For more information about Daniel T McMillan (and his parents) see:
http://tntmcmillan.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Home at Last, Home at Last
Hello Again
Finally, Daniel is home and is doing well.
I have not posted new information for a while because I wanted to end my postings with Daniel being home. Both of his parents are glad that he is home and they no longer have to travel to and from the hospital every day, but now they just wish he would sleep longer than an hour or 2. Welcome to parenthood.
He is still on oxygen (at a very low rate) and he still has some monitors on him, other than that he is doing well and keeping his parents busy.
Thank you again for all of your concern and prayers. Daniel is truly a miracle and I will end my posts with these infamous words,
“Welcome home Daniel T, Welcome home”
Finally, Daniel is home and is doing well.
I have not posted new information for a while because I wanted to end my postings with Daniel being home. Both of his parents are glad that he is home and they no longer have to travel to and from the hospital every day, but now they just wish he would sleep longer than an hour or 2. Welcome to parenthood.
He is still on oxygen (at a very low rate) and he still has some monitors on him, other than that he is doing well and keeping his parents busy.
Thank you again for all of your concern and prayers. Daniel is truly a miracle and I will end my posts with these infamous words,
“Welcome home Daniel T, Welcome home”
Monday, April 28, 2008
Only 10 More Days
Yes readers, there are only 10 more days until it is Daniels almost real birthday.
He has been doing really well and is still learning to be “big.” If he continues to gain weight, nurse from his mother 4 times a day and keeps his breathing regular, he could come home as early as the 8th of May.
His mom and dad are looking forward to having him home and leaving the hospital, the drive and the worry behind them.
Thank you again for all of your prayers and concern. We know that you have really made a difference.
He has been doing really well and is still learning to be “big.” If he continues to gain weight, nurse from his mother 4 times a day and keeps his breathing regular, he could come home as early as the 8th of May.
His mom and dad are looking forward to having him home and leaving the hospital, the drive and the worry behind them.
Thank you again for all of your prayers and concern. We know that you have really made a difference.
Friday, April 18, 2008
We Like Good News
Hello All
As you can tell from the title we have had allot of good news these past few days. Daniel has learned to nurse from his mom and he takes in as much as he possible can. When he is tiered or having a bad day they still give him his dinner through his feeding tube.
Because of all his mothers and his hard work he now weighs over 5 pounds, wears clothes and sleeps in a big boy crib. He still is on oxygen and of course his monitors but he is getting stronger everyday.
Thank you again for all of your concern and prayers, as you can tell by the pictures they are working.
Here he is in the arms of his Dad soon after having a late night snack. You know it is really hard to keep your eyes open when your tummy is full.
As you can tell from the title we have had allot of good news these past few days. Daniel has learned to nurse from his mom and he takes in as much as he possible can. When he is tiered or having a bad day they still give him his dinner through his feeding tube.
Because of all his mothers and his hard work he now weighs over 5 pounds, wears clothes and sleeps in a big boy crib. He still is on oxygen and of course his monitors but he is getting stronger everyday.
Thank you again for all of your concern and prayers, as you can tell by the pictures they are working.
Here he is in the arms of his Dad soon after having a late night snack. You know it is really hard to keep your eyes open when your tummy is full.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
This Weeks Update
As you can tell by the attached images Daniel T is growing and getting cuter everyday. He is now over 4 pounds and because he has been able to regulate his own body temperature, he is sleeping in a “Big Boy” bed instead of the incubator. The staff is working on getting his oxygen level down and helping him and his mom get to know each other better. Tracy has cut back on her work hours and is spending as much time with him that she can. The goal is wean him from his feeding tube and for him to learn to nurse just from his mom.
Thank you again for all your prayers on Daniel and his parents behalf.
Thank you again for all your prayers on Daniel and his parents behalf.
Monday, March 31, 2008
More Good News
Hi Again
Daniel T has been doing well again and still. He now breathing on his own and has only has his oxygen tube/Canula nose piece to help with his oxygen levels. You know the kind that you usually see older people wearing. So as far as todays/this weeks post goes “no news is good news”.
After his episode with his looped bowel the staff was able to reduce his swelling and have been watching him close. So far no more signs of swelling and they are slowly increasing the amount of his mothers milk feedings so we can get him ready for his real birthday.
Thank you again for all of your fasting and prayers.
Since most of his tubes are gone, be sure to view the attached images because you can now see his cute little face.
Daniel T has been doing well again and still. He now breathing on his own and has only has his oxygen tube/Canula nose piece to help with his oxygen levels. You know the kind that you usually see older people wearing. So as far as todays/this weeks post goes “no news is good news”.
After his episode with his looped bowel the staff was able to reduce his swelling and have been watching him close. So far no more signs of swelling and they are slowly increasing the amount of his mothers milk feedings so we can get him ready for his real birthday.
Thank you again for all of your fasting and prayers.
Since most of his tubes are gone, be sure to view the attached images because you can now see his cute little face.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Mr. Feisty
Greetings
Happy 2 month birthday Daniel. On the 21 st of March Daniel had his 2 month birthday and is officially 32 weeks old. He only has 6 more weeks for his “real” birthday and I think he is looking forward to it.
Daniel T continues to do well and is slowing growing and gaining weight. As of today his weight is 3 pounds 14 ounces and he is over 14 inches long. Go! Daniel Go!
There has been one area of concern that arose last week when they discovered that he had a “looped bowel”. That is when a section of the small intestine swells or is inflamed an builds up pressure (gas) and pushes on the other organs. They felt it was because they have been feeding him more of his mother milk and his digestive track could not handle it all. They inserted a suction tube in his stomach to relieve the pressure and cut back on the amount of milk. Within a couple of days the swelling had gone down and they are now slowly increasing his feeding.
Once again the fasting and prayers of family and friends helped Daniel and his parents through this “hiccup” in his progress.
One word that we feel best describes Daniel is “feisty”. When I updated you last I told you that Daniel had pulled out his velilator tube and received a CPAP mask to help in his breathing. They first put on a CPAP mask similar to an oxygen mask and Daniel must not have liked it because he kept pushing it of to the side of his face where it wasn’t doing him any good. The next mask has short tubes that actually are inserted into his nose so you cannot push it off as easy. I have affectionately call it his Darth Vader mask (Click this link for breathing sound http://www.myteambuilder.biz/dtm-images/breathe.wav ) . The next step is to wean him off the CPAP and get him breathing on his own.
Here are some recent images and as you can tell even the grandmothers got to hold him.
Happy 2 month birthday Daniel. On the 21 st of March Daniel had his 2 month birthday and is officially 32 weeks old. He only has 6 more weeks for his “real” birthday and I think he is looking forward to it.
Daniel T continues to do well and is slowing growing and gaining weight. As of today his weight is 3 pounds 14 ounces and he is over 14 inches long. Go! Daniel Go!
There has been one area of concern that arose last week when they discovered that he had a “looped bowel”. That is when a section of the small intestine swells or is inflamed an builds up pressure (gas) and pushes on the other organs. They felt it was because they have been feeding him more of his mother milk and his digestive track could not handle it all. They inserted a suction tube in his stomach to relieve the pressure and cut back on the amount of milk. Within a couple of days the swelling had gone down and they are now slowly increasing his feeding.
Once again the fasting and prayers of family and friends helped Daniel and his parents through this “hiccup” in his progress.
One word that we feel best describes Daniel is “feisty”. When I updated you last I told you that Daniel had pulled out his velilator tube and received a CPAP mask to help in his breathing. They first put on a CPAP mask similar to an oxygen mask and Daniel must not have liked it because he kept pushing it of to the side of his face where it wasn’t doing him any good. The next mask has short tubes that actually are inserted into his nose so you cannot push it off as easy. I have affectionately call it his Darth Vader mask (Click this link for breathing sound http://www.myteambuilder.biz/dtm-images/breathe.wav ) . The next step is to wean him off the CPAP and get him breathing on his own.
Here are some recent images and as you can tell even the grandmothers got to hold him.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Go Daniel
Daniel T has had a great week.
This past week we received word that the medications for his pneumonia have been working better than expected and his x-rays show a dramatic improvement. Good boy Daniel T.
The most significant thing is that on Monday after discussions by the medical staff they agreed that the was ready to change ventilators to one that allows him to breath more on his own. He must have been listening because on Tuesday morning he reached up and pulled his breathing tube right out. Since he was so determined to breathe on his own they let him try it for a while and as expected he was not quite ready. They inserted another breathing tube connected to new ventilator and out of 40 breaths a minute he was taking 30 on his own. Because he had done so well all day when Tracy and Tim came to visit they were able to hold him for the very first time. (see images below)
As of the writing of this update Daniel continues to improve and has graduated from the ventilator to a CPAP machine. Yes you read right, a CPAP just like the one great grandpa uses when he sleeps at night (of course it is a very small cpap).
Oh one more thing before I go. Wednesday after noon Daniel must have also been tired of his feeding tube because he once again just like the breathing tube he reached up and pulled it out. The nurse said that was ok because she needed to get him a new one but, when she tried to insert the new tube Daniel clamped his gums together and wouldn’t let her insert it. (I wonder who the boy takes after???)
This past week we received word that the medications for his pneumonia have been working better than expected and his x-rays show a dramatic improvement. Good boy Daniel T.
The most significant thing is that on Monday after discussions by the medical staff they agreed that the was ready to change ventilators to one that allows him to breath more on his own. He must have been listening because on Tuesday morning he reached up and pulled his breathing tube right out. Since he was so determined to breathe on his own they let him try it for a while and as expected he was not quite ready. They inserted another breathing tube connected to new ventilator and out of 40 breaths a minute he was taking 30 on his own. Because he had done so well all day when Tracy and Tim came to visit they were able to hold him for the very first time. (see images below)
As of the writing of this update Daniel continues to improve and has graduated from the ventilator to a CPAP machine. Yes you read right, a CPAP just like the one great grandpa uses when he sleeps at night (of course it is a very small cpap).
Oh one more thing before I go. Wednesday after noon Daniel must have also been tired of his feeding tube because he once again just like the breathing tube he reached up and pulled it out. The nurse said that was ok because she needed to get him a new one but, when she tried to insert the new tube Daniel clamped his gums together and wouldn’t let her insert it. (I wonder who the boy takes after???)
Friday, March 7, 2008
This Weeks Update
Before I go any further with my comments and postings I need to make a disclaimer. The disclaimer is this: The format and grammar of the postings and comments on this blog are based upon my experience of short-handing paragraphs and sentences on engineering drawings and may not follow accepted and “proper” American Dialect. In other words you get what you get.
Ok with that out of the way let me get you up to date on Daniel T.
He has had another good week and continues to grow. He is now at 3 pounds 4 ounces and is 14 inches long. The antibiotic treatments he is having for his pneumonia are slowly working and the staff is doing their best to make sure his lungs continue to develop.
Here are some images of his cute little face and him trying to suck on his binky with his ventilator tube still inserted and saying Hi to all you all..
Thank you again for all your prayers, fasting and faith. We know it is why he is doing so well and why we have received so many tender mercies from the Lord.
Ok with that out of the way let me get you up to date on Daniel T.
He has had another good week and continues to grow. He is now at 3 pounds 4 ounces and is 14 inches long. The antibiotic treatments he is having for his pneumonia are slowly working and the staff is doing their best to make sure his lungs continue to develop.
Here are some images of his cute little face and him trying to suck on his binky with his ventilator tube still inserted and saying Hi to all you all..
Thank you again for all your prayers, fasting and faith. We know it is why he is doing so well and why we have received so many tender mercies from the Lord.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Week of 2-24-08
Greetings for the Balmy Tropics of Utah (it might get 50 today)
This past week Daniel has been doing well and pretty calm. We have learned that in this realm of premature babies that 99% of the time if you do not hear anything that is a good thing. He continues to grow and is over 2 pounds and the doctors are pleased with his progress.
He is still on the “jet” ventilator and still is fighting pulmonary pneumonia, which is common in preemies. The ventilator gently pressurizes or inflates Daniel lungs as it puffs in and out breaths. When he is older and his lungs can stay inflated on their own they will change him to a ventilator that will only help him breathe.
Another concern has been his PDA valve being closed and after further examinations they discovered the valve is still not closed completely. If it does not close over the next few days the doctors may have to operate and place a suture around the valve. That is something that we do not want to happen, so your prayers that his PDA valve will close will be appreciated.
Daniel has been opening his eyes and making more faces and I will upload those images as they are available. Until then here are the latest images.
He is still on the “jet” ventilator and still is fighting pulmonary pneumonia, which is common in preemies. The ventilator gently pressurizes or inflates Daniel lungs as it puffs in and out breaths. When he is older and his lungs can stay inflated on their own they will change him to a ventilator that will only help him breathe.
Another concern has been his PDA valve being closed and after further examinations they discovered the valve is still not closed completely. If it does not close over the next few days the doctors may have to operate and place a suture around the valve. That is something that we do not want to happen, so your prayers that his PDA valve will close will be appreciated.
Daniel has been opening his eyes and making more faces and I will upload those images as they are available. Until then here are the latest images.
This image is if his home away from home. The machines on the right hand side are for feeding and medication. The machines on the left side are his ventilator and in the middle you can see his "Stasis Unit" ( some say we watch to many sci-fi movies but I don't think so)
His one month "Birthday Card" and his "Feet Prints"
Resting in his "Stasis Unit" and Mom and Dad taking his temperature and getting him ready for bed.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
First Posting for Daniel T
Hello
Welcome to the Life and Times of Daniel T McMillan.
We have created this blog because of the numerous inquirers about how Daniel is doing. We are grateful to all of family, extended family and friends who have been and still are praying for Daniel. thank you so much for concern and support.
Below I have included a brief story about how and when Daniel came early into our lives.
Daniel was not supposed to arrive until May 8th so he was a real surprise.
Tracy went into labor early Monday morning and entered the American Fork hospital around 5am. They could not prevent her from having contractions so the transported her to Utah Valley Hospital in Provo at 7 am. She was rushed into the delivery room and gave birth shortly there after. Daniel (that’s his name) was born at 8:45 on the 21st of January, weighed in at a hefty one pound eight ounces and is twelve inches long.
Since Daniels arrival Tim and Tracy have been receiving a crash course in parenting and caring for a preemie baby. We have attached some images that show Daniel in his special tent with all of his feeding and ventilator tubes, IV’s and a host of monitors. All of his organs and brain are developed with the exception of his lungs. He is a fighter and already lets his care givers know what he likes and dislikes. As of the writing of this email he is holding his own but he is starting to experience the ups and downs of a premature birth. They have had trouble keeping his lungs inflated and believe that he has an infection. The blessing of having him in Utah Valley is that he is in one of the best preemie intensive care units in the west and he is getting the best care and attention he can.
Tracy went into labor early Monday morning and entered the American Fork hospital around 5am. They could not prevent her from having contractions so the transported her to Utah Valley Hospital in Provo at 7 am. She was rushed into the delivery room and gave birth shortly there after. Daniel (that’s his name) was born at 8:45 on the 21st of January, weighed in at a hefty one pound eight ounces and is twelve inches long.
Since Daniels arrival Tim and Tracy have been receiving a crash course in parenting and caring for a preemie baby. We have attached some images that show Daniel in his special tent with all of his feeding and ventilator tubes, IV’s and a host of monitors. All of his organs and brain are developed with the exception of his lungs. He is a fighter and already lets his care givers know what he likes and dislikes. As of the writing of this email he is holding his own but he is starting to experience the ups and downs of a premature birth. They have had trouble keeping his lungs inflated and believe that he has an infection. The blessing of having him in Utah Valley is that he is in one of the best preemie intensive care units in the west and he is getting the best care and attention he can.
Here are some images of Daniel his first week with us.
Here are a couple of images when his was 2 week old with what we call is his Lone Ranger Mask
Here is another report from 2-19-08
Daniel is now 28 weeks old and will officially be born in only 8 more weeks. His progress to his birth day has been steady but not without some challenges. As the Doctors main concern is his lungs they monitor him closely and adjust his ventilator as needed. As oxygenated and humidified air is pumped right into his lungs he is constantly fighting pneumonia like infections and he has even had some bleeding in his lungs. In order to keep him calm and comfortable they give him sedatives on a regular basis and are adding nitrix to his ventilator to stimulate lung cell growth.
We visited him today (2-19-08) and he was having a quiet day in his little tent. I called it a tent because they have taken off his lone ranger mask so you can see his eyes and covered his incubator with a blanket to shield the lights. He is growing and is receiving his mothers milk but since his body is so small he only needs a small amount.
We visited him today (2-19-08) and he was having a quiet day in his little tent. I called it a tent because they have taken off his lone ranger mask so you can see his eyes and covered his incubator with a blanket to shield the lights. He is growing and is receiving his mothers milk but since his body is so small he only needs a small amount.
Here are our latest images
As you can see they have taken off his Lone ranger mask and you can see more of his cute face. they day we were there his tent/ incubator was covered with a blanket and we had to uncover him. He though it was very bright and would only peek out of one eye.
Thanks again for your concern, see at the next posting.
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