Hallelujah!

Hallelujah, we're finally making progress!  Friday we had our clinic visit with Pulmonary.  Baby GL managed to grow out of his necessary medications for his lungs.  Last time we were there in fall the doctor did not increase his dosages of medications since he was doing so well.  This round she completely took him off the medications based on his weight, age and how well his lungs are doing. It's a huge relief to decrease his daily meds.  That's 3 less meds that he gets, 2 of which were given twice daily, a diuretic and Sodium Chloride.  The other was Potassium, given only once a day.  I'm thrilled that all he needs now is his multi-vitamin and his thyroid med at night and a reflux med right before his first feeding.  So much less to keep track of.

One other change we made was with his breathing treatments.  Up until now we've been using a nebulizer twice daily to give him his steroid med for his lungs.  We've also, frequently given him Albuterol with that steroid.  Together, those meds would take almost 20 minutes to fully give to Baby GL.  With a nebulizer the liquid meds would become a mist that Baby GL would breath in.  During that 20 minutes he would pull the mask into his mouth, scream with frustration, and just plain flip his head the opposite direction to avoid it.  Now we are using an inhaled version of those medications.  We only do the steroid, twice daily, the Albuterol only for if he begins to struggle with breathing.  We still use a mask but instead of the nebulizer we use an inhaler.  The inhaler connects to an OptiChamber that holds the med inside a long chamber until Gianluca takes 6 breaths, pulling the med into his lungs.  There's a valve that moves as he breaths allowing the med to slowly release only by his breath.  We give him 2 puffs and it only take a matter of a couple minutes compared to the 20 minutes before.  It's like a sigh of relief as the stress rolls off our shoulders.  I always made my husband do the breathing treatments because I didn't have the patience for them. I figured if I do all the meds he could do the treatments.  Now I've taken back the breathing treatments and all he gets left with is the last feeding at 11pm.  He really lucked out.  However, I usually make him to the dirty diapers if he's around just to make it fair.

We've been having so much fun with Baby GL.  He's moved onto his jumper being his favorite toy.  Thanks to our good friend for lending it to us.  Baby GL will bounce away the day in there.  He's progressed to rotating in the seat now.  He's gone almost all the way around.  He's figured out how to press the music buttons and he's now found the toys on the sides.  He puts so much effort in reaching for the toys.  One is a sun with a smiley face that he will cry sometimes if he can't reach it.  He will work hard reaching those little arms to get to bend with both hands and pull it to his mouth, tongue hanging out waiting for it to get there.  You can see the joy when he reaches it to his mouth, then he bounces again, most of the time if forces him to let go and stop to try again.

Baby GL's latest weight is 12lbs 11oz.  He's slow in his weigh gain still, but I think all his playtime is why.  I don't want to bump him up too quickly on his feedings, but I think we're making progress.  The Pulmonologist said that with is weight and height ratio he's in the 50th percentile.  However, based on his age he was only in the less than 3rd percentile.  That was when we saw the neonatal clinic a month ago.  People always told me he will only be in his clothes for a short time before he grows out of them.  He's only managed to get into the 0-3 month clothing, some 3 month items.  I can't say I mind, too terribly, though.  It's nice to enjoy him before he hits that growth spurt and outgrows everything, including my hugs and kisses.