We've moved....again!

Good afternoon,
Braden is officially a resident on floor 4!!!!! He managed the road trip okay and is now settling into his new home. Because the floor is so full, he does have to bunk up with another baby. Although we are very happy he has "graduated" to the 4th floor, we were a little sad to leave all of the wonderful people who took care of us in the PICU.

It was really interesting to meet and work with the speech pathologist who is helping Braden to eat. Something I never knew: there's a nerve that wraps around the aorta that controls our left vocal chord. Sometimes with heart patients (esp. HLHS kids), the nerve can stretch, causing the left vocal chord to swell as well (I'm a little rusty with my medical terminology, but I'm pretty sure I relayed this informaton accurately). This could cause some difficulty with Braden's swallowing. They're not too concerned about that right now, but the speech path. noticed that his cry sounds a little hoarse, so they'll keep an eye on that vocal chord/nerve issue. It's very interesting to see how much coordination it takes to suck, swallow, and breathe. This is a natural instict he has lost and now has to learn. The speech path. said, "Imagine running up a flight of stairs and then trying to chug a bottle of water." That's what it's like right now for Braden to try and eat on his own. He did take 1/2 an ounce on his own at 9 and noon today, so we're very happy that he's making progress.

We continue to pray for Braden's progress each and everyday. We know that God is listening and watching over Braden during this amazing journey. Thanks for continuing to pray for our lil' fighter!

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Steph