Many of you have asked about when Aidan will be released. "How old does he have to be?" or "What weight are they shooting for?" are the usual questions. As it turns out, for preemies there's not an age or weight limit. There are three major things he has to be able to do, on his own and consistently, to be released:
- He has to be able to maintain his own body temperature.
- He has to be able to eat via nipple instead of tube.
- He has to be able to breathe without oxygen and air pressure support.
idered the move as an afterthought. Apparently, he ripped out his feeding tube in the middle of the night and his lastest milk meal went everywhere. They has to take him out, give him all new tubes - including the nasal cannula, new bedding, bathe him, and so on. They were going to get him another isolette (the other one was going to need major detailing) when one nurse said, "You know, he has been warm the last few days checked, and he's barely on any heat in the isolette as it is. Think he could make the move to a crib?" They gave it a shot, and so far, so good. Good to know ahead of time that Nathaniel will not be the only Speaks boy who can make a real mess! =)The eating on his own will come in the next two or three weeks, I am told. Preemies have to get to about 34 weeks developmentally in order to be able to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. (Aidan "turns" 34 weeks Saturday.) We've been working on some preliminary feeding this week, but it's a work in progress!
The oxygen support is really still needed right now. They are trying to wean him gradually, but they have to watch the desats. When he has a fully belly, or is laying on his back, or especially both, he has the most trouble.
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