Week #2 Update
"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." - Romans 8:24-25
Predictably our updates have become less frequent now that Barrett has overcome the more physically traumatic portion of his Norwood procedure. The past days have been focused on optimizing many aspects of his recovery and growth including:
Sedation - naturally the pain from surgery needs to be managed and even more closely with infants as they cannot tolerate medication in the same ways and volumes that adults do. Careful observation and math are used when weaning infants from surgical pain management to rest/recovery pain management.
Feeding - Up until just after surgery Barrett was getting his nutrition through IV fluid (Dextrose and Lipids) but now he has been provided an NG tube (the orange tube in his nose, photographed above) which allows him to receive Shannon's breast milk. He adjusted to this particularly quickly and within a few days is already tolerating full volume feeds - roughly in-line with what a typical newborn would be getting in their second week of life.
Oxygen - While the Norwood surgery addresses the fundamental problems of an HLHS heart, getting a post-surgery sedated newborn to actually breathe often and deeply enough to fully oxygenate their body is not an option. The other clear tube in Barrett's nose is a nasal intubation tube ("Breathing Tube") hooked up to a ventilator which grants him a steady stream of oxygen via a tank, bypassing the need for him to bring in oxygen to the lungs from breathing.
The process of weaning him off of the ventilator and oxygen is going well, and he passed his ERT ("Extubation Readiness Test") on 07/31 which means he is close to having the breathing tube removed entirely. This event is our next recovery milestone and will likely happen in the first few days of August.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support as Barrett continues to grow and recover.
