Carolyn reports that at morning rounds, the NICU team decided that if Max was able to maintain his temperature, he could be moved out of his isolette and into an open crib. Max did indeed hit his temperature targets. Then, as Carolyn was changing his diaper, he had one of those gastric explosions so familiar to parents of infants. The entire inside of his isolette was covered in healthy, normal-appearing feces. Max's nurse felt that, because cleaning his isolette was going to be an all-day job, he might as well move into new digs sooner rather than later. And so it is that Max is, for the second time, in an open crib. Max had been in open crib when he was hit with the great NEC scare, almost exactly a month ago. See below for a photograph taken literally hours before Max was demoted back to an isolette on Nov. 13. With Max out in the open again, he ought to be easier to photograph.
Max's oedema appears to have improved further, although his lower extremities continue to look swollen. He gained 60 grams overnight, so the NICU team are testing his blood for certain proteins, and also checking to see that he's not simply retaining fluid.
Max's feeding schedule has been accelerated once again. He is now set to get 48 ccs of milk (and fortification) over 30 minutes.
Here's a picture from a month ago, when Max was last in an open crib:
