Lawson Andrew & Amelia Paige

Nurse: Tina/Heather/
Doctor: Dr. Mena
Weight: 2 pounds 3 ounces

Lawson is resting on his belly today. His Creatine level has gone up to 1.3. They are watching him but don't seem overly concerned about this. Today is Eric's first day back to work. He seemed to dread it but knew that it was time. I have been manning the hospital and he is calling me for updates. He got off work early to come visit Lawson.

Nurse: Annette/Lindsey/Pam
Doctor: Dr. Strange/Dr. DiCarlo
Weight: 2 pounds 3 ounces

Lawson's Creatine level has come down to 1.1 today. That is really good news! He continues to be on Dopamine to flush out his kidney's. His urine output is good He is resting well today. He has been on his belly most of the day.

Nurse: Annette/Lindsey/Pam
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 6 ounces (up due to the ventilator and extra equipment)

Lawson is having a better day today. His Creatine level has come down to 1.4. This is a good sign. They are continuing to give him Dopamine and lasics to flush his system out. He has had several really big tee-tee diapers. This is a good sign that his kidney's are still functioning. He seems to be resting well. He is very still and worn out. He seems to be catching up on his rest from being on the C-Pap machine.

Eric and I feel a little better today. We just pray that he continues to go in the right direction. We decided to go home tonight. We hope to rest better tonight.

Nurse: Bonnie/Tara
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 2 ounces

Sunday's are bad days for Lawson. Dr. Strange placed Lawson back on the ventilator because of some concerns about the kidney. Lawson's Creatine level was elevated. This level should be <1 and it is now 1.9. This indicates problems in the kidney's. The Cardiologist confirmed that the flap in his heart was closed so the level was not elevated because of the heart. They drew a culture from Lawson so they can see if there is infection in the kidney's. They got another read on this level at 6:00pm, the level came down to 1.8. Our worst fear at this point is kidney failure. They started several antibiotics. One was Dopamine, it makes him produce a lot of urine to flush out his kidney's. He responded to the Dopamine but they weren't doing another read on the level until 6am Monday morning.

Eric and I are very concerned at this point. We are so scared that one of his major organs won't function right. This could be fatal. The whole family has come to the hospital to anxiously await the 6pm read of the levels. Wendy said the sweetest prayer for us and baby Lawson. What would we do without wonderful family and friends? What a blessing.

Eric and I pray that God place his healing hands on Lawson. He is the powerful almighty healer. This is in his hands and we trust that he will help us through this time.

Nurse: Annette/Lindsey/Tara
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 2 ounces

Today has been a good day for Lawson. He hasn't pooped yet but they are trying to give him a little time. Annette has been laying him on his side in hopes of stimulating his bowels. He has been very stable on the C-Pap machine today. He has been on his back or side most of the day today. They took out the little IV in his umbilical cord because it is only good for so long. From now on, they will draw lab by pricking his heal. His bilirubin is down to 6.9 and they would like to see it between 3-4. It has gradually come down from 14.5 - 10 - 9.5 - 7.2 - 6.9. They continue the phototherapy.

We're still praying for poop. His x-rays are showing that he still has some stool to pass.

Nurse: Amanda/Susan/Tara/Kristen
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 2 ounces

Today is a pretty stable day for Lawson. He had several lapses in his breathing after midnight. They noticed that his hemoglobin was a little low so they gave him blood. He has done much better since he received the blood. He seems to be resting well. His tummy is bloated due to the air from the C-Pap. They gave Lawson 2 enemas and 2 supositories. He pooped 3 small times and finally lost his maconium plug. They are hoping that this will help him poop more. They think that once the poop has passed that the air in his tummy can pass.

Overall we are pleased with his progress. We are just praying for poop! We are also praying that he stay stable on the C-Pap machine.

Nurse: Amanda/Susan/Michelle/Kristen
Doctor: Dr. Dicarlo
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce

Today has been a nerve racking day for Eric and I. We called to check on Lawson at 9am and we were told that he was taken off of the ventilator at 11pm the night before and he is now on the C-Pap machine. This is considered a step in the right direction. Eric and I realize this but just worry about the transition. The nurses had to keep a close watch on him to make sure that he remembered to breathe. Lawson did well on the C-Pap machine throughout the day. Eric and I went to dinner (Brix) with Libby and Alan while the nursery was closed. We visited the nursery with Dana, Charity, Leslie, Mom and Donna. Lawson had been put on the vapor C-Pap machine so that less air would go to his tummy. He was having a hard time staying stable so they put him back on the other C-Pap machine. If they see that the air in his tummy doesn't subside, they may consider putting him back on the ventilator.

Prayer: Today I pray that the air in Lawson's tummy will pass and they he stay stable on the C-Pap machine. I also pray that God give Eric and I the strength to handle the ups and downs of the NICU.
This has been quite the roller coaster ride and it has just begun. My final prayer is for the nurses and
doctors in the NICU. Please give them the knowledge and ability to treat my sweet baby Lawson.

Nurse:
Doctor: Dr. Dicarlo
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce

Today Lawson is one week old. We are considering this a small milestone. Now... if we could fast forward 13 more weeks. Lawson is having a good day today. His stats are stable. We visited the nursery late and 30 minutes later they took him off of the ventilator to put him on the C-Pap machine. This machine is not as hard on his little lungs. It feeds positive pressure to his lungs. Lawson took to the C-Pap pretty well. Dr. Strange discontinued his gut priming so it wouldn't be too much on him.

Eric and I are excited about the move to the C-Pap though we are very nervous. We know that it is a move for the best.and we pray that he remembers to breathe. We trust the nurses and doctors and they have done a really good job with watching him closely.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Nurse: Tanna/Tara
Doctor: Dr. DiCarlo
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce

Today is a good day for Lawson. His blood oxygen levels are more stable each day. Dr. DiCarlo would like to take him off the ventilator soon. They are watching him closely to see when the best time for him would be. This makes Eric and I excited about his progress but a nervous wreck about the step. We ask ourselves, "What if he stops breathing? Will they have enough time to help him?" Neither one of us want to be there when they do this. It is best that we aren't. Lawson's bilirubin levels are gradually coming down. The phototherapy is helping.

Nurse: Tanna/Tara
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 1 ounce

Lawson is having a good day. He is sleeping well and preferring his tummy over his back. Dr. Strange started the gut priming process today. This is where they give him 1 cc of milk to coat his stomach. They don't consider this feeding. Just preparing his tummy for milk. She said that we will see how he does with this. They started it every 8 hours and then came down to every 6 hours. This was a step in the right direction

We pray that Lawson's tummy can handle the gut priming and his stats stay stable during the process.

Nurse: Tanna/Tina
Doctor: Dr. DiCarlo
Weight: 1 pound 10 ounces

Today is a rough day for Lawson. His blood oxygen levels are very eratic. Dr. DiCarlo and Dr. Mena are very concerned that Lawson't hypertension is back or the shunt in his heart has not closed. He got another heart scan. The cardiologist confirmed that there was no hypertension and that the shunt was closed. That was very encouraging. After x-rays and lab work, the cultures confirmed that Lawson had a germ. It was a skin germ that was treated by an antibiotic. The germ caused the eratic behavior throughout the day.

Eric and I had a very hard day. We were worried about Lawson's regression. Lawson had quite a battle to fight. We pray that the antibiotic can treat his little germ. We also pray that his breathing become stable. Eric and I are in desperate need of strength today. The doctors and nurses need the strength and knowledge to help baby Lawson get better.

Nurse: Kristen/Joy/Mary Jane
Doctor: Dr. Strange
Weight: 2 pounds 4 ounces

Today was a semi-stable day for Lawson. His blood oxygen levels stayed fairly stable. There were several times where he fluctuated on his levels. Eric and I nervously await each moment.

Nurse: Annette/Lindsey/Salena
Doctor: Dr. Mena
Weight: 2 pounds and 8 ounces (up due to swelling)

Lawson is a little more stable today but he still has a long way to go. The main focus today is on his little lungs. He has to have surflacton to keep his little lungs open. Another head scan was done and a grade 2 hemorrhage was found on the left side of the brain. It is common to see grade 1 and grade 2 bleeds in the scans of premature babies due to the immature veins. The doctor's want to watch the bleed but are not overly concerned. They are also keeping a close watch on his kidney function. Lawson's urine output is very high. The doctor's would like to see this a little bit lower. The doctor's main concern at this point is the head, heart and lungs.

Prayer: We lift little Lawson up in prayer today. We can hardly sleep, eat or concentrate on anything but our precious baby. We ask for strength during this roller coaster ride.

Nurse: Annette/Lindsey
Doctor: Dr. Mena
Weight: 2 pounds 6 ounces

Lawson is trying to adjust to a new world outside of my belly. The doctors continue to remind us of his unstable state. He received an MRI (head scan) and a cardiac scan. The head scan was clear and the heart scan showed hypertension. The doctors were very concerned about treating the hypertension. He is on several antibiotics and the ventilator. His ventilator settings stay between 30-40%. He is still a very sick little baby.

Eric and I are nervous and full of prayers. Sitting on the edge of our seats and waiting for the next news.

Nurse: Amy
Doctor: Dr. DiCarlo
Weight: 2 pounds 6 ounces

Today was the surprising arrival of my sweet baby, Lawson Andrew Wood. I was only 26 weeks pregnant when I was awoken with severe cramps (contractions) at 12:30am. I thought I had eaten something bad and laid down for an hour and a half to see if it would pass. It didn't so Eric and I raced to Brookwood to see what was wrong. We arrived at 4:11am. I was wheeled to Labor and Delivery where we thought they would simply examine me and send me on my way. Much to our surprise, Lawson arrived just 12 minutes later (at 4:23am). We were surprised to see him with his eyes open and moving his legs. He took 3 breaths alone before he was taken to the NICU. He was a breach vaginal delivery due to an incompetant cervix. Eric and I were shocked and scared for the well being of Lawson. We just knew it was too early for him to have any chance of survival. This would have to be the most terrifying moment of our lives. Mom, Allen, Dad, Libby, Alen and Leslie arrived within the hour. We were all full of prayers and anticipation. This was all so unexpected. We had to wait a long hour and a half before seeing him in the NICU. Dr. DiCarlo gave us a report before seeing him. He told us his main concerns, Lawson's lungs, heart and brain. He said that he was a very sick baby and that the next 48 hours were crucial. I'll never forget the first time that Eric and I got to see Lawson. He was the most precious thing that we had ever seen. Eric and I cried, realizing how lucky we were to even have him alive at that moment. I never knew that I could feel a love so strong for a little human that I only had known for less than an hour.

Prayer: Eric and I pray for our sweet baby. We pray that his lungs, brain and heart can develop into that of a full term
baby. We pray that we can handle the roller coaster ride that we (Eric and I) just began. We pray for strength. We pray
that the Lord gives the nurses and doctors the strength and knowledge to care for Lawson.