Day 22 - Brain Tap for Loch

Day 22 – Tuesday, August 8, 2017

AGE: 3 weeks old  (27 weeks, 6 days weeks gestation)

Lochlan: Weight is  oz. (Birth weight: 1 lb 10.8 oz.)
                Length  in. (Birth Length 13 in.)
Lex:        Weight is (Birth weight: 1 lb 10.8 oz.)
                Length is  in. (Birth length: 13 in.)

Lochlan had a cranial ultrasound Monday which showed his Grade 4 has been reduced to a grade 3. His body, however, is having a tough time absorbing the spinal fluid which has led to an increase of fluid in his brain. There is an 80% chance that he will need a permanent shunt, but cannot get that until he weighs over 4 lbs. To ease the pressure, the neurosurgeon decided to drain the fluid. He inserts a needle in the soft spot and was able to pull out about 20 CCs of fluid. Lochlan’s head circumference is continued to be measured daily and watched closely. The plan is to continue to drain it as needed. If it continues to collect fluid, we may need to put a temporary shunt in until he is large enough to have a permanent shunt. Either way we will be watching him closely and will take it one day at a time. Lochlan has been moved from 2 ml trophic every 4 hours to 2 ml trophic feeds every 3 hours.