Brotherly Love...

Well the boys have adjusted really well to having a baby in the house. Sometimes I feel like things are a little chaotic - but I think it's just me. For those who know me - I am pretty anal when it comes to a clean house and having things go "perfect" if there is such a thing. Here are some pictures of the boys with their brother and a couple of just Braxton. Have a Super Great Weekend... Tifanie

Yeah... I am going home!!! Dad wasn't too impressed with the yellow outfit.
Payton couldn't get off of the bus and in the house fast enough to see his brother.
Mom says I look a lot like my older brother Payton - time will tell.
Brooks was actually singing "twinkle twinkle" to Braxton last night.
It was homecoming this last week - Payton was pretty proud of his face paint and white hair.

WE ARE HOME!!!!!

Not sure if I could possibly put enough exclamation points behind the title of this post. It was such an awesome feeling today leaving the NICU - yet I will miss the very important people who helped to heal Braxton. Each and every dr., nurse, cardiologist, resp. therapist, lab tech, case manager, social worker, clergy, (can't forget) lactation specialist, x-ray tech, and the list goes on... Here is the link to his cradle roll picture through Sioux Valley - I will add a couple more once I upload them to the computer. http://www.sanfordhealth.org/CradleRoll/BabyList.cfm?CradleRollParentId=24241

Thanks A MILLION for all of the thoughts, prayers, offers, food, gifts, etc... Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks & Braxton

Soon To Be HOME...

Braxton should be set to come home on Tuesday. YEAH!!!! Payton is super super excited for Tuesday.
He was taken off of his oxygen on Saturday morning and has done awesome without it. He has been taking a bottle like a trooper and is on an awesome schedule. We will definitely just have to work on the nights. He is back up to birth weight of 8 lb. 15 ounces.
He will be having this little "procedure" done tomorrow morning so hopefully he doesn't get too stressed out and need the oxygen again.
I was finally able to dress him in clothes today. By the pictures it's hard to see why he is in the NICU - compared to the pictures from a week ago.
Thanks Again for the continued thoughts, prayers, food, offers, etc... I don't know what we would do without all of you.
Have a great week... Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks, and Braxton

Quality Time w/ My Dad...

Today Craig was able to visit Braxton and held and rocked him for about 2 hours. He thought it was pretty cool. Braxton just hung out and slept the entire time. This too was Craig's first time holding him since shortly after he was born.
He was still floating around with his oxygen today - between 28 & 30.
The dr. talked getting close to discharge but still has yet to give us a date. Tomorrow will be his day 10 of antibiotics and then they will check x-rays, and blood counts again to see if all infection has been taken care of. They sound real positive that we could be out of there soon.
His feedings are going good - he is eating like a trooper. He is still being fed through a tube in his nose but is up to 1 oz every 3 hours. By tomorrow he will probably be up to or close to 2 ounces.
I pray and hope that tomorrow will be an awesome day and that the dr. will have great news for us. Enjoy the pictures and the weekend...
Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks, and Braxton

Braxton has graduated to a crib...

I will post more pictures this weekend...
What a surprise when I went to visit Braxton today... they moved him out of the isolet (sp) into a crib, he lost the bili-lights, was swaddled in blankets, and had a shirt on - WOW!!!! He has also mastered in blood pressure so they are no longer continually checking that - one more cord gone. I had to check him over twice as I wasn't sure if it was him I was looking at. They started his feedings on Wednesday however they are feeding him through a tube that runs from his nose to his stomach as his oxygen needs are still at around 30%. He is showing his true male characteristics and taking his sweet old time. I can now hold him whenever I want to - just have to be careful of all of his cords. Craig and I are both going to visit him tomorrow (he hasn't been able to see him since last week Friday) - I think he will be totally shocked.
I have yet to get pictures of Craig and Braxton as things went down so fast from the time he was born so super excited to get those.
Thanks Again for the continued thoughts and prayers... they are definitely working. There is still a possibility that he could come home on Sunday but if not then hopefully a couple days thereafter.
Have a Great Weekend...
Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks, and Braxton

Braxton update...

Checked with Braxton's nurse this morning... She said he was doing awesome and that he is looking great. How reassuring.

~ He is still at 30% for oxygen... LAZY (meaning he is just not taking as deep of breaths as he should be).

~ His bili-level has dropped from 13.5 down to 11.7 so that's great.

~ He is still "pee-ing" quite a bit so that too will help lower his bili-rubin level as well as continue to get rid of the extra fluid in his body.

~ She said he is really ready to start eating - they will be starting that as soon as they get "orders" from the dr.

~ His weight continues to go down (which is okay) - he is now down to 8 pounds 5 ouces.

~ Here are the pictures that I took yesterday while I was holding him and I attempted to take some while he was awake but he has already figured out how to close his eyes when the camera is in front of him. Ha ha ha... Thanks Again for all of the help that we have received with the boys, food, thoughts, prayers, offers, etc... You have no idea how much it means and how much it's greatly appreciated.

Have a GREAT DAY!!! Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks, & Braxton

Taking the nuk like a pro...
Look at all of my "mess" (wires and tubes)
Lil Stinker was awake - but wasn't impressed with the camera.

getting better and better

Things continue to go great with Braxton. They have removed one of the lines that was going into his belly button. We will be able to start feeding him tomorrow - so hoping that that will go well. They say for his size he shouldn't have a problem eating from a bottle so that sounds good - they will start him off with 10-15 cc's of milk and increase as they see fit. He needs to be eating 2-3 ounces every 3 hours before they will let him go home. He is still on a low dose of oxygen (30% - room air is 21%) so not too much lower to go. This is another little hurdle that he will have to get over before going home as well. If he can master these two we should be set.
I have asked when they think we can go home and the answer is still unsure. It will for sure be Sunday - as he is on antibiotics until Saturday. The rest depends on his eating and oxygen level.
I was able to hold him again today... It was GREAT!!! He is moving around pretty good and peaks every now and then. I have caught him awake a few times and he just follows me wherever I go. It seems as though he will be ready to eat as he is often trying to shove his whole hand in his mouth - so instead I substitute his nuk which he has done awesome. I have also heard him grunting and making other little noises... I haven't heard a peep from him since Thursday night when we got to SF. It's weird to think of a newborn not crying for 5 days.
His bili-rubin level is still a little high so they have had him on the bili-light since Saturday - he has started having quite a few bowel movements so that should help the bili-rubin level go down.
I will update with some more pictures when I go home. Now you can see how he actually looks like a newborn. He has lost the fluid that he had gained and is down to 8 pounds 11 ounces (he was at 10 pounds 5 ounces a couple days ago).
I can't believe that we have been here for 5 days already - it has gone fast but just hoping that the next week goes even faster.

New Pictures of Braxton...

He no longer has the strip of white tape above his lip holding a small tube in place. The only thing he has are the nasal canulas and the tubes in his belly button. He is looking better and better all of the time. You will probably think that he looks "huge" as he is swollen from the fluids that they are giving him. He has started to lose a lot of that so the swelling should go down. He was up to about 10.5 pounds due to the amount of fluids.

I think he is the biggest new born in the NICU - hands down.

They are talking about removing one of the tubes from his belly button and possibly starting feedings soon. Right now he has only had IV nutrition.

Enjoy the pictures...

Ventilator Free...

Good Evening... Just a quick update to let you know that Braxton is officially OFF of the ventilator. He has the nasal canulas (small amount of oxygen), his 2 antibiotics, and nutrition still hooked up other than that he is just about tube free. He looks amazing and is starting to wake up.
I just got done holding him about 1/2 hour ago and it was AWESOME!!! When the nurse layed him in my arms he opened his eyes a bit for a little peak - I truely believe that he knew where he was at and who was holding him. He would wrap his hand around my pinky and curl it in to his body - I think I could have slept like that all night long. Definitely can't wait to have those moments again.
Braxton did have his spinal tap today and the preliminary results show no signs of bacteria growing. It takes 2-3 days for the complete test to be done.
Thanks again for the kind words and prayers...
Tifanie

Showing Lots of Improvements :-)

Craig just received a phone call from one of Braxton's nurses. It made me nervous when he told me she called. Here is where he is at...
**Ventilator is being turned down to 30 - however he was breathing above and beyond 30 for quite some time now. They are talking that they will be taking the vent tube out tonight. YEAH!!!!
**They are going to take him off of the medicine that has kept him sedated for the last 3 days also tonight.
**They completed the spinal tap in the last hour and we should hear the results in the next couple of hours. I am praying for a clear scan.
**If all goes well I should be able to hold my BABY BOY again tonight. Reminder - I have not held him since Wednesday night and it was for only about 15-20 min. It brings lots of HAPPY tears to my eyes.

**I will be going to stay over night with him tonight and come back home tomorrow. There has been a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.

I will be updating from the hospital hopefully tonight.

Thanks Again for the continued prayers, thoughts, offers for help, etc... We will definitely let you know if we need some help.

Craig, Tifanie, Payton, Brooks, and Braxton

Update on the "Little-Big Man"

I took my Mom and Craig's Mom to Sioux Falls today so they could spend some time with Braxton. It was a nice visit and I don't think they could get enough of them. Of course there is no hugging and kissing so that about drove them crazy. He has continued to make great progess which is awesome to see and hear. ALL of the nurses and dr.'s that we have encountered from the time that we stepped foot in Brookings on Wednesday to those in Sanford have been more than helpful, wonderful, just OUTSTANDING. There is a reason that they do what they do for a living.
They are still not 100% sure what kind of an infection he has. He is being treated for Pneumonia and has reacted to the treatments like a baby who has Pneumonia however when looking at the x-rays of his lungs they don't see much for Pneumonia. They will be attempting another spinal tap tomorrow some time to make sure that this infection hasn't spread to his brain. They have taken him off of the "nitric", which was being forced into his lungs, as he wasn't needing it anymore (one thing down). Tonight they are planning on taking him off of the blood pressure medicine (another thing down) as well as dropping the setting on the ventilator (one more thing down). I guess that's 3 major steps right there that he is getting rid of today so as you can see we are very very happy about his progress.
I have not held Braxton except for 15-20 min after he was born - we are hoping that by mid-week we can possibly hold him. I can't wait for that day - when that day comes I will probably be spending more time there with him as that's what they say helps them to heal even faster. I know that Craig is really looking forward to this day as well.
Thanks Again for all of the thoughts and prayers. At this time visitors are not being encouraged. He really needs his rest and the least amount of stimulation as possible. We appreciate those who have asked about visiting and trust us - when the day comes to where we can come home we will be more than happy to have visitors.
I will keep you posted on any changes... Remember - No news is Good news!!!
Thanks Again...

Braxton Ben Hess

Craig, Payton, Brooks, and Myself would like to introduce to you the newest member of our family BRAXTON BEN HESS. He joined us on Wednesday Sept. 5th at 6:28pm. He was the biggest of the 3 boys weighing 8lb 15oz and was 20 3/4 " long.
Just a quick low down on what has been going on the last 2 days...
*I went in to be induced on Wednesday - they started me out with the pill - Citotec (sp). First pill at 8:30am and second around 12:00pm. My water broke at contractions were coming fairly regular & strong by 2:30 - however I was not dilated nor was my cervix even open. They were not wanting to give me an epidural as that could stop my contractions and defeat the purpose of being induced. I went as long as I could without anything and finally @ 4:30pm I was blessed with the holy medicine - an epidural. I honestly don't know if I have ever felt more relieved in my life. The nurse checked my cervix and nothing had changed. "Ahhh...." We waited 1 hr. 15 min. for the dr. to come and she checked me again - "please tell me I am at a 4 or something" I told her. She said your not at a 4 - you are at a 9. I perked right up and was ready to go... It is now 6:00pm and soon after I knew I had to start pushing - from the pressure. I had one set of practice pushes and when it came time for the "real" ones - he came out on the first 2 pushes. As you can see from the pictures - he dropped down into my pelvis and pushed out faster than normal so he is pretty bruised in the face.
*About 2 hours after birth Braxton was taken in for his first bath - the nurses noticed that he was grunting and having a hard time breathing so called in for the dr. to evaluate Braxton. After numerous testing and debating - and 24 hours of attempting to fix his "problem" it was decided that it would be best to transfer Braxton to Sioux Falls. He was "air-lifted" to Sanford Children's NICU @ 9:00pm last night and will stay with them for at least 7-10 days, possibly 2 weeks.
*Wow... what a shock. When you are told for 9 months that the baby inside you sounds and looks healthy you picture nothing but delivering your baby and going home in a couple days. It's a weird feeling being at home tonight without this baby - either inside me or beside me. I know he is in great great hands and would not be home if I didn't feel confident but I have 2 other boys who were needing their Mommy and Daddy. I honestly needed them too.
*Here is a run-down of what they have done so far...
~They have determined that he has Pneumonia.
~They have intibated (tubed) him so he is on a ventilator to help him breathe. (He was
working way too hard trying to breath on his own.)
~They have him on Oxygen - however the amount has steadily dropped. As of 7pm
tonight they had him at 39% - when he came in last night he was @ 100%.
~They do have him on 3 different antibiotics - to help with the infection and it seems to be
working fabulous.
~They attempted a spinal tap this afternoon - however he wasn't handling it well so they
had to back off and will wait until he is more stable.
~When we talked to the nurses last they said that they were just going to leave him at his
current levels and not "pester" him with anything else for a day or so.

****I am going back up tomorrow morning to spend some time with him - can't wait to see him and see his many more improvements. I will try to keep the blog page updated with the updates that I receive. Please be thinking and praying for Braxton to have a quick recovery so he can come meet his new brothers, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many many friends... Thanks to all for the generous offers of help and thoughts and prayers already - It is all very very much appreciated.

Braxton getting all cleaned up shortly after birth.
Braxton's first bath.
They placed him under an oxygen tent while in Brookings.
Quick picture with the tent off. His face looks a little rough - but still cute.
Before being "air-lifted" to SF he was looking for his Momma - I came to his rescue.

Helicopter all ready for the little man.

Braxton is all loaded up on the chopper ready for a ride.

And he is off...

They have him all tucked in for the night...

This looks like his current set-up - can't wait to start eliminating those wires.