05/08/10 New Hope

We finally get a break. Eli had a good night last night and his CO2 level at 6:00am this morning after coming off the BiPAP is 48. The last three weeks were not completely meaningless. Eli has his ups and downs when it comes to the CO2 level but we've shown everyone he is capable of bringing his CO2 levels down with a good night on the BiPAP.

We are hopeful that we won't have to repeat the last three weeks because we've switched over to a new mask. The new mask fits in Eli's nose a little better than the last one but the general mechanics are all the same. We spent three weeks in the NICU proving to everyone that Eli is stable and can maintain his CO2 levels at a consistent level. In the NICU Eli's CO2 level bounced around a little too. We were up to 62 or 63 and down to 49 at various points. Most of the time his CO2 was sitting in the mid 50's. Maybe the seal on the new mask will help us drive the CO2 levels down to the low 50's or even the high 40's like last night but the point is he's stable and we've proven it.

If we can string a couple good nights in a row then I think we can press to have Eli discharged. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and it would be nice to give Patricia an opportunity to hold her baby at home.