Gaining Weight!

So as of this morning, Kavi hit 3 pounds! This is great! Today he is 33 weeks, in gestational age. So next week, when he is 34 weeks, they will start doing vision tests.
His carbon dioxide levels are leveling out, so he may not need any bicarbonate after today. We'll see.
We are loving being in Austin, it is so much nicer to be home, and honestly, we like this hospital better. It was funny, when the transport nurse from Austin came to get Kavi from San Antonio, Nisha could tell she was from Austin because she was sassy, spunky, hip, and fun. Austin just has and breeds a unique energy that the rest of Texas lacks. We were just talking about aside from the horrific cedar pollen, Austin is such a great place for Kavi to grow up. Very kid friendly, and so much creative outlets to stimulate creative energy here. Lots of super friendly, and hip parents, raising hip kids (West Lake being the exception. OH! OUCH! hehe j/k)

Back in Austin!!!

So today was our LAST DAY in San Antonio! Since Kavi is doing well, and went to the "Step-Down Unit", we asked if he is stable enough to be transported to St. David's Hospital in Austin, where he was supposed to be born. And they said YES! So, they set all the wheels in motion, and it happened.

Kavi's doing well, he hasn't put on any more weight as of yet, and he has to have a little bicarbonate with his feedings because his kidneys are excreting a little too much carbon dioxide (this is very common in preemies, and nothing really to be concerned about). The bicarbonate should level things out quickly.

So here are some pictures recapping the day's events:
Just hangin out in his blue onesie! (sp?)

On hearing the news that he'll be in Austin today, he was sleeping with a smile! Either that, or he just farted.

Daddy forgot to bring his razor on his constant back and forth trips, and looks like this after 3 days of not shaving! (You'll be hard pressed to ever see me like this, so soak it in! salt-n-peppa beardy-licious!)

Entering into Austin's St. David's Hospital, coming off the ambulance in a remote isolette. He did really well on his very first road trip!

Wheeling on in! A concerned Mommy in the background, multitasking - making sure Kavi is being wheeled okay, and giving Grandma directions on how to get here. And me? Well...someone's gotta document this historic journey!

All the nurses, and everyone who came into contact with Kavi remarked how cute and adorable he is! Get used to it, kid, but don't let it get to your head!

Smiling contently with his new home! Good-bye Spurs, and Hello Longhorns! I know, I know, different leagues. But we artistic types really can't tell the difference. ;)

Oh Yeah! Good to be in Austin! Home sweet home! Let's take off our clothes and party in our diapers! Woo hoo!

Some Video

Not the most exciting, but hey, it's his first video! The background noise is not his, it's his housemates. But if you listen closely to the 2nd video at 1:09 and 1:21, you may hear some of his squeaks! He was a good boy today. He didn't cry a lot, didn't put up much of a fuss at all. Very peaceful little guy!

Kavi and Mommy!

So Kavi, to our surprise, made it to the "Step-Down Unit", which is not as intensive care as the NICU. The docs say he's doing well, and all he really needs to do is put on some weight. As of this post, he's 2 lbs, 14 oz, so he's almost 3 lbs!
Nisha has been doing "Kangaroo Care" with him, which means she holds him against her chest making skin-to-skin contact. This helps with the bonding & growth process, as well as the first steps towards breast-feeding. I can do skin-to-skin contact as well...well, I suppose mine is chest-hair-to-skin contact...and as much as Nisha wants me to, I don't think I'll be able to breast-feed him! But heck, I'll try anything once!

Open Eyes!

So Kavi is doing just beautifully! He can poop by himself now, he's up to 20cc's of mama's milk, today he gets his pick-line out of his arm, and he has surpassed his original birthweight. He's now 2 lbs 11.5 oz.
Today he is 32 weeks!
It seems like every day he looks different! When I went to see him last night, he was wide awake, and full of energy. He's very photogenic and quite the ham in front of the camera...just like his old man!

More Milestones

So yesterday, Monday Feb 18, Kavi starts smiling! It's gas, but smiles nonetheless! It's pretty hilarious! Unfortunately my camera battery ran out, so all I could snap were unclear cell phone pictures, and have no way to transfer those.

Today, Kavi is exactly one week old, and in fact, as of this posting, right at this time! He was born at 9:48am! This morning, he weighed in at 2 pounds, 11 ounces! This means he surpassed his original birthweight. He was born at 2 pounds 10 ounces, and then he lost some weight, as is typical for preemies. So he is up to 10 cc of his Mommy's milk and can tolerate it just fine!

His little cheeks are starting to fill out! It's so cute! I will definitely make sure the camera battery charger is in San Antonio when I go back Wednesday night.

Holding Kavi!

So today, Feb 17, 2008, I got to change Kavi's diaper for the first time. I mean, this is the first time I've EVER changed a diaper in my entire life! I didn't do too bad...and he didn't pee on me, so that's a good sign. 

I also got to take his temperature, you do it under the armpit. He put up a tiny struggle, but then he chilled out. He was pretty chilled the entire time. 

And, today I got to hold him! The nurse (Ruth) took him out of his little incubator, and swaddled him. And then she looked at me and said, "You get to hold him." And I was like, "Uhhh, OK. How do I do that?" It's actually not that different from holding Curly! Just gotta make sure your forearm is supporting his head.

Oh, by the way, he can lift his head up by himself, and when placed on his belly, he can flip over onto his back, all by himself. I'm telling you, the kid is STRONG. I saw the strength from the very first moment I laid eyes on him. After he came out, and was cleaned up, the nurse wrapped him in a blanket, walked over to Nisha and I, and turned him around so we could see him. He was tiny, but just that expression on his face, I'll never forget. I knew from that first second, and I even said it, "Wow, he looks strong!!" It's not just wishful thinking - I felt a strong energy from him. And now, we are seeing it in tangible form!

Kavi's First Posting

So first, the history:

Soooo, yeah. This happened totally unexpectedly! Here’s the play-by-play:

1. Nisha went to San Antonio this past weekend (Saturday, Feb 9) to visit her sister and get stuff from her for the baby. No biggie, right?

2. Sunday morning, Nisha starts bleeding! So, she gets rushed to the hospital her brother in law works at (He's a doctor).

3. They said her water broke and since they were doing a check up, they induced her contractions...thus, they said she'll have to deliver. Ummmmmm....HOLY CRAP!!!

4. They put her on Magnesium to slow down the contractions, and gave her steroid shots to speed up the baby's lung development. Pump! You Up!

5. The steroids take 48 hours, and then after that, they take her off of the Magnesium to see if she can have normal slow contractions on her own, so that the baby can stay in longer. Yay! Smiles! Maybe he’ll make it to term!

BUT THEN....

The Maternal Fetal specialist came in on Tuesday to check up on Nisha. (suspense)

6. With his sonogram, he found that Nisha's water did not break, that the bleeding was really from an abruption in the placenta. Oh. An abruption in the placenta means that it disconnected from the uterine wall, rendering it pretty much useless. Because of this, he said that the placenta at this stage wasn't really doing the baby much good, so he needs to come out NOW. NO QUESTION. 

7. So, at 30 weeks almost at 31, the baby would not be able to handle a vaginal birth, so they have to get him by C-section.

8. On Tuesday, Feb 12, 9:48 am, Kavi Patel Rahman was born. His name is pronounced KUH-vee, almost like "cubby". He was 2 pounds, 10 ounces. Tiny little guy. But he looks strong! Because of the steroid shots for the lung development, he didn't need a ventilator!

9. Nisha is discharged, and is staying in San Antonio the whole time. Kavi has to be in the NICU for 6 weeks.

And now some qualitative info:

-This hospital has the best NICU care in all of Texas – many patients are flown in to this hospital (Christus Santa Rosa)

-In the pictures, you’ll see something up his nose – that’s not a ventilator, it’s an oxygen thing that helps/teaches him how to breathe. His lungs are developed, but the dude’s still learning how to use them. 

-He’s got a tube in his mouth that goes to his tummy – that pumps in nutrients...

-Kavi had a milestone today, he ate and pooped, for the first time, and had mother’s milk. This is huge! We know input and output works well!

-He cries when he takes a bath, and he is LOUD, and CONTINUOUS, which means, awesome lungs. I know this great development will deprive me of sleep. 

-Even though he is still doped up on Magnesium from Mom, they said that he is feisty (makes sense, given how big of a spaz both of his parents are!)

-He was crying and stopped when I started talking to him, so he knows my voice. I think I bored him because I started talking about Kung-Fu.

-He’s definitely got Nisha’s nose and fingers. He can pick his friends, and he can pick his nose....(old SNL joke)

-He created his own Kung-Fu fist: Half Panther, Half Dragon – kid’s a Kung-Fu genius! I never thought of combining them! Yes, I will be an insane father.

Kavi and Nisha are both doing really well considering the intense circumstances they’ve been through. But, we Patel/Rahman’s aren’t known to be weaklings! Please wish them well, and we expect them both to be back in Austin in 6 weeks. In the meantime, I’m putting quite a bit of mileage on Nisha’s Golf going to and fro San Antonio. That rhymed. I’m excited for yall to meet Kavi!

Nisha's going to be slow to respond to any communications, but she will read everything. If you want to snail mail her, she'll be at her parents.