On the eve of surgery

Mother's Day Picture

Tomorrow morning Brett will undergo several procedures during one operation.  He will get his intestines reattached tomorrow which is the main reason for the surgery.  However, while he is in, they want to take advantage of him being under and perform a few other things.

He has had issue with reflux.  Last week he developed pneumonia again combined with vomiting.  Unfortunately he got very sick and was vomiting bile.  They took him off of his feedings and began to monitor him closely.  It has been decided that they will do a procedure that will help his reflux .

The third procedure will help treat his CF.  They will do a bronchoscopy and while they are looking at his lungs, they will inject some saline.  They will then withdraw the saline and process it in a lab.  This will determine specifically what type of bacteria is in Brett's lungs.  Once they know the exact "bug" they will be able to treat him more effectively.  A direct result of this procedure is that Brett will have a fever and will be sick.  Please continue to pray for his health.

2 boys

Brett is pictured above

I apologize that it has been a while since our last update.  Since Gantt has come home, we have seen little sleep.

Gantt is over 6 lbs and he is doing great!!  He is as sweet as he can be and Mark has been enjoying his company.

All last week, Brett was doing better.  They began to give him MCT oil and it really helped his output decrease and gain weight.  Over the weekend he developed another blockage.  The surgical team had recommended that they perform the second part of his operation at the end of next week.  With this new blockage they will look at him sooner and decide if they need to operate on it.  If they do, then they will work on the blockage and reattach his intestines at the same time.  

We really don't know what this new blockage is because it is hard to tell on x-ray.  They will put dye in his system and then run tests to see a better picture of what is going on.  After that, the surgical team will make recommendations.  Brett is currently off milk and getting his nutrients through the IV again.  

Even though we don't know what this new blockage is, we don't have a reason to think negatively.  Please keep him in your prayers.

A few pictures

Above is Gantt in the car seat ready for his ride home

Here are two great pictures of Mark and Gantt

Grandpa got to hold Brett for the first time last weekend

On Monday night Rob had his championship hockey game.  This was the second season in a row that the Chick-fil-A hockey club won the title!

Gantt is home!!

We got to bring Gantt home on Sunday night.  He is doing well and pictures will follow in the next few days.  

Mark had his first baseball game today and he went 2-2 and did not have to use the tee!

Brett is doing much better.  They have moved him back to his crib and began feeding him milk again.  (over the weekend they dropped it and went back to the IV)  He is still on oxygen, but his color has regained and the antibiotics helped.  He will continue them for a few weeks to make sure all the "bugs" are gone.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  This week we are trying to figure out (and sleep when possible) a routine with Rob's work, Mark in school, Gantt at home, and Brett still 45 miles away at UNC.

Update

We got a call from the hospital yesterday and Brett had a turn for the worse.  It turns out he has pneumonia.  They did give him antibiotics and red blood cells.   They also had to put him back on oxygen.  He was wiped out and needed a little extra help.  When I checked on him this morning he was alert and feeling better, but he is still being closely watched.

I am sure he will make it through, but we never like getting those phone calls!

Mark visits his brothers

Mark with Gantt above and with Brett below

We took Mark to the hospital today after school.  He had so much fun with his brothers.  He has not had much time with them because he has been coughing and sneezing lately.  We think it is allergies, but the staff looked at him sternly when he sneezed last time.  It is very important not to take any germs into the critical care center.  A simple cold could be very devastating!  Mark wore his mask most of the time and took it off for a few pictures. 

Mark has been waiting several years to be a big brother.  He already loves them very much and we are proud because he is sensitive to them and cares for them a great deal.   He has given Gantt the nickname "Ducky".  Ducky is the name of Mark's favorite character on The Land Before Time and he chose Gantt to be called that nickname.  B.B. (Baby Brett) may be the nickname for Brett, but we will wait and see what Mark decides.  BTW --  we are still calling them by their given names.

 

Video of Mark with Gantt above and Brett below

First Time Sharing a Crib

Brett and Gantt were able to move together to share a crib for the first time! Brett is on the left and Gantt is on the right. They are doing really well  - after all, they'd been sharing the same space for 32 weeks in utero. Gantt is the wiggle-worm and his hands were all in Brett's face, but Brett slept right through it. One time during an ultrasound we tried to get a good picture of Brett, but Gantt's leg was hanging over his face...so I guess he is just used to it! 

They are both progressing really well.  The DNA tests for Gantt came back.  He is a carrier of CF, but he does not have it.  They also took the feeding tube out because he is eating from the bottle so well.  

Brett is progressing as well.  He has had his food increased, but his output is a little too high which means he is not digesting enough.  (this is to be expected) The doctors at UNC are very good.  They have given us a lot of information about CF.  The only thing they can do for him right now is physical therapy.  Someone comes in twice a day and pats on his chest to help break up the phlegm.  He actually enjoys this right now, but it does wear him out a little.  

The two boys seem very happy and they really are precious together! 

First time holding them together

Graduating to "big boy beds"!!!

Both boys with the beds side by side

Brett (pictured above) Gantt (pictured below)

So the boys were moved to bassinettes. (a.k.a. "big boy beds" by the nurses)  Brett is back on food and Gantt will have his feeding tube taken out today.  Both boys are doing great and really seem to like their new home.  

They were moved from Pod A to Pod C and it is a lot better for us as a family.  The two boys can be pulled side by side and Jennifer can pull a curtain all the way around for privacy.  If you watched the video from previous posts, you noticed the boys were next to each other, but could not be pulled side by side.  The biggest benefit is that Jennifer can have Brett nearby to give him his pacifier while she is feeding Gantt.  Jennifer had a great day with the boys!

The next step for Brett is to wait another 6 weeks so he can have surgery again.  Once they reattach his intestines, they will begin his feeds again.  The doctors cannot give him enzymes to help his CF until he is getting all his full feedings from a bottle.  Please pray for his continued growth and progress.

They are back together again!

This is one of our favorite pictures of Brett.  The pacifier he is holding is normal size.  It really helps to show how much of a little guy he is.

It turns out the RSV was a complete "scare".  None of the kids have it and all of the rapid tests were false positives.  They have moved the two boys back together again in the same room.

They did have to stop Brett's feeding because he developed another blockage.  However, after they rinsed out his ostomy, the blockage began to clear.  Hopefully sometime in the next couple of days he will begin getting milk again.

Gantt is still doing great.  He is primarily being fed by a bottle with the occasional tube feeding.  If he keeps on growing like he is, we may get him home a little sooner than anticipated!!!

A day with Gantt...

Happy Easter!

Today we got to spend some time with Gantt. (all the above pictures are of Gantt) Brett contracted RSV virus and has been put in isolation with the other babies with the same thing.  There are about 8 kids that have this virus and they have been separated from the other kids.  Rob spent a little bit of time with Brett after scrubbing out and wearing the full get up.  (mask, gloves, and gown)  

Rob did change Gantt's diaper today.  (no that is not photoshopped)  Gantt is gaining weight and he is eating full meals every 3 hours.  He actually gained almost 100 g in 48 hours!  I hope you enjoy these pictures.

On a different note, we did get a diagnosis on Brett.  He does have Cystic Fibrosis and we spent an hour or so with the pulmonary doctor discussing some of the things we need to think about.  It is also great that we are so close to UNC because they are one of the leading hospitals in treating CF.  We will also be testing Gantt for CF and the results will take just over a week.

They did tell us not to google cystic fibrosis and start reading everything because there is a lot of misinformation out there.  The best place to go is here ----->Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Home

It seems that Brett can have a "normal" life, but there may be some complications with his gut.  The doctor seemed to think that he did not have that large of a percentage of his intestines removed.  We were encouraged about this because one of the biggest issues with CF kids is getting good nutrition.  Right now we have to wait 6 weeks or so for Brett to heal so he can have surgery again.  This next surgery will be to reconnect his intestines.  Once this happens, we will wait and see how he does.   We are comforted in the fact that they told us we can put his crib together and he will make it home to be with us in a few months!  

What a joy it is to have 3 wonderful boys!!!

Mark is a proud big brother!

Mark has really been a trooper over the last week. On the day the boys came, Mark got to go home with one of his friends. He loved the sleepover and we are thankful the Collins family was ready to have him on such a short notice.

Mark got to see his brothers on Saturday and Sunday. He had a cough, so he has been "kicked out" until he gets better. On Sunday, Brett opened his eyes when Mark spoke to him. Mark was so happy that he could hardly talk about anything else the rest of the day.

Here are a few pictures of Mark over the weekend. I think Jennifer's dad had as much fun playing as Mark did! They took one of the boxes from the cribs and made a racetrack for his Cars toys.

Never know what a day brings.....

This is how Little G looked today - 6 days old. Still wondering what's going on I think!

A lot can happen within a week.  Jennifer and I never knew how long it would take Brett to progress.  Today we went to the hospital just happy that he did not need any help breathing.  When we got there, we found out that they but a bag on his ostomy and he was filling it!!!  I was instantly reminded of Bill Cosby's skit about the poopie.  We were so excited to see it.  This was a big development for him because once he did this, he could be moved to milk.  While we were there they gave him his first meal!  They pump it from a syringe through a tube that goes through the nose and into the stomach.  They do it through the nose because it will help him breast feed in the future if he does not take food through the mouth now.

Since they were going to set this up, the nurse asked if we wanted to hold him.

Well.....DUH!  YES WE WANT TO HOLD HIM!!!  

It was truly amazing because we did not think it would happen so soon.  We took many pictures and a short video. I hope you enjoy them.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

The picture at the top is of Gantt wanting to see what was going on.  The rest are of Brett and there are two videos.  One shows Jennifer holding Brett and the other one shows what the room looks like.  I scan the room a little bit and you can see Gantt moving around in his isolette.  He has the lights turned on him because his bilirubin levels were too high.  (for those of you that want to know what Jennifer tells me......"Please do not do that again".  I had just previously taken a picture and did not realize the flash was on.  Ooops!  Brett did not like that at all.)

Brett without any assistance breathing for the first time!

Gantt's first outfit

Initial Post

Thank you for visiting our blog. The boys were born at 32 weeks gestation just after 6:00 pm on April 2, 2009. Matthew "Brett" (4lb 6 oz) was born first and David "Gantt" (4lb 5 oz) came along for the ride.

Gantt was named after Jennifer's brother. Her maiden name is Gantt and her brother's first name is David. Brett was named after two of Rob's friends. Matt Harris has been friends with Rob since 1992 when they were in high school together. Matt also has the distinguished honor of being Rob's best man when he married Jennifer in September, 1997. "Stephen" Brett Eccher has been friends with Rob since 2003. Stephen has shown himself to be a true friend over the years and even coming at all hours of the night when Rob would hurt himself and needed to go to the hospital.

Many of you know that Brett was born with intestinal complications and required surgery during the first 12 hours of his life. 20% of his small intestine was removed and he will require a recovery process that may take many months. Brett is the one that began this whole process by pushing Jennifer into pre-term labor at 9:30 AM. When Brett was born he was not given much of a chance to live. The doctors were "worried" about his condition and they did not know what to expect. He was born at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC and immediately transferred to UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. The surgeon came to Rob half way through the operation for permission to proceed. The outlook was not good, but Rob thought proceeding was the best chance for Brett to survive. Brett had lost a lot of blood and the surgeon was not confident Brett would make it. Fortunately for us he did survive and he is on his road to recovery. He does have a stoma and he will require further surgery at some point in the future. The biggest current concern is the section of intestine he lost was primarily responsible for absorbing nutrients and calories. He is currently receiving his nutrition through an IV. The first few days of life he needed a breathing tube and then he graduated to a c-pap machine. On Monday, April 7 he began to breathe unassisted for the first time!!!

As mentioned earlier, Gantt was along for the ride. He is healthy and progressing very well. Gantt has always been able to breathe without assistance and he was even bottle fed at 2 days old. On Monday, April 7 he was able to put on his first outfit and Jennifer got to change his diaper for the first time!! He also graduated to an isolette and his IV should be removed tonight.

Thank you for checking in on our sons and we will update this blog as often as possible.