Change of plan

During the last week, Emmett has continued to feed on and off for Ryan and Kirby. Unfortunately, he was not been able to maintain his feeding goal consistently, and so the NG ('feeding tube through his nose) was re-placed. I think we can all agree tube or no tube, this is one precious babe;)

Ryan and Kirby want nothing more for their little boy to come home, so naturally this was a little bit of a disappointment. Please PRAY for their continued trust in the doctors' caring for baby Emmett and to keep faith throughout this process.

Emmett has proven that he CAN eat, but their is still lots of questions as to why he does NOT WANT to eat....at least not  like a new born should. The doctor's are not jumping to conclusions, and they are unable to predict anything for Emmett and for his future.  Time will only tell, but as I look back on his whole journey, I am so happy we have all the time in the world with Emmett.

Because Emmett is now officially corrected to 40 weeks, the health care team has lots of expectations for him. Unfortunately, Emmett has not met all of those goals. So after careful consideration, the next big step for Emmett is to get G Tube. The goal is for Emmett to still feed by day, and then whatever fluids and/or calories he is lacking, it can be replaced through this surgically placed feeding tube over night. This sounds like a huge step, but their are some definite benefits for Emmett. Emmett will not be hooked up to machines all day. He will still get to roll around and be a normal babe. It will also barely be noticeable under his clothes. And most importantly, as long as there are no unforeseen issues with this new tube, Emmett can finally COME HOME.

Although, this is not what Ryan and Kirby may have envisioned for their baby they are both being amazing. They have done their research, and are already educating themselves on how to feed Emmett through this tube.....(some of us go to school for years to learn stuff like this....so this is impressive). The hope is that once Emmett is home, he will have a more consistent routine and learn to get all of his nutrition on his own by mouth. In the meantime, he will have a feeding tube available to assist him with his needs.

I will post more about the surgery in the next few days.

 Please continue to keep this family in your prayers.