Today is the last day for Matthew to be given his antibiotics...Yeah! Since there is a high risk of infection with several lines going through the umbilical cord after 7 days, the doctor inserted a PIC line into his right arm. This is done so they can remove the feeding line that is in the umbilical cord and continue feeding him intravenously through this new PIC line.
The heart medication (Indosin) that they were giving him to close the heart valve, known as the PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) is not working. Several ECG's (Electrocardiogram) were performed and the results showed it open, then closed and then open again. The doctor's are still trying to determine whether or not they should give him another dose of Indosin or to perform surgery. They have already given him more doses than they normally would and their main concern of giving more doses is the side effects. One of the major side effects of too much Indosin is Renal (Kidney) failure.
It has been several days since Matthew has been stable enough to move him onto the scale to be weighed. Today they were able to get a weight on him since his birthday. He is currently weighing in at 623 grams (~1 lb. 5.5 oz). At birth he was 1 lb. 11 oz, so he has lost about 6 ounces. It is normal for any baby to lose weight after birth only to gain it back again in a couple of weeks.
On the more delightful side of things, Jason and I got to hear our son crying and cooing for the first time today since the tube of the respirator had been removed. He cried when we changed his diapers and to top it off he decided to pee on Jason's hand the second we opened his diaper. I have managed to change his diaper before without getting wet but I know my day is coming!
