Terri feeds Matthew by bottle

Today Terri got to feed Matthew twice from a bottle. Terri said that Matthew was very excited and even got annoyed if she took the bottle out of his mouth. This puts to rest the fears of an "oral aversion" that can come from long periods of intubation. Babies can associate all things in their mouth negatively and have long lasting feeding problems. Thankfully it seems that won't be a problem with our little fighter.

I spoke with Pulmonologist Dr. Tracy Butler and Cardiologist Dr. Ackerman today. They are in agreement that Matthew should be on low level breathing assistance and Viagra (to insure proper vasodilatation) for 6 months to a year. This will treat his "Pulmonary Hypertension" by keeping his pulmonary artery open and working properly until he heals and matures. So for now he is on a very oxygen flow setting of .25 liters (down from 2 to 5). This low setting can easily be managed at home. This type of oxygen unit would be small enough to place in a stroller or over our shoulder. Contrast that with a tracheotomy and a respirator and you can begin to understand how thrilled we are to behold the miracle that is Matthew's progress.