Another Trial Run

This morning's doctors must have been pleased with James's progress, because they decided to give him a trial on room air. ("You mean the nasal cannula?" we asked. No, actual regular air, like normal people breathe, with no assistance. Apparently there are differences of opinion about whether the cannula is a worthwhile intermediate step.) We were excited about that, since his current CPAP is still a little tough on his head. The mask keeps it from hurting his septum, but instead it kind of pushes in on the top of his nose. Getting a break from it would definitely be a good thing. We were also a little nervous, because we didn't think he'd be ready to be breathing on his own for very long. And indeed, we were right -- he lasted ten minutes. But hey, that's a start! (And better than he would have done a week ago.)

Although both of our boys are doing well, it was an unexpectedly intense day in the hospital. One of the other babies in the pod was having trouble, and he (I think it's a boy) was surrounded by a lot of intense activity -- getting him on a ventilator, bringing in various pieces of equipment for tests, nurses and doctors around the bedside. We don't really know what was going on (due to medical privacy regulations, the staff can't share information about other patients, and we know not to ask), but looked an awful lot like what must have happened the day that James was so sick. It brought all those feelings flooding back, and our hearts went out to that other family. We didn't want to be there but we also didn't want to leave -- although we know the nurses would pay attention to the other babies if their alarms went off, most of the attention was on the sick baby, so we felt more comfortable staying for a little while to keep an eye on our boys. (Before we left, I heard a nurse say "he's stable" -- but that little baby could probably use some extra prayers tonight.)