!

Thank You's  

We have been very lucky to be in wonderful NICU where everyone has taken great care of Nicholas and Mommy and Daddy!! We thank them for all they have done and all they have taught us!

Medical Center of Lewisville NICU Nurses:

Brenda R - for being a teacher and a constant voice of reason for us    

Jennifer S - for keeping us smiling, and being from "the old neighborhood"

Lew - for letting mommy cry, and crying with her when she needed it

Robin - for helping us to understand why we're doing what we're doing   

Jennifer R - for making sure we don't get too confused   

Debbie - for being a great listener to the unrealistic fears of new parents      

Karen - for making us smile when all we wanted to do was cry    

Dayna -  for listening to mommy's incessant worries and not dismissing them  

Jenny Z - for helping us determine what's normal and what's not  

Debbie R - for being there when our son needed her most    

Wanissa - for having a magic touch with all the babies    

Hannah - for teaching us the tightest swaddling job ever

Jennifer - for a great, infectious laugh that keeps the situation light    

Tanya - for giving us space to figure it out, but be close enough to bail us out    

Sonya - for giving us tips and tricks to carry into our life at home    

Brenda - for taking a gentle hand with our son, and a tough hand with us    

Roxann - for giving us great demos of what a baby choking on a bottle sounds like

Jennifer G - for making a long trip to make a big difference    

David - for making the NICU more like a 2nd home than the hospital

LeAnn - for letting us see that we can take care of our son      

Pat - for doting on our son even when she isn't assigned to him    

Jessica - for noticing the little things that let us be "normal" new parents    

Kristine - for giving shots, assisting in exams, and doing all the "tough" stuff    

Kathy - for using a tender hand and soft voice with our son    

Nancy - for checking in on us when we look lost    

Mary - for burning the midnight oil with a cranky little boy       

Andrea - for keeping close watch over the babies

Deann - for tending us through the longest night of our lives (the room-in)       

Medical Center of Lewisville NICU Nurse Practitioners:

Debbie - for caring for the tiniest of miracles    

Denise - for being sympathetic to our situation while doing what's best    

Cheryl - for being our son's biggest cheerleader.. and mommy's too    

Terry - for helping 2 parents-to-be and then new parents come to terms with NICU

More Nicholas Pictures from NICU