Home Sweet Home

Sarah and Eric were able to bring baby Ian home over the weekend - hurray! Now they're only losing sleep for all the usual reasons. Ian's physician will be keeping a close watch on him now that he is home. At yesterday's appointment his bloodwork came back looking good (platelet levels are staying up in the normal range), although we still have no idea why they dropped in the first place. All antigen tests on Sarah and Eric's blood came back negative, so it's still a mystery!

Ian will be seen by the cardiologist at Children's Hospital soon - they want to do another echocardiogram to see what is going on with his heart.

All in all, though, he is back up to his birth weight, eating well, and generally seems like a happy little guy! Thank you so much for keeping our family in your thoughts. I am sure that your faith and prayers have greatly contributed to Ian's well-being; and to ours, as well.

Sorry no pictures yet - I will try to get some up later today:)

Big Boy

Sarah said today that all the nurses have been commenting on how big Ian looks - apparently they are more accustomed to taking care of premies in the NICU!

All in all, Ian is doing a lot better. We still don't know why his platelet levels were so low; Sarah and Eric's blood is being checked to see if it might contain antibodies that negatively affect Ian's platelet levels. The first initial test showed that Sarah's blood did not contain the most common antibodies that might cause the drop. We don't have results back on the other two they tested Sarah for, nor on Eric's tests.

Whatever the intial cause, the platelet transfusions have caused Ian's platelet levels to rise to an acceptable level, so the treatment is working. Doctors will continue to do blood work and monitor the levels.

Overall, Ian is breathing well, eating well, and sleeping. We are still waiting for results on the last echocardiogram to show the current status of his heart. If the valve is still open, they may try to treat it with medication. So far, it doesn't sound as if they'll be taking any more serious actions (ie surgery) anytime soon.

We are so thankful he is recovering so well, and know your prayers on his behalf have contributed greatly to his improvement. I'll continue to update as new developments occur.

The Incredible Ian:)

Ian seemed to have a pretty good day today, despite a few medical care mishaps. His head scan came back clean - no bleeding, hurray! So that was good news. He was eating well today and seemed stronger, too.

So far we still don't know why his platelet levels have been low. The platelet transfusions have helped to bring the levels back up, however.

Ian received another echocardiogram of his heart today. Tomorrow the cardiologist will read it and give us an update on the condition of his heart and the open valve. Think happy thoughts for good results!

Love you all.

May 13th

Thanks to all who have been checking in on Ian! I should have mentioned this before, but let me just put a disclaimer out there that the info on this blog may not be the most accurate or recent - I am just updating it as I hear it, so please forgive me up-front if anything is incorrect.

The latest news I have received on Ian was that the doctors now think there may be some bleeding in his head, due to a scan they took today. This might account for his low platelet levels. They will be doing more testing to see if this is the case. As far as I know, they are still waiting on lab work from Sarah and Eric to see if their blood might contain antibodies that could also be affecting Ian's levels.

The platelet levels seem to be the main concern right now. Ian is still off the oxygen, so that seems to be going better.

I think that's it for tonight. We're so grateful, again, for all the support Sarah, Eric, and Ian have received from loving friends and family members. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers.

Update, May 12th, 11:00pm

I just got home from the hospital, so I thought I'd post a quick update. It turns out that the right side of Ian's heart is enlarged, which is why they thought it was on the wrong side; apparently it is leaning a bit to the right, due to the fact that the right side is bigger.

Sarah has been discharged. She and Eric are going to try to sleep tonight in the tiny NICU room on fold-out chairs. Please pray they will get some rest. Looking at that room and those beds, I don't know how they'll do it.

Ian was taken off the oxygen today, so that is some good news, although his breathing is still somewhat labored. They will be drawing more of Ian's blood, and also running tests on Sarah and Eric's blood either tonight or tomorrow morning. This may give us some answers regarding Ian's platelet levels.

I will update as I find out more. Thanks for your continuing support and concern for Ian.

Our Newest Family Member

Ian Rockwell Cooper finally made his appearance on Mother's Day at 12:45pm. We are so glad he's here! He weighed in at 8.4lbs, 20.5 inches long, and has a little bit of red hair. As you can see, he's an absolutely beautiful baby.

At this time, Ian is still in the NICU at the Women and Children's Pavillion at Providence Hospital. We have learned that he has an enlarged heart, which also has a perforation. Apparently there is a heart valve which normally closes after birth, but Ian's has not closed.

Ian's platelet levels are also very low (we're not sure why), so they are giving him transfusions. They have put an IV in his head and are monitoring him constantly. As of this moment, that's about all I know.

Sarah will most likely be discharged from the hospital today. I know both she and Eric really appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and support on their behalf - as do I. We love you and are so grateful to have so many loving and concerned friends.

A few more photos: