Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A little progress

Today an occupational therapist came to work with Brayden on his bottle feeding. His doctor hasn't been even letting him try the bottle for the last couple of days (which I didn't understand...how is he supposed to learn?!) and when I expressed my concerns to the therapist she wrote an order for him to get a bottle once per shift (twice a day) and if he does well (eats 75% or more of it) then they can give him more feeds through the bottle. They also started him on reglan for his reflux and so far it's helping (though it's still early).

Today I was able to bathe and change him....here he is post-bath:

With Daddy:

Whoa...Hi Dad!
This bib is as big as I am!

Now it looks like the earliest he will be out of the hospital is Tuesday. It's very hard having setbacks with his timeline but I just want him to be well and 100% ready to go home.
Last night Chris and I were looking at some of his pictures from his stay here thus far. I was shocked at how sick he looked...I didn't realize it until now. It actually scared me a little bit. We are so blessed at how quickly he has gotten better and how God has worked in his life and I am just so thankful. Even if it takes him several more weeks to get well, I will be content because he is no longer truly sick. I know we will take him home soon!
Edited to Add...
I don't know if I ever shared this pic before but at one point Brayden was on all of these meds plus three more...He has come so far!

70 comments:

Tara said...

What a cute little face he has!! Praying for your sweet family!

Anonymous said...

What a handsome boy! You are such a strong Christian woman! Praying for peace and grace and understanding deep within your sweet heart. I am also praying for progress in Brayden's bottle feeding. You guys are on my heart.
Love,
Your Sister In Christ

Katy said...

He is so cute! You guys are still in my prayers.

Barb said...

He is truly a beautiful little blessing,so glad the feeding are getting better....Barb

Pascha said...

brayden is beautiful! i will keep praying that he will take his bottle; and be able to come home soon!

Anonymous said...

Your little boy is so precious. I'll be praying that he'll take those bottles 100%!

April said...

Praying that he'll take his bottles! He is just adorable!

Stephanie said...

Jenna,

Please remember that god is so good. Everything works together for those who love the lord. Though we might not understand the timeline or the actions, we just give it to the lord and give praise. You are so blessed with your husband to have Brayden come this far..

Thank you Jesus,

Stephanie in mo.

Anonymous said...

I have been following Brayden's and Harper's stories since the day they were born! Praise Jesus! What a testimony these two have become to others! I am amazed at the strength and courage of their Mommy's too! I am so happy for Brayden and your family! He is so precious! May the Lord continue to BLESS all of you! Continuing to pray, Paige in FLorida

Heather said...

Hi there,
I've been following your blog for a couple of months...and I know you don't know me from Joe-Shmoe, but I just wanted to let you know that my daughter went through almost exactly what your sweet boy is going through! And I just want you to know that it does get easier. Gracie had a year and a half of therapy and now she is almost 3 years old with absolutely no trace of any problems! I am praying for your journey!!

-Heather in Texas
www.amazinglygraced.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

He's just a cutie and I'm so glad he's getting better! Tuesday is not far away! Still praying!

Amy said...

Brayden is so beautiful! What a sweet little face! Praying and praying for you all! :)

Kristi said...

I agree, Brayden is looking so much better than his earlier days in NICU. Even though it must seem like the days are dragging, and how could they not when you just want your little guy home with you, but his recovery time has been amazing. Thanks be to God! I'm praying Brayden will start to enjoy those bottles and hopefully any possible reflux issue will be easily under control. Hang in there!

Valerie said...

Jesus I pray that you would show Brayden how to eat. I pray that you would be his little tongue, and lips, and show him how to properly latch on. I pray that you would bring healing to anything that needs it in order for him to eat properly.


Blessings to you, the Mommy and Daddy, as you continue to walk this road. I'll continue to pray for you all!

Cathy said...

Bless Brayden and his parent's precious hearts...

Kate said...

I'm glad he's doing so well! He's so cute. Continuing to pray for you all!

Lindsay said...

I'm glad the OT was willing to listen to you about Brayden trying the bottle...don't be afraid to trust your momma instincts, Jenna! I've been praying very specifically for Brayden's feedings...praying they'll continue to get better! My little boy had feeding issues and was in the NICU for a while...so I do understand a very little bit of your struggles. Before you know it, this will all be a distant memory!

Anonymous said...

We are so relieved to see that Brayden is improving...I have been following your posts. I had a bad habit of taking things for granted and sweating the small stuff. Seeing Brayden like this really makes me realize how trivial all those little things are. God bless you all!

Anonymous said...

I am so excited that he is doing better. Still praying!
He is so handsome.
~Amanda

Amanda Ledford said...

He is sooooooooooo cute!!!! I'm still praying for you all!

Amanda (McNeely) Vestal said...

Brayden is so pretty. It's amazing how much better he looks now. Now he looks like a thriving, happy, baby. I hope you get to come home soon!

Bethany said...

Aww, that first pic is precious! So what has been the doctors reason for not letting him eat by bottle? Just curious. When our daughter was in the NICU, there were a few days they didn't want her eating because they didn't want her to tucker out ... basically they wanted her to focus on getting better first, and then move on to eating. Not sure if this is the case with Brayden or not, but I understand your frustration!

Heather said...

He is so cute! I know it's hard and all you want to do is grab your baby and run! lol! But he's doing so much better than he was and he will be home before you know it! I pray for you guys several times a day! Brayden will be home before you know it!
Hugs and prayers,
Heather~ On the Homefront

redpoppy007@aol.com said...

He is so cute..glad he is doing so much better.

Unknown said...

Brayden is looking FANTASTIC. I mean, really rockin' the house after that bath. His eyes are so alert & sweet. Love the pic of him in the hat.

Ya know, reading this & seeing your pics brings back so many memories. I think that God gave you the grace and a narrow scope of vision when looking at Brayden at first when he was 'really' sick and that was for your own good so that you could deal with things & help him get better and now as you look back at photos you can see how much improvement he has made. I know when I look back at Morgan's pics I see how sickly she looked at first & how much she improved over the course of her stay I was blessed by God to have the strength to handle it, the machines, tubes, etc..all of it while friends & family of mine looked at the pics & said, how did you do it. There in lies the testimony like you were talking about with Brayden's quick recovery...God's touch, time, and plan to bring glory out of a sad & hard event.

Still praying.

Hailey said...

Still praying in NC!
Hope you guys get to go home soon. Stay strong. Everything is going to work out. He will start liking his bottle soon.

Anonymous said...

Such a precious little man you have there! I have been following your blog via Kelly. The progress he's made is quite eveident in the pictures! How great is our God! Continuing to pray for your sweet family, that precious little boy and his feeding issues, the drs and nurses giving him such loving care and the other babies in the NICU with you and their families! It's eveident His angels are on overtime in that place! Blessings to you all!

Gail said...

What a sweet boy he is. God has his hand on him and it won't be long. You are coming to the end of this journey and it catching up with you. Take time to breath, eat and rest. You will be home very soon.

Prayers for you and yours.

Amanda said...

LOVE the pic of Brayden post bath. That is too precious! hooray for bath time! that's quite the tree of meds. My daughter weighed less than 2 lbs when she was born and she wasn't even on that many meds. Such an amazing blessing to be completely off them in such a short time!!!! And Reglan is pretty minor. Hopefully he will outgrow his reflux soon. Hang in there, the end is in sight and you will be home as a family of three soon! Praying he gets better with his feeds soon!

McCray's said...

Sweet little Brayden...I have never met you but want you to know that in only your first few weeks of life, God has used you to encourage my heart more than you will probably ever understand. You are one very special little guy! (And so are your parents!)

Still praying for you all!

Lisa said...

I love love love that 1st picture of Brayden. Look at his big eyes!! What a precious little boy.

He has indeed come along way and hopefully soon he will be going home.

Thanks for sharing these pictures with us.

Hugs,
Lisa

Alicia said...

I've been following your blog and this is my first time posting. I am so happy that Brayden is doing so well and is healing. He is such a little cutie!

pinkmommy said...

Love that hog hat!!!

Praise the Lord that our NWA bloggy NICU babies are progressing! Maybe you will get to go home on the same day as Harper!

Courtney said...

Aw love him! What big beautiful eyes! :)

Jodi said...

Oh, that brings back memories of Emma's time in the hospital.
She also had issues with withdrawal(from morphine) She had some issues with eating during that time as well as reflux.

We will keep pray that he will take his bottles like a champ so he can go home soon!

Take care
Jodi

A Life Less Complicated said...

You guys are doing incredibly well! Even though each day seems like a week its encouraging to see all the little improvements. He will get the hang of the bottle but you have to persevere - I fed Elijah in 10ml lots every hour while he was asleep just so i could get him home! We also had trouble with reflux but it was silent - after a month of meds it finally resolved but it hurts to see your little one in pain! Great job ;)

Alesha @ Full Time Mama said...

Precious!!!

Megan said...

we will continue to pray for Brayden's bottle feedings! He is a handsome boy!

Jill said...

You two make a pretty baby! He is so cute!!

I'm happy he's doing so well. I'll be praying that the bottle feeding gets better. You're so close to taking your sweet little guy home. :)

((HUGS))

Anonymous said...

Holy cow he has come along way! I had the same problem with my son, they would not let him try to eat they said he was working too hard, well if he doesn't try he wont learn, so when he was eating through his tube I gave him a pacifier to suck so he understood when you suck your belly gets food, it worked and he started eating and we left 2 days later. Just thought I would share my experience with you..

He is really a cutie pie!

ginger said...

He is absolutely adorable! You are truly blessed! (& all those meds~wow~he's come a long way in a short time!)

Small Town Girl said...

I found your blog last night and started to read and I started to remember 8 years ago when I had a
2pds 13 oz beautiful baby girl. It make me look back when I see your pictures and see your little family and see the smiles on your face and as well as your husbands. Your son is such a handsome little baby. I love all the pictures you are posting back 8 years ago I didn't no about blogging and it sure would have helped me when I was sad, happy or just wanted to put what was going on with our family I am glad you are able to share your story with us all out here in blog land!!. I am so happy that Brayden is doing so well and is healing. He is such a little cutie! I will be praying for you and your family and baby BRAYDEN!!! God Bless!

trishandwade said...

Brayden is precious!! He is so handsome, and I know he can't wait to go home! Still praying for all of you here in Florida. God is SO good.

Lianna Knight said...

He looks so healthy and alert :) Just the sweetest thing ever!!!

L2L said...

Jenna, he is soooo handsom!!!! Praying for you and your husband and that all road blocks will be removd for Brayden to come home in God's perfect timing!!!!

creative gal said...

he is so so so cute!! :o)

JennaDK said...

He looks so handsome Jenna! I'll be prayng Brayden takes all of his bottle or at least 75% so you can take your sweey baby boy home!

Rachel said...

Glad he is doing better. Praying he continues to eat better. Good for you making sure they at least try the bottle more with him. Praying you get to bring him home soon. He is just precious.
Hugs and Prayers
Rachel in PA

Rebekah said...

Awww...he is so precious. I am glad you are getting to bathe him and care for him in all those those little ways a mommy is supposed to! We are still praying for you guys. I know Brayden will be completely well soon and you will be taking him home!

Nancy L. said...

So glad for him! He is a miracle baby! So happy for you guys!! We'll keep praying!

Patsy said...

God has a special purpose for you and your little one. Time heals!! I wish today to be a blessed day with lots of progress. God bless ya'll!!

mrsrubly said...

aww! what a gorgeous baby you are brayden! stay strong..drink drink drink..i know mom and dad will be so proud! hugs thoughts and prayers from katy TX
bonny

michele said...

Praise God!

What an adorable little boy you have.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us. I'm so inspired when I read your words. Your faith is amazing!

Still praying for you in Pearland, TX.

Hugs,
Michele

Emily said...

Jenna.... Tuesday:) yeah:) Praying daily! Get healthy lil brayden soo mommy and daddy can take you home:)

Brooke said...

Way to go Brayden. And good job mom and putting your foot down to get him bottle feedings. Here is to hoping he learns quick and can go home soon!

Anonymous said...

What a darling picture of Brayden all dressed up after his bath! He IS looking so much healthier! The picture of all the med machines was really sobering. He's come such a long way! Tuesday will be here before you know it, so get plenty of rest before then. :0) Sending up grateful prayers for the healing progress of both Harper Stamps and Brayden. They're both just adorable!!!

Kristen said...

He is SO SWEET!!! Look at that darling little face! I am still praying for him and that the feedings will go better for you!

Cori said...

OH, I love the picture of him wearing the hat. He's is so precious!

Alicia said...

I am so glad to read about his improvements! He will continue to be in my prayers!

Stacy Brown said...

Brayden is so adorable! I have been following your blog since he was born and am praying for your family. I look forward to seeing the updates and am so glad he is doing well!!

Jennifer said...

Praise the Lord. How cute is he..and to be honest looking at past pictures, he looks totally different now, much healthier! God is Good:)

jennifer
visiting from Kelly's blog

The Adkins Family said...

Precious! Glad he's improved so fast and so much!

Erika said...

He is so adorable! What a little sweetheart! Praying so hard everything will continue to go smoothly & he will be able to go home soon!

Katie said...

Bless his heart! He looks soooo sweet! Wow...that bib IS huge on him! He's got such a sweet little face. Still keeping y'all in my prayers!

Megan L Hutchings said...

I think he looks just precious in his AR hat :)! Also, I am so happy his progress as gone well!

Kendra said...

Wow, he really has come so far. Thank you Jesus.
We will keep praying for his feedings and his MRI.
Blessings and hugs,
kendra

Laura Marchant said...

Oh he is just so cute! I love that first pic.

Anonymous said...

Hello - I've been visiting your blog often through Kelly's Korner & have been praying for little Brayden & Harper. I haven't left a comment yet, but couldn't help it when I saw those sweet pictures - you have a cutie!!! I continue to lift him up in prayer.

Shannon Willcutt said...

Jenna, I have found your blog through Kelly's, and I just want you to know that I am praying for little Brayden! Reading your story just makes me want to go kneel beside my 2 sleeping little girls and pray! God is so good!!

Please know that thoughts and prayers are with you from Mississippi!!

in Him,
Shannon Willcutt

In This Wonderful Life said...

love the razorback oh his little hat. you guys are still in my prayers! love!

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