February 23, 2015 "2 months old!"

Rayden is 2 months old!!

February 19, 2015 "Casting #4"

This week Rayden only had one appointment due to the winter weather. Linda or Michael have always taken us to Chapel Hill for our weekly appointments but this week our dear friend, Kim Core, took us. It was great to spend this time with her. I'm so glad we were able to get his 4th casting done. Dr. Narotam says Rayden will probably need two more before the tendon clipping but his feet are responding beautifully.

Rayden always enjoys riding in the car. He sleeps all the way to and from Chapel Hill. We couldn't ask for a better baby.I am so thankful our dear friend, Denise Boggs, made him these two hats to wear in the cold weather. He only had one that fit his head so these were much needed and welcomed. I just love his adorable faces in these hats!

In the February 5 post I spoke of Rayden's torticollis due to always turning his head to the left. I have been doing his 'neck therapy' daily and it seems to have loosened up the muscle but his preference remains. We purchased a tortle (head repositioning beanie) hoping to fix his flat head and stiff neck. The support roll prevents him from turning his head. Although he looks adorable in it, he doesn't like it at all. He will push, wiggle, and scream until he has miraculously removed it himself or momma has given in and taken it off for him. I don't know what else to do. I hate hearing him scream but I certainly don't want him to have a flat head and stiff neck. There has got to be another way!!

Since we only had one appointment this week I was able to take lots of pictures of Rayden. Here he is in the pea pod that Mrs. Denise made for him. ADORABLE!!!!

Since Rayden needs to sit up 20 minutes after he eats we put him in his bouncy seat hoping this helps with the reflux. Here he is in his bouncy seat sporting his tortle and dinosaur leggings. The plaster on the casts are cold, hard, and scratchy. So I love these leggings to cover his casts. They also make him look so cute. :)

February 11, 2015 "Casting #3"

Rayden turned 7 weeks old yesterday, 2-10-15, which was actually his original due date! He is growing so fast. He had three doctor appointments this week also.

1-Pediatrician- Rayden received a Synagis shot today. Synagis is used to help prevent a serious lung disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children at high risk. Dr. Chiodo wants to give him one more dose of this next month hoping to prevent Rayden from getting sick. Rayden seems to be hungrier this week so Michael and I decided to up his feeding from 2.5 oz to 3oz every 4 hours. Dr. Chiodo approved. His bottom doesn't seem to be any better this week so she suggested we use an old remedy of corn starch, Vaseline, and baby powders to dry it out some. I pray this works!!

2-Orthopaedics- Rayden's feet are moving so rapidly. I can't believe we are already on our third set of casts! Dr. Narotam said we are already halfway finished with the serial casting. With his feet almost straight, the risk of the casts slipping off are higher now so Dr. Narotam used a special 'glue' to prevent slippage. During this session Rayden had a reflux episode with milk shooting out of his nose again. I scooped him up right in the middle of the casting. We had to incline him on a pillow to finish. I was pleased with the doctors patience and concern during this episode. I was able to take a few pictures of Rayden's feet before they put on the new casts.

3-Ophthalmology- A great report! The swelling on Rayden's optic nerves have gone down. The busted blood vessels are all clear now. Dr. Gertsch says the pressure in his head must be stabilizing. He also said Rayden seems to be focusing age appropriately. He said Rayden had the bluest eyes!  I agree!

February 5, 2015 "Casting #2"

Rayden had three doctor appointments this week.

1-Pediatrician-I really like the 'rock-star' treatment Rayden receives from ABC Pediatrics. His Primary Care Physician, Dr. Mary Ann Chiodo, says he is doing well. She actually witnessed him having a reflux issue when I took him out of the car seat to lay him on the examining table. I held him up as milk shot from his nose. Poor thing. She put him on Zantac hoping this will help. I also asked what I could do about him always looking to the left. She noticed it when she was looking in his ears. He did not want her to push his head over to the right. She said he has a torticollis also known as 'stiff neck'. This could be due to his preference of neck positioning because of the location of the shunt behind his right ear. She wants me to do some 'neck therapy' (stretches). Although she prescribed Rayden three creams to treat his raw bottom, nothing seems to be working. She wants me to do some 'butt therapy', allowing his bottom to breathe about 20 minutes a couple of times a day. Doesn't that sound like fun?

2-Neurosurgeon- Rayden's head circumference is 39.3 cm. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Elton, says the left side of his head is slightly higher than the right so hopefully adjusting the shunt to 2.5 will help prevent overlapping skull plates. He also commented on Rayden's torticollis. He wants me to do the 'neck therapy' several times a day as well as purchasing a tortle for his head. A tortle looks like a beanie but it has a support roll hanging from it so we can position his head where needed. I really hope this helps because his head is getting elongated and flat on one side.

3-Orthopaedics- Rayden received his second set of casts this week. He weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz. with the casts on, 8 lbs. 7 oz. without the casts. He didn't make a sound when they were cutting off the first set. It was so loud and vibrating his body but he didn't mind it at all. Dr. Narotam was pleased with how much progress his feet have made in only one week. His right foot made the most progress. He was a perfect angel again for the placement of the second casts.

January 31, 2015 "Baby Shower"

 We want to thank everyone for making Rayden's baby shower such a wonderful success. 

Twinkle, twinkle little star...Do you know how loved you are

Rayden was the most perfect baby. He was actually awake the entire two hours looking around. He seemed excited to meet everyone.

     Such beautiful flowers and Rayden specific decorations.

Babies are giggles and laughter and sighs, wonder and softness and sweet lullabies, beauty that shines like the starlight above, but first, last, and foremost babies are love.
 

January 29, 2015 "Casting #1"

Michael and I took Rayden to get his intial casts on today. We did not know what to expect. We were filled with worry and fear. The last thing we wanted was pain for Rayden. Dr. Narotam is a wonderful Pediatric Orthopaedic. He explained the entire process to us and then met Rayden.

Clubfoot is the result of muscle and connective tissue imbalance in the lower leg and foot. The tendons on the inside and back of the foot are too short. The foot is pulled such that the toes point down and in, and it is held in this position by the shortened tendons. The foot is stiff and the calf muscle is generally small. In order to help Rayden be ready to walk Dr. Narotam would need to stretch his feet with a series of casts that remain on his legs for about a week at a time, on average four to six casts are required. The position and timing of each cast is intended to stretch and rotate the feet into a proper position. He may even have to release the Achilles tendons to allow the feet to assume their normal position. This is typically performed in the clinic as an outpatient surgery. A final cast would then be placed for about a month to allow the tendons to heal. Once that cast is removed, Rayden will be fitted for shoes that have a connecting metal bar between them.

Before he began Dr. Narotam asked if we had taken pictures of Rayden's feet. He said we will never believe the transformation. (Of course, I had taken pictures, haha!) He was so gentle and kind with Rayden. The entire casting process took about 20 minutes. I held Rayden's hands to prevent him from getting the plaster all over himself. Michael held one leg while the doctor and his assistant worked on the other. The amazing thing is that Rayden did not cry a bit! He acted as if nothing was happening. He is such an amazing little fellow!!!

January 25, 2015 "Our first night home"

I just want to thank God for his goodness and blessings upon my life. I would have never dreamed of having a third child but God had another plan. Although it has been a rocky beginning, I believe God placed Rayden in our life for a reason. Miracles have a way of being worth the wait. Who could have known that this sweet baby boy could fill our hearts with unspeakable joy? 

Last night brought all kinds of emotions. It was a wonderful feeling to be home and sleep in my own bed! I sure have missed it these past two months! Justin and Alex were home as well. I was overjoyed to have my entire family under one roof. I thank God every day for my family and our many blessings. Although we were in our own bed we didn't sleep a wink. We let Rayden sleep in his bassinet in our room. Michael and I got up over and over to check on him with every grunt he made. No, we are not new parents, but it is such a huge responsibility that we do not take lightly. It's hard to believe that he's finally here, so tiny, and trusting, so pure and so dear. He is such a good baby only crying when it is time to eat. (10, 2, and 6) I hope this continues! 

Rayden has to be fed a little differently than other babies due to his prematurity. It is scary when he stops breathing so I was amazed when Michael and Alex actually wanted to feed him.  

January 24, 2015 "Brothers Love"

" A Brothers Love" 

A Brother is a special gift

Sent from God above

For us to cherish daily

And fill them up with love

In the beauty of a brother

It's so plain and easy to see

Just how wonderful they make your life

And how they were meant to be

Now what is it that makes a brother

It's quite difficult to say

Except he is the reason

Why your sun shines everyday

--Paris

January 24, 2015 "HOME"

WE'RE GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

When I think back through the past five months I am amazed at how far we have come. I am in awe of God's awesome power. Rayden is perfect just the way God made him and I can only imagine the impact he is going to have in this world.

We arrived home to find the house and mailbox covered in blue and yellow bows. Blue for a baby boy. Yellow for coming home and Spina Bifida. Thank you Elizabeth, Dina, Justin and Alex.

The Bradley Family

 Our first official family picture with Rayden. 

January 24, 2015 "Goodbye Ronald McDonald House"

We could never repay the Ronald McDonald House for what they have done for us over the past two months. They allowed Michael's parents and Alex to stay there while I was in the hospital. Then allowed Michael and I to stay for 32 days after I was discharged and Rayden was still in the NICU. We also used one of the family rooms to enjoy a Bradley family Christmas. Although it wasn't home, it was better than any hotel accommodations. We met some wonderful people going through some horrific circumstances. Our time there will never be forgotten.


There was always something to eat in the fully stocked kitchen. Every night some organization served a home cooked meal except Wednesday (McDonalds) and Friday (Pizza). There were always fresh sweets sitting out. You can forget losing weight in this house, haha!

The house is huge with a fully functional laundry facility with several washers and dryers. Using two washing machines at one time prevented us from spending so much time away from Rayden.

Several sitting areas with TV's allowed everyone to feel at home. Alex really liked the fish aquarium. Watching fish is actually very relaxing. 

A bedroom with twin beds and a bathroom are all we needed for our time away from Rayden. 

January 19-22, 2015 "Getting ready to go home!"

Jan. 19- The doctors say that oatmeal breaks down slower in breast milk than rice cereal. We may be able to mix his milk one time with oatmeal during a feeding instead of twice with the rice cereal. So today they decided to try breast milk mixed with oatmeal. (I don't know why they didn't try oatmeal to start with) Either he couldn't get any out of the nipple or he just didn't like it. We tried every bottle and nipple available! Either way, he didn't eat for two feedings. The doctors said this may be a setback. It worried everyone so we switched him back to rice cereal. He ate the entire next feeding. Needless to say, we are going to use rice cereal!!

Rayden's head circumference has been steadily increasing since his shunt revision so today neurosurgery decided to adjust his shunt to 1.5. This will allow for more CSF to drain from his head. He brought in a new device this time. It seemed more advanced with digital controls.

Jan. 20- 4 weeks old- The Pod G doctors said that if Rayden continues to do well, and Dr. Elton approves, we could go home on Saturday!! I am overjoyed! We started doing everything we had to do before discharge; bathing, NICU Knowledge, getting his medicine and milk recipe, bringing in the car seat, etc.

Jan. 21- We had a scare today. Rayden had a hip ultrasound. Two female technicians came to do the exam. Half way through the ultrasound one of the ladies left to call the radiologist. I knew something must be wrong. She returned, but before she could finish the other hip three radiologists were at Rayden's bed side. The head radiologist completed the entire exam again! When I asked her what was wrong she stated that the balls were in the sockets just not as deep as they should be. She said it was alright though. What a relief!

The orthopaedics doctors are suppose to come Friday and cast Rayden's legs. Everyone is telling me when they are finished no one will ever believe his feet were clubbed. They encouraged me to take pictures of his feet to record the transformation. I love his precious little feet just the way they are but I understand they need to be straight for him to walk correctly.

Elizabeth made Rayden this adorable turtle outfit for Christmas. I wanted to get his picture in it before the casts were put on so Linda helped me. I think he is the cutest turtle ever!!!!

Jan. 22- Rayden weighs 7 lbs. 8 oz. He is getting so big!! He had a rough night though, with a circumcision and a head ultrasound. (It showed not change.) This morning he woke up with a yellow discharge from his right eye. The doctors say it is a possible plugged tear duct. We just have to put warm compresses on it. This should NOT be a set back for us going home.

Rayden had to complete a car seat test. This consists of him sitting in his car seat for 90 minutes without any aspirations, bradys, or desats. He passed with flying colors! Yeah, let's go home!!