Category: Micah

After 23 days in the NICU, our little Micah Kenyon came home late Friday night, June 27. Micah’s name means “Who is like Jehovah?” or “Who is like our God?” Over the past two months, dealing with pre-term labor, bedrest, an emergency C-section and a preemie in the NICU, I have been continually amazed seeing God’s hand in our lives and in Micah’s life. As we give a brief update on all that God has done, we also want to say thank you to so many of you, who have faithfully prayed for us. We have felt your prayers and known God’s grace in a deep way during the past few weeks.
Last month at this time, I had no idea what the month of June would hold—I was psyching myself up for bedrest until June 26! But God knew.
Psalm 139 says, “. . . in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” This passage has filled me with an overwhelming awe of God, and at the same time, it has been an incredible comfort! Micah was not seven weeks “early” in God’s book. God knew that Micah would be born at 32 weeks and 6 days. God knew he would spend three weeks in the NICU and come home a healthy 5 lb. 6 oz. baby boy! Who is like our God?
Initially the neonatologist told us that getting off tube feedings and learning to bottle-feed while holding (and gaining) weight would be the last “hurdle” before Micah’s discharge. In the end, his continued heart rate drifts and breathing irregularities were what kept him there the last week. The neonatologist has prescribed daily doses of caffeine citrate for his heart rate drifts, and he will be on an cardiorespiratory monitor for the next few months. At this point, it seems to be an issue of immaturity, which he hopefully will outgrow before he comes off the monitor. He has had only two apnea/brady episodes since coming home, neither of which required intervention.
Again Psalm 139 has been a comfort. God knew, before Micah was born, that his lungs would be strong enough he would not need to be on oxygen. God also knew that his apnea/bradycardia episodes would continue, requiring the caffeine and the monitor. None of this is a surprise to God!
As I hold Micah, I reflect:
“God, you formed Micah’s lungs. His heart. His “inward parts,” the psalmist says.
“You ‘knitted’ Micah together in my womb.
“Nothing about Micah was hidden from You, when he was ‘being made in secret, intricately woven.’
“He is wonderfully made. . .
“Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well!”
And in awe, I say, “Who is like our God?!”

Here’s today’s update from Dr. Schrager, the neonatologist:

Micah is doing much the same as yesterday. His weight remained roughly the same (maybe a very slight drop of 0.3 oz): 4 lbs 15.5 ozs.

He has been doing well with his bottle feedings. Last feeding (at 9:30 a.m.) he took 60 CCs.

His apnea/brady episodes are improving in the sense that they did not require intervention over the past 24 hours. However, Dr. Schrager is “concerned about his heart rate drifts” and is ordering a pneumogram for either today/tomorrow. Even though Micah’s current episodes didn’t require intervention, the combination of his smaller episodes and the few times over the past week (where he has changed color to a “dusty” or “blue” and the nurses had to stimulate him) is cause for concern. Dr. Schrager will read the results on Sunday since he will be on call that day. The heart rate drifts, he said, “may be reflux-related, and it certainly looks that way on the monitor, but not when you look at the baby.” (We aren’t seeing a lot of spit-up either through his nose or mouth. But he said you aren’t always able to see it.) The pneumogram will record breathing effort, heart rate, oxygen level, and air flow to the lungs during sleep. Micah will also have a pH recording to measure how often stomach acid comes up into the esophagus. This is done through a tube in his nose, down the esophagus.

Micah is mostly ready to come home (as far as taking the bottle, holding his temp, etc.) But the results of the pneumogram will help them decide if he should be coming home on the apnea/bradycardia monitor. Friends (who had preemies on the AB monitor) tell me that those monitors can make your life very miserable with all the false alarms, but I would much rather have the monitor, than not know if Micah was in trouble. So I’m praying that God will make it really clear whether or not he should be on a monitor!

Dr. Schrager said that with these tests, Micah definitely won’t come home before Monday. . . The heart rate drifts are the dr’s main concern, and he wants to be sure Micah is really ready to come home. (It was reassuring to hear the doctor say that!!)

I told Dr. Schrager that Mara has been congested, coughing, and running a fever around 101 yesterday and today. So I asked him whether I should hold off on visiting Micah today. He said as long as I don’t have any symptoms, it should be okay, if I wash my hands well before seeing him . . . So please pray that Micah will stay healthy!!

Well, according to Micah’s nurse Pat, his feeding tube is staying out! At his 9 a.m. feeding, he took 60 CCs (2 ozs.) by mouth. Yesterday’s feedings were 50 CCs, 30 CCs + a little breastfeeding, 45 CCs, 40 CCs, 50 CCs, and 50 CCs.

At his weight check around 1 a.m. he was 4 lbs. 15.6 ozs. (a gain of 0.8 ozs from yesterday).

He had one episode of shallow breathing last night at 11:45 p.m. where his heart rate dropped down to 76.

The nurse thinks he will be going home w/n about a week, so she is asking us to have the car seat prepared for his car seat test.