Oliver update #6 - Home is on the horizon!

Oliver's blood pressure is finally dropping!  Finally, after trying three different medicines, each at several different dosages, he's had about a day's worth of "good" diastolic blood pressure readings.  His doctors are aiming for discharge on Monday rather than over the weekend so they can make sure his blood pressure is really stable and also to give us a bit of time to practice using all the equipment we'll be taking home with us. So, we've cautiously begun going through the discharge checklist with his doctors and nurses:

• Sleep study (to determine the stability of his respiration) - DONE - the results showed that he is still having a few episodes of slow breathing/slow heart rate (apnea and bradycardia) and so we'll need to go home with a monitor
• Get the monitor and learn how to use it - we'll get it and receive instructions on Friday
• Get the feeding tube pump and learn how to use it - DONE - we're still working on helping him to nurse, and he still gets at least 95% of his milk through his NG tube
• Have all his prescriptions filled to take home - he'll be on caffeine to help his respiration, propranolol (beta-blocker) to prevent the irregular heart rate from his WPW syndrome, and aldactone to regulate his blood pressure, plus vitamins.
• Car seat study (to make sure he can safely sit upright-ish in the seat) - this will probably be over the weekend
• Rooming-in for one or two nights to learn how to take care of my baby - he's almost six weeks old, but I feel like I barely know him and how to take care of him!  I will stay overnight for a day or two at the hospital and will be the only one caring for him with the actual equipment we'll be taking home with us.  It's a practice time - it will be "just like at home" but with the nurses right outside our door for when I have questions. 

Maybe we'll be home Monday!