And the Results are...

Well, Jaden was extubated yesterday, and telling you how he is doing depends on what set of facts you want to look at.

If you want to look at the numbers, he's doing GREAT!!!

• His x-rays look really good - definitely not as hazy as past ones
• His Oxygen levels have been awesome at 21% (room air) to 26% and his blood saturation levels are usually 92%-97%.
• His heartbeat remains normal.
• Even though he still has periods where he forgets to breath, he is starting to have less of them.
• His pressures on the CPAP are pretty low.

However, if you ignore the numbers and just watch him, he's not doing as well. He absolutely hates the CPAP. Last night was one of the worst nights of my life, because they let me hold him (because he is the happiest in my arms - an awesome mom moment!) and he just sat in my arms for almost 3 hours and just screamed his little lungs out. He would fall asleep eventually and be the little angle he is, but then he would startle awake, remember what was going on, and start screaming again. And when his mouth is open like that, the pressure from the air going in his nose goes straight back out through his mouth and his oxygen levels fall and his heart rate falls and now he can cry, so I hear his tiny little scream. It was awful. He even was on a double dose of Versed to help calm him. But he is on steroids, which makes little babies mean, so hopefully he will get better in 2 days when his steroids are discontinued.

And I do get why he is so mad. If I had a huge "elephant trunk" on my head forcing air down my nose, I would be mad too. But it still breaks my heart. It is almost impossible to sooth him when he gets that worked up. I guess after I left last night they changed the mask used for the CPAP (they had tried the one with little prongs that go up his nostrils but then switched to the one that is a small mask that just encompasses his whole nose) and that seemed to make him a little happier. I just hope he does exceptionally well on CPAP so he can get off of it soon!

Here are some of his CPAP pictures. They were taken during the first 30 minutes after it was put on, when he was still happy and adorable. Then he figured out this was more of a permanent thing, and you would not believe how red his little body can get when he screams. :(

(that is showing he is on 21% oxygen, or room air)