February 24 Update

Weight: 1664 g (3 lbs 10.6 oz)

Matthew had an eye exam today to test for ROP (retinopathy of prematurity), an eye problem that affects premature babies. See here for more detailed info on ROP, but luckily, the doctor didn’t find any signs of it. They will check again in 2 weeks. The eye exam wiped this little guy out, so he did not stay awake long tonight. It also caused some leaking in his eyes, so his right eye was stuck together, poor kiddo.

I’ve never seen him fall back asleep so fast. He was out basically the whole time I held him.

He didn’t really even wake up when the nurse put him back to bed. This picture about sums up his day. Totally wiped him out.

I left him all cuddled up, fast asleep in his bed.

*By the way, I talked to a nurse practitioner tonight about Matthew’s needing higher oxygen levels. She did not seem concerned. She said that when he’s doing something that takes extra energy, he’ll need more oxygen; but since the flow he’s getting is so small, the different levels don’t really make a difference.

So that was a bit confusing considering that his other nurses have been more concerned by his consistently elevated levels. We will see what the nurse practitioner on call tomorrow says.