February 9, 2010: Good Timing!

After a day of increased energy, no oxygen requirements, breathing treatments and two antibiotics, Cohen came home just in time for his 1st birthday tomorrow! Thank God!! We were so nervous that he would have to spend his big day in the hospital (I even brought his birthday shirt, just in case), but thankfully he is now home. We are armed with two weeks of two different antibiotics to help ward off any additional bugs he could catch as he is recovering from this virus.

Cohen's chest x-ray showed that he still had some fluid in his lungs, but it had improved since the first x-ray last Friday. He will continue to fight off this illness for a few more weeks, as it takes preemies a little extra time to battle respiratory ailments due to their premature lungs. I’m sure I have mentioned this before, but even though he is now 364 days old, he will always be considered a “29 weeker.” The word “former” isn’t used because there will never be a point in time where he wasn’t born at 29 weeks, and thus “former” is not an accurate word to use. Plus, in stating he is a 29 weeker, something clicks with medical professionals and the standard of care he receives is adjusted to this description. To help my explanation, the graphic below is a visual portrayal of the difference between a full term baby’s lungs and that of a baby born early: the earlier they are, the less filled out the branches are. (If you can't read the text, click on the picture and a larger image should appear)

As of right now, Cohen is at home getting reacquainted with his toys and his surroundings. He is loving his freedom to crawl about and interact with his big brother. He is still not too interested in eating, but hopefully the antibiotics will knock out his strep throat quickly to allow him to get some nourishment. We are so thankful for all the thoughts and prayers for our little man. Cohen is a special little boy with a whole lot of people who love him!