Things are going more good than bad for little Max... it's really a "2 steps forward, 1 step back" process at this point, so we really need to focus on the forward motion he's making overall.
We were disappointed to learn last night that he needed a blood transfusion; it's a common thing for premmies of his age, it's just something we'd been hoping to avoid, since there are risks involved. The good news is that it really made a big difference for him, and his overall color is better, all pink and baby-like, and his belly has improved greatly.
I don't think I've gone into his belly thing too much... it's been all swollen and distended for a few days, the cause apparently some air caught up in his intestines... they've been doing regular x-rays to make sure there's no bowel rupture or anything, but it's just air. He just looked so uncomfortable, like he couldn't get a good breath in, his gut got so big so quick.
There was talk of the transfusion helping that; that perhaps it was partially a blood flow issue, with his body focusing on keeping blood going to his brain and lungs (his respiration is fantastic, BTW... like a guy twice his age! LOL) so we came in today to find a significant improvement in his little tummy.
At it's largest, his belly measured 27cm around... this afternoon, it was down to 23cm, so a great improvement that we're thrilled to see.
The heart murmur is still there, but the docs are focusing on getting his tummy better and getting him on regular formula feedings before moving on to try and get that taken care of.
That's all for now, thanks (as always) for your prayers and thoughts!
