It's now been two days since the birth of Max and things seem to have really improved for him. Anna is doing well also and is up and moving all on her own - knowing her I figured it wouldn't be long at all.
The big news of yesterday is that Max tested positive for Group B Streptococcus - a potentially life-threatening bacterium in newborns. Anna had tested positive for the bacterium (25% of all moms do) during her pregnancy and unfortunately it was passed on to our little guy while still in the uterus. The infection is currently in his blood and supposedly is the cause of all the problems that he has been experiencing - including the small hole in his lung. Max was put on antibiotics within an hour of being born even though the doctors did not know at the time that he was infected. It is a precautionary thing that they do with all newborns. Fortunately for us it saved our son's life.
Because of the Group B Strep found in his blood, Dr. O'dell performed a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) yesterday to ensure that the infection hadn't entered the cerebrospinal fluid and threatened our little man with meningitis. Meningitis is swelling and irritation (inflammation) of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. We are so happy and grateful to announce that the results came back negative and that the infection is limited to the blood and is slowly being killed off by the antibiotics he has been put on.
Today the tubes in Max's throat were removed and Max has begun to breathe on his own. He even took a few small sips of breast milk and seemed to be gaining some real strength. The hole in his lung is still there requiring the chest tube and the infection in his blood is still present, but all things considered he is really making some progress.
During this whole ordeal Anna and I have truly seen miracles happen. I was able to give Max a blessing with my dad and I know without a doubt that the Lord is conscious about his health. Many prayers have been offered and all have been heard. We are grateful for the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father and know that he has truly blessed our lives with Max and blessed our Max's life.
Today, Max's mommy and I were able to hold him for the first time and it was such a wonderful moment. We cannot express in words how much we adore this addition to our family and every moment we get to spend with him.
Alex and Anna
17 comments:
Congrats you two!! He is such a handsome little guy!! I'm so sorry about what you two are going through right now! What a blessing the gospel is in our lives! We will keep you guys in our prayers! I hope you will be able to take him home shortly! Good luck with everything! And Anna you look so good too!!
thanks for sharing- I love your new addition, what a gem!
thanks for sharing- I love your new addition, what a gem!
Keep up the good work Max, Anna, and Alex! We love you.
Congrats! I know an amazing man named Max Miller! I am glad that you now have a Max Miller to bless your lives. He looks adorable! Congrats you two!
Congrats! I know an Amazing man named Max Miller! I am glad you now have a Max Miller to bless your lives. Congrats you two! He is adorable.
Haha I missed that the comments have to be approved by the blog author.... haha so I typed the same thing twice. Sorry.
I love him already!!! He is adorable...but that's no surprise. Everyone knew he would be!!! So great that he is doing well. We can't wait to meet him and hold him. Congrats y'all!!!
We are thinking of you guys and will keep you in our prayers. We are so glad to hear things are going better and hope that they will continue to do so. We love you guys!
I loved seeing the pictures -- Anna you look great! And we're glad to hear that they were able to give him the antibiotics and he is progressing. We are keeping you in our prayers and can't wait for you to be able to take him home! Congrats again, he is such a cute baby!
he is so handsome! congratulations! good luck with everything.
That has to be a scary thing to deal with. I am so thankful for the doctors giving him stuff right off the bat when he was born. He is so cute and I am glad you both got to hold him. I will keep you all in my prayers:)love you
This brings tears to my eyes! We feel bad for Max's struggles, but are so happy things are getting better! You guys deserve all the best!
Congrats on your beautiful baby boy! I am glad that Max and Anna are doing good. I hope you can take him home soon. Good luck with your new lives as parents.
I'm so excited for you guys and so happy to know he's getting better and better every day! What amazing parents I'm sure you both already are! Congrats!
It is Amazing what they can do these days! I am so glad that miracles to happen and that there are inspired Drs and Nurses in this world..
Post a Comment