First Setback

We had our first minor setback. Cole's respiratory development is not progressing as fast as the rest of him. He has all the symptoms of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD). BPD occurs with newborns who need help breathing. Their tiny lungs can be damaged by the ventilator. Plus the extra oxygen pumped in inhibits the developing lungs from healing themselves properly. What this means is that Cole will need the ventilator longer than we thought, probably from a few weeks to possibly months. The good news is that most babies can slowly be weened off and breathing on their own by the time they go home.