Coming Home

Roman got so accustomed to having his arms swaddled, that we just continued it at home.  

He sure was missed!

Roman started stimming in the hospital, hitting himself in the face over and over again.  The therapists said it was initially to try to pull out the tubes, but then he just kept doing it.  To break this habit, we started putting a lovey under that arm and it really worked well for a good while.  Unfortunately, as he got stronger this solution no longer worked, and he did restart this habit. 

Roman still loves his bathtime!  And these two helpers always run to the bathroom when they hear I am giving him a bath.

Roman has a flat spot on one side of his head, he had this memory foam pillow under him the entire hospital stay, but it hasn't seemed to make any difference at all.  Cranial helmet, here we come!

Roman is on five medications still, plus his vitamin.  When he came home he was also requiring Tylenol for the first week, and also glycerin suppositories every three days if his other medication didn't work.  In the hospital, he was getting two a day and it took us a while to ease off of those.

This is his medicine/bottle station.  I have to record everything to make sure we are getting in the fluid, having enough wet and dirty diapers, and getting his meds all on time and not certain ones together.  

 Roman had to be fed up in my rocking chair in my bedroom, swaddled, sung to, and have no interruptions to take his bottle.  It has been very tiring.  He is getting enough, but it takes 7 bottle feedings a day to get it all in.  This means feeding him through the night while he is sound asleep because he never wakes to eat at night.  His still having episodes when he is refluxing and he chokes on it, forcing it out of his nose.  This happens several times a day.  The worst is when we are in the car because what helps to most is to turn him all the way upside down so it comes out his mouth instead of staying in the back of his throat and coming out his nose.  I don't travel with him alone at this time because of this.  The boys all know how to watch him and suction his mouth and nose at least a little until I can pull over and help.  This is most likely due to his prescription formula.