A father's note...

Some of you may come across several acronyms as you follow along with this blog.   Here are some definitions of the more important ones:

CPAP - Air is put into the lungs in order to keep them slightly inflated at all times.  Preemie babies have very wet lungs and they find it very hard to overcome the suction effect of the water.   By keeping the lungs slightly inflated Kieran has to do 90% or the "easy" work while the machine does the other 10% or the "hard" work.

NIPPV - Is very similar to CPAP but it involves a push of air into the lungs much like a breath.  Usually this type of air assistance is set at a certain rate or "number of breaths" per minute.

Intubation - A tube is inserted directly into the lungs and breathes for the baby.

Cuddle time - This is when parent's get to cuddle / hold their baby outside of the incubator.

Oh yeah, one more word you will need to know:

Bagging - This is what happens when Kieran forgets to breathe and when simple stimulation  doesn't help him to remember to do so. It usually occurs when the red lights on the monitors are going off.  because his O2 level has fallen to below 60% saturation; that's a bad number by the way! At this point several NICU nurses have come running and dad looks worried and says quite loudly: "Umm... he's turning blue."  It's true when they say that once you become a father you are a father for life.  Immediately, you are responsible especially if you happen to be holding him for the first time and he turns blue!


"Typical boy!" says the nurse who by now has restored his skin color to a much healthier pink color.  "A girl wouldn't act like this.  He just wants attention."

Still a bit numb and with eyes wide open, a bit like a deer caught in headlights, I respond with:  "Put him back, I think you should put him back now!" (I wonder how many new parent's have had that same thought at some point?)

"Nonsense!" says the nurse, "He's fine now! If he turns blue again let me know and I'll fix him.  In the meantime sit and relax and enjoy the moment."

Yeah right! What's next I wonder?