The adventures of Joshua Alexander Cobb: Two steps forward, one step back

We were told that there would be good days and bad days, and after having all good days since Josh's birth, today was not one of the good days. When we got to the hospital, Josh appeared to be more lethargic, as he was not moving around as he had been the previous days. He also had multiple episodes of apnea while we were there, where he would stop breathing for upwards of 30 seconds, which was pretty scary from Mom and Dad's perspective.

The good thing is that he would start back up breathing on his own once stimulated, and the doctors told us that he is still moving around good, and is not lethargic under medical terms. They did increase his settings on his CPAP machine, where he is given a good puff of air 20 times a minute to remind him to keep breathing. We were told that since he is totally breathing on his own now, that he may tire out more easily, which leads to decreased movement and increased apneic episodes. They also flipped him over and put him on his belly, which is good for premature babies, as this helps their breathing.

They took another x-ray of his chest this morning, and were surprised to find some air leaks, where air is getting into the lung space itself, which is a sign of the lung disease associated with premature babies. The doctors were surprised by the x-ray because Josh is not showing the signs of this kind of lung disease, which would be decreased oxygen saturation, and some other signs. So for now, they are treating Josh as if he doesn't have it, and his body should absorb the escaped air. If his oxygen saturation starts to decline or he starts to show outward signs of advancing lung disease, then they may need to re-intubate him on a special oscillating ventilator that would have him breath fast, shallow breaths that wouldn't force air into lungs as hard, and there would be less leaking.

Josh also missed a feeding, because each time that they go to feed him, they measure his tummy to make sure it is not getting distended, and then they pull some fluid out of his stomach to see if there is undigested milk or bile. They found some bile and undigested milk in Josh's stomach, and so they skipped a meal to make sure he wasn't developing an infection, or perforated his bowels. The x-ray came back clean, so that was good, and he is going to get fed again tonight (He is still getting IV nutrition continuously).

Prayer Requests:

Josh stop having apneic episodes
Josh's jaundice would show improvement (his bilirubin levels increased from 7.2 to 8.3 today)
The extra air in Josh's lungs be absorbed into his body and no more appear on x-ray
Josh's feedings continue without complications
Mom and Dad get better rest, and that they feel God's peace when Josh is not doing well

Praises:

Josh was doing much better at the end of the day today and was resting well
Many loving people have volunteered to donate blood directly to Josh. We will set up a schedule for donation so that Josh always has a unit of blood on hand in case he needs it.
Mom is producing very good quantities of breast milk, which is SO much better for Josh than any other forms of nutrition
For the amazing outpouring of love and support from so many sources. We are just continuously amazed by our friends and family. We could not do this without you guys!