May 2010

When you start off life as Nathan did, as a tiny preemie, reaching even a simple little milestone is cause for a big celebration!

This month we are thrilled to announce that Nathan has reached the tenth percentile for weight on his growth chart! Such an accomplishment would not normally be cause for balloons and confetti, but since this is Nathan…a major party is definitely in order!

Nathan was born prematurely last July, and he came into the care of a rural orphanage in Anhui Province. Like many premature babies, Nathan had many problems in addition to his early birth: He had respiratory issues due to immature lungs, he frequently developed fevers, and he lacked the strength to feed properly. The orphanage did its best, but contacted LWB in October when it became clear that Nathan was not going to win his battle without a great deal of help. At three months old, Nathan was only taking 1.6 ounces of formula every six hours and he weighed 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds). That weight is far below “zero percentile” for a baby his age.

Once he was admitted to the hospital, Nathan was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, malnutrition, anemia, two hernias, hypoproteinemia, an intestinal obstruction, and the CMV virus. Nathan was placed in an incubator and treated with antibiotics and IV nutrition for one month, until he could safely be transferred to our Heartbridge Pediatric Healing Unit in Beijing. Thanks to excellent medical care, a very patient nanny, and frequent, small feedings, Nathan began to gain strength and his weight curve crept up towards the very bottom of the growth chart. Progress slowed a little in January, when Nathan was hospitalized for hernia surgery and suffered another bout of pneumonia. Doctors also discovered an underdeveloped hip at that time, so Nathan was put in leg braces for the next six months. We began to wonder when this poor little guy was going to catch a break!

Nathan has continued to struggle with respiratory issues since January, but the Heartbridge staff has worked very hard to keep him out of the hospital. In each of the past three months, Nathan has gained well over a pound. And of course our most recent update showed that he had reached the tenth wonderful percentile for weight: a milestone that we like to see as the minimum “healthy weight” for our preemies. Nathan has also developed into a sweet, happy, mellow little boy who loves cuddles and cartoons, and is adored by his nannies. In spite of everything, this is one tough little boy and he is going to make it!

So please join us in celebrating this small, but very important, milestone in Nathan’s life; one of many more to come!