Monday Chandlers Dr ordered a CT Scan to make sure there was no bleeding or blockage in his brain causing the Hydrocephalus. When the the radiologist came back with his report he said there was no obstructions and he felt that it was not caused from hypoxia or lack of oxygen at birth, but that Chandler had meningitis in utero. So the Dr then ordered a lumbar stick to draw cerebral spinal fluid and test for any signs of infection. The sugar levels were elevated which would indicate infection. This would also explain my prematured labor. At this point the infection was cleared up because of all the antibiotics he had been on since birth. I am not sure what this all means concerning the hydrocephalus but he should have another head ultrasound soon and maybe we will have some more answers.

This morning we were given the news that Chandler has Hydrocephalus. Which means that he has excess fluid in his brain. This was caused from the lack of oxygen during his traumatic delivery. At this point there is no pressure or swelling. There is no way to determine the extent of the damage right now or in the future. There is nothing that can be done to decrease the fluid or prevent the condition from worsening. We can only continue to pray and rely on our faith and hope. Chandler is such a blessing in our life and we are so thankful for him. We are also thankful for all of our family and friends and your prayers and support.

Moving Forward Again

Chandler is getting better. His infection turned out to be pneumonia. It takes about 3 days for the culture to grow back enough to know exactly what is going on, but they put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic to kill what ever he had. He started to show improvement right away especially after a blood transfusion which pinked him right up, and in the past week he pooped (which is great for his digestive system and jaundice), He was taken off the biliruben lights. He was taken off the high frequency ventilator and put on the conventional ventilator. Which is good because he is able to move around more and does not have to be sedated. They also started feeding him again and we will see how that goes. Hopefully I will get to hold him again soon. Even though he has been improving rapidly, it has been a difficult week because we went so far back. I know that through prayer we have been able to make through all of this. Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.

Chandler's rough night

As many of you know Chandler has had a bit of a setback and could really use our prayers. Last night his oxygen levels dropped way down and they determined that he has an infection of some kind. They put him on some different medications, including blood pressure meds and two different antibiotics. They also put him back on his high level ventilator. His color was really bad last night and he didn't look well at all. His little feet were cold because he was not getting the circulation that he needed. Whenever anyone would touch him his levels would drop even lower. His Grandpa was able to give him a blessing and this morning he is doing a little better. It is going to be difficult for his little body to now have to try to fight off this infection on top of everything else he is trying to do to get better, so please continue to pray for him and his family. So far the Lord has blessed us with miracles and we are so thankful.

Pictures!!!

Lacie's first hold time.

Happy mama!

He is so sweet

Happy St. Patricks Day, Love Chandler

Wow, it's bright out here!

Biliruben lights

First family photo

Proud Daddy

Sister, brother, and cousins trying to get a peek at the little fellow!

Having fun at the Ronald McDonald House

Under the lights

Bad Day

Chandler has had a bad day, and is not doing well. Please continue to pray for him and the Paxton family.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Here is the latest on baby Chandler. Yesterday he got kicked out of his private room with a view to the non-isolated NICU. There was another baby that needed the room so he is now in the regular NICU. They took out his ventilator yesterday but it was too much work for him to have to breathe on his own so they ended up putting it back in this morning. Yesterday they moved him into an isolet bed, so Lacie got to really hold him for the first time while they got him all set up so that was really special for her. They ended up moving him back into his regular bed though because it is easier for everyone to get to him and do the things they need to do. Lacie likes this bed better because it is easier to touch him and she doesn't have to reach through the little holes. His jaundice continues to improve. Lacie says they have him dressed up for St. Patricks day today, so maybe we will get some new pictures!

EEG results

Lacie just wanted me to let you know that they already got the results from the EEG that I mentioned in the last post. The results looked even better than the last one they did and they will do another one next Monday. Chandler also got to start physical therapy today.

Update on Chandler

Lacie asked me to update every one on the latest with Chandler, because she is being kept very busy with her touch times and then running back to the Ronald McDonald house to pump, grab a bite to eat, and then head back to the hospital. The last few days there have been several exciting things happen. On Saturday, Lacie got to give Chandler his first bath. He also got to get his catheter out on that day, so that means he now gets to get his diaper changed. He weighed in at 4 lbs, 7 oz. but they said that some of that was fluids. He was starting to move around a lot more and even had to be sedated more for his bath so that he wouldn't move around too much.

Today has been another big day for Chandler. Last night he got a pic line to replace the line that went into his belly button, so that will be better. They were able to change his resprator today and when they are sure that he can breathe on his own they will put him on a c pap. He also got to have his first breast milk today for lunch, but he was unable to digest it, so they will have to try again later. They moved Lacie's touch times from every 4 hours to every 3 hours since he is being fed, so things will get even more hectic. They also did a follow up EEG today to look at brain activity. Hopefully they will have the results back on that in the morning. Lacie has some pictures she hopes to post soon.

Morning Update

Lacie doesn't have access to a computer yet so I thought I would give you the morning update on Chandler. Lacie went in to see him this morning and found that they were able to lower his Oxygen and Nitrous Oxide levels again. The Oxygen that they are giving him is now at 75%. He is able to do the rest and maintain Oxygen levels at 99 or 100%. They will continue to lower these levels a small percentage every several hours. They were also able to take him off all of his blood pressure medications, and yesterday he was taken off the seizure medications as he was no longer having seizures. He is jaundiced so they have him under the lights but they say that is especially typical for preemies. If all continues to go well Lacie should be discharged tomorrow. She will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House which is in close proximity to the hospital. She will continue to be able to go be with Chandler at 8:00, 12:00, and 4:00 both am and pm.

Here's what's up

Hi all, this is Lacie's favorite sister Kadee. I am starting a blog for her so that she can keep us all updated on baby Chandler and the rest of the Paxton family. For those of you who don't know Lacie gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on her birthday March 7th. Chandler Keith Paxton had a very difficult and traumatic entry into this life. I will leave it to Lacie to catch us up on his birth and first few days of life so that I don't leave out any important details. There are still many questions as to how Chandler is doing but one thing that we know is that our prayers are being answered and his condition is improving. Today Lacie got to meet and touch Chandler for the first time. She has sent some special pictures so that we can get this blog started and you can all see how cute the little guy is. Hopefully tomorrow Lacie will have a computer and can update us on the events that led up to the special meeting of mother and son today. I have limited email addresses so please forward this blog link to freinds and family who would like to keep up with how everyone is doing. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. We know that miracles are happening in the Paxton family every day.

Pictures of Chandler and Lacie meeting