My sweet babes! Layla has made it up to a whopping 6 lb 10 oz and Cyrus is a super chub at 8 lb 15 oz. Lets talk about premature lungs. They saw the pulmonologist today and received their monthly Synagis shot. This shot helps give them a boost in immunity to RSV and should lessen RSV symptoms if they were to contract the virus. Because they were born so early their lungs did not have enough time to develop properly. They were born with respiratory distress syndrome. Supplemental oxygen can hinder lung development even further and can lead to a condition called bronchopulmonary displasia. Layla spent a month on a ventilator and was on some form of oxygen for two and a half months. Cyrus was only on the ventilator for 10 days or so, but required oxygen for almost two months. They needed the oxygen to live but supplemental oxygen can cause inflammation in lung tissue. When the oxygen is delivered by the ventilator it can further damage the lungs causing inflammation because of the force of the air. When they were born they were given two doses of of a drug called surfactant to help their lungs. Prior to the use of surfactant and maternal steroids which increase the natural production of surfactant, babies born at 27 weeks would have had a much more difficult time surviving. Surfactant was not widely used until the 1990s with pilot studies starting in the early 1980s. How lucky we are to live in a time of such medical advancements. With Adam Butt
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 23:56:40 +0000
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