Monday we visited the Pediatrician for Benjamin's 4 month appointment. He had his weight, length, and head measurements charted according to his due date and we were quite pleased. When he left the NICU he was pretty much at zero % in all areas. Drum roll please....weight 12%, head 14%, length 33% (!!!). We were so excited that our little micro baby is now just a small baby! By the way, that comes to 7lbs 2.6oz and 20.25". Way to go Big Ben!
As for the mystery, the most asked question of the last 4 and a half months is "what happened or why did he come early?". I finally got all my paperwork transferred and met with my doctor today. The lab results show that there was an infection, but it did not make sense to my doctor, as the type of infection it showed should only occur if my water had broke and I should have had a fever. This was not the case. I was disappointed since I received the lab report last week and saw there was an infection and had previously been told that if there was an infection, my chances of a future premature baby were the same as any other woman. This is not so, according to my doctor. It looks like Benjamin still has a 30% chance of having a premature sibling. Though this was pretty disappointing to me, I find myself still wondering what exactly happened with Benjamin and why. As a Christian, I don't believe in luck or total randomness. I will probably wonder about my sweet boy's entrance into the world and the challenges he has gone through my whole life, but for one thing I am sure: He is a miracle, he is a fighter, and God has plans for him.
More news - last time I wrote about Benjamin and his love for cannula removal. Yes, he still grabs it an pulls and we are forever trying to get the prongs to stay in his nose. Yesterday I gave in and decided to keep them pulled back from his face and turned off his oxygen. He made it 25 minutes without needing any oxygen assistance. The most he previously could do was about 10 minutes or so. Please join with us in praying that God will strengthen his lungs and help him to breathe on his own. It would be so nice not to drag an oxygen cord through the house or have to switch him to a backpack tank every time we need to leave the house. Sometimes it feels like a ball and chain to us, though we have come very far in the last month (we are near-professionals at our 3-legged race now.)
Yesterday, the Early Intervention ladies came to evaluate Benjamin. Not only did they ooh & ahh over him, they paid him some great compliments in multiple areas. While they were at our house, Brian fed him. One of the ladies paid a Brian a huge compliment on what a great dad he is. They are trained to notice the tiniest details and she commented on the way Brian interacted with Benjamin and how well he responded - gentle touches, the way he talked to him, eye interaction, etc. Brian is an incredible dad. I can tell they already have a special bond and before I know it Benjamin is going to be following his daddy wherever he goes.
Please join us in praising God for growth & recovery from his last surgery. Please pray for vigor to return in his eating (he has been fighting us the past few days on eating and we are trying to figure out why - there are a lot of variables), strength of lungs, and good sleeping for all of us!
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.
Jamie
Yeah he is almost the weight that Aiden was at birth. Way to go Benjamin!
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